Behavioural Contagion Explains Group Cohesion in a Social Crustacean.

ABSTRACT: In gregarious species, social interactions maintain group cohesion and the associated adaptive values of group living. The understanding of mechanisms leading to group cohesion is essential for understanding the collective dynamics of groups and the spatio-temporal distribution of organisms in environment. In this view, social aggregation in terrestrial isopods represents an interesting model due to its recurrence both in the field and in the laboratory. In this study, and under a perturbation context, we experimentally tested the stability of groups of woodlice according to group size and time spent in group. Our results indicate that the response to the disturbance of groups decreases with increases in these two variables. Models neglecting social effects cannot reproduce experimental da

SUBMITTER: Broly P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4465910 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature