Take any human society, past or present, and you’ll find some form of leadership or authority structure, located on a spectrum stretching from despotism to democracy. Such leadership is a means by which groups can gain from cooperation and achieve a common goal. But we still know surprisingly little about how groups of animals make decisions as a group.

How does a swarm of bees choose a new nest site? A flock of birds decide when to leave a foraging patch? Or a group of primates decide on their direction of travel?

In each of these examples, unless group members decide on the same action, the group will split up and individuals will forfeit many of the advantages gained from being in that group.

Scientists working on the evolution and behaviour of decision-making in animal groups on a range of species, and at different scales, will talk on this topical subject. Implications for our understanding of how large-scale biological patterns result from the actions and interactions of the individual components of a system will then be discussed.

Organised by Andrew J. King and Dr Guy Cowlishaw, Institute of Zoology, ZSL

Speakers
> Larissa Conradt Department of Biology & Environmental Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton
> Sean A. Rands School of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Bristol
> Andrew J. King University College London & Institute of Zoology, ZSL, London

Guest Chair: Professor Jens Krause, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds