Abstract
The principal interactions leading to the emergence of order in swarms of marching locust nymphs was studied both experimentally, using small groups of marching locusts in the lab, and using computer simulations. We utilized a custom tracking algorithm to reveal fundamental animal-animal interactions leading to collective motion. Uncovering this behavior introduced a new agent-based modeling approach in which pause-and-go motion is pivotal. The behavioral and modeling findings are largely based on motion-related visual sensory inputs obtained by the individual locust. Results suggest a generic principle, in which intermittent animal motion can be considered as a sequence of individual decisions as animals repeatedly reassess their situation and decide whether or not to swarm. This interpretation implies, among other things, some generic characteristics regarding the build-up and emergence of collective order in swarms: in particular, that order and disorder are generic meta-stable states of the system, suggesting that the emergence of order is kinetic and does not necessarily require external environmental changes. This work calls for further experimental as well as theoretical investigation of the neural mechanisms underlying locust coordinative behavior.
Highlights
From ancient times and still today, the fascinating phenomenon of locust swarms continues to threaten agriculture and challenge science
We suggest that the fundamental process, which governs the dynamics of the swarm, is that of visual-flow-based repeated decisions that each individual animal makes regarding when to pause or start walking, and in what direction
Locust phase polyphenism and swarming It is important to address the consistency of our new description of locust behavior with the wealth of previous knowledge
Summary
From ancient times and still today, the fascinating phenomenon of locust swarms continues to threaten agriculture and challenge science. The challenge lies in connecting or deciphering the dynamic interactions between the behavior of individual animals, the coordinated activity of crowds consisting of millions of animals, and the environment. From a theoretical point of view, locust swarming is a quintessential example of collective motion [1], [2], [3], bearing resemblance to the formation and dynamics of schools of fish [4], flocks of birds [5], [6], human crowds [7], cells and bacteria [8], and even artificial agents (swarming robots; [9]). Retain a special fascination for both scientists and laymen. These short-horned grasshoppers demonstrate density-dependent polyphenism [13]. The vast groups of gregarious nymphs that march in unison offer an exceptional model for the study of animal collective behavior
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