Abstract
Aggregations of animals display complex and dynamic behaviour, both at the individual level and on the level of the group as a whole. Often, this behaviour is collective, so that the group exhibits properties that are distinct from those of the individuals. In insect swarms, the motion of individuals is typically convoluted, and swarms display neither net polarization nor correlation. The swarms themselves, however, remain nearly stationary and maintain their cohesion even in noisy natural environments. This behaviour stands in contrast with other forms of collective animal behaviour, such as flocking, schooling, or herding, where the motion of individuals is more coordinated, and thus swarms provide a powerful way to study the underpinnings of collective behaviour as distinct from global order. Here, we provide a data set of three-dimensional, time-resolved trajectories, including positions, velocities, and accelerations, of individual insects in laboratory insect swarms. The data can be used to study the collective as a whole as well as the dynamics and behaviour of individuals within the swarm.
Highlights
Background & SummaryIn nature, many species organize in groups or aggregations that exhibit temporally and spatially complex patterns and dynamics[1]
Many species organize in groups or aggregations that exhibit temporally and spatially complex patterns and dynamics[1]
It is widely believed that group behaviour is beneficial
Summary
Many species organize in groups or aggregations that exhibit temporally and spatially complex patterns and dynamics[1] This behaviour can be observed in bird flocks[2,3,4], fish schools[5], and insect swarms[6,7], among others. We use a threecamera setup to reconstruct the three-dimensional positions, velocities, and accelerations of each individual midge during the swarming process This temporally and spatially resolved data allows for statistical, dynamic, and topological analyses, and can give insights in the behaviour of both individuals and of the group as a whole
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