The study of collective behavior in animal societies seeks to understand how complex groups function and coordinated patterns (rhythms, consensus, nest,…) emerge from individual interactions. For example, fireflies synchronize their flashing in unison, creating a mesmerizing light display. Similarly, fish move in tight schools, ants form trails to food, and bees work together to build intricate hives, each following simple rules that lead to complex outcomes.

Insects and other invertebrates have been widely used in experiments to study how animals make decisions as a group. These studies show how collective decisions can emerge from simple exchanges of information between individuals. However, one key question remains: How do individual differences or personal experiences influence the group’s overall behavior?

This raises several important issues, like how collective choices and memories form, and how a group's history impacts their decisions. Behaviors like gregarism (the tendency to stay in groups) and recruitment (calling others to help) are commonly seen in many species and will help us explore these ideas.

Questions:
Are leaders necessary in such systems?
Why use “mathematical” models to understand social phenomena?
How to build consensus in a group?
Dispersion or aggregation?
What is collective memory?