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Modelling Group Navigation: Dominance and Democracy in Homing Pigeons

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2008

Robin Freeman  and
Dora Biro
Robin Freeman*
Affiliation:
(Microsoft Research Cambridge)
Dora Biro
Affiliation:
(University of Oxford)
*
(Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

During group navigation the information shared by group members may be complex, heterogeneous and may vary over time. Nevertheless, modelling approaches have demonstrated that even relatively simple interactions between individuals can produce complex collective outcomes. In such models each individual follows the same simple set of local rules, giving rise to differential outcomes of the navigational decision-making process depending on various parameters. However, inherent heterogeneity within groups means that some group members may emerge as more influential than others in navigational tasks and this underlying social structure may affect the ability of the group at large. Here, we present our preliminary modelling of group navigation specifically developed to include internal group structure. Building on existing models and recent experimental results we examine the role of individual influence on group navigation and its effects on group navigational ability.

Keywords

Animal navigationGroup navigation
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Navigation , Volume 62 , Issue 1 , January 2009 , pp. 33 - 40
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Navigation 2008

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References

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