Collective decision-making in baboons (previous work)

To stay together, animal groups on the move must come to a consensus about where and when to go, despite the fact that individual preferences may often conflict. Resolving these conflicts effectively is essential for animals that live in stable, socially-complex societies, such as baboons. How are these movement decisions reached?
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To address this question, my collaborators (including Meg Crofoot, Damien Farine, and Iain Couzin) and I used GPS tracking data on the movements of the majority of baboons within a single troop, a 3-dimensional map of their environment, and quantitative analyses to tease apart the different influences on baboon movement.
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Above is an example of baboon collective movement. Each dot represents a single baboon within the troop.
Key topics:
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Consensus decision-making
How shared or unshared are baboons' decisions about where to move?
Read the paper: Shared decision-making drives collective movement in wild baboons
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Read an article about the research: Baboon-Trackers Herald New Age of Animal Behaviour Research
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Group spatial organization
Do individuals occupy particular spatial positions within the group, and if so how do they maintain those positions?
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Read the paper: Individual variation in local interaction rules can explain emergent patterns of spatial organization in wild baboons.
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Habitat influences on collective movement
How do individual baboons integrate habitat and social information when making movement decisions?
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How does habitat structure affect group structure and movement at the collective level?
Read the paper: Habitat and social factors shape individual decisions and emergent group structure during baboon collective movement
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Read an article about the research: Habitat features and social behavior impact how baboons move as a group

Habitat flyover
Visualization of 3-dimensional (point cloud) reconstruction the baboons' habitat
Combining GPS tracks and habitat data
Visualization of baboon movement data overlaid on 3-dimensional habitat reconstruction