Group decisions: How penguins get around
Group decision making in animals is a hotly debated topic in behavioural science. King penguins make ideal subjects for studying this because of natural grouping behaviour and a strong motivation to find their way home. The EU-funded PENGUINAV (Group dynamics and navigation in king penguin chicks (Aptenodytes patagonicus)) project tested several hypotheses about group decision making in penguins. These were that larger group size and experience help groups navigate, and that navigational conflicts affect the outcome of group navigation. To test these hypotheses, PENGUINAV displaced groups of penguin chicks and tracked their routes back to their respective homes within the colony, known as creches. Researchers tested different size groups, as well as experienced and naive pairs of chicks. Overall, the presence of an experienced chick (one which had been displaced previously) improved group navigation. Researchers also found evidence of an optimal group size (groups of six or more usually split up), but the reason for this was not clear. Another aspect of the project used a novel time-lapse photography system called MICOBS to observe overall creche movements. Here, they saw movement to avoid predators, movement induced by changes in weather, and groups of chicks wandering in the day, without a clear purpose. The results of PENGUINAV have confirmed some hypotheses while not supporting others, showing that there is more to be learnt about group decision making. The techniques developed during PENGUINAV will help to study groups of animals in the future.
Keywords
Penguins, group decision making, behavioural science, group dynamics, group navigation
