Behavioral Analysis of a Group Decision-Making Process

群体决策过程的行为分析

• 批准号: 0210541
• 负责人: Thomas Seeley
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Cornell University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-08-01 至 2006-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0210541&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Behavioral; Analysis; Group; Decision; Making

Behavioral analysis of a group decision-making processThomas D. SeeleyOne of the most spectacular examples of an animal group functioning as a collective decision-making agent is a swarm of honeybees choosing its future home. This phenomenon occurs in the late spring and early summer when a colony outgrows its hive and proceeds to divide itself by swarming. The swarm bees leave en masse, quickly forming a cloud of bees just outside the parental hive; they then coalesce into a beard-like cluster on a nearby tree branch where they choose their future dwelling place. The nest-site selection process starts with several hundred scout bees flying from the swarm cluster to search for tree cavities that meet the bees' real-estate preferences. The scouts then return to the cluster, report their findings by means of waggle dances, and work together to decide which one of the dozen or more possible nest sites that they have discovered should be the swarm's new home.The PI will determine (1) how the scouts in a honey bee swarm work together to make the decision regarding their future nest site, and (2) how they sense when they have finished making this decision. Such group decision making, or social choice, occurs in many species of group-living animals. Unraveling the mechanisms of social choice is essential to understanding how animal groups function and may even lead to novel methods of social choice by humans. A swarm of honey bees choosing its nest site is a striking and accessible form of social choice by animals.

群体决策过程的行为分析动物群体作为集体决策代理人发挥作用的最壮观的例子之一是一群蜜蜂选择未来的家园。 这种现象发生在春末夏初，当一个群体超出了它的蜂巢，并通过群集进行分裂。 蜂群迅速离开，在母巢外迅速形成一团蜜蜂云;然后在附近的一棵树的分支上聚集成一个胡须状的集群，在那里它们选择了未来的栖息地。 巢址选择过程开始于几百只侦察蜂从蜂群中飞出来，寻找符合蜜蜂房地产偏好的树洞。 然后，侦察蜂返回蜂群，通过摇摆舞的方式报告他们的发现，并共同决定他们发现的十几个或更多可能的巢穴中的哪一个应该是蜂群的新家。PI将确定（1）蜂群中的侦察蜂如何共同决定他们未来的巢穴，以及（2）当他们完成这个决定时，他们是如何感觉的。 这种群体决策或社会选择发生在许多群居动物中。 解开社会选择的机制对于理解动物群体的功能至关重要，甚至可能导致人类社会选择的新方法。 一群蜜蜂选择筑巢地点是动物社会选择的一种引人注目的和容易理解的形式。