Lambert, C. E. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2026

Behavioral compensation preserves collective behavior when individual members are compromised

Collective behavior in animal societies can buffer individual costs and confer resilience to environmental challenges. However, the mechanisms by which groups sustain function when members are compromised remain poorly understood. In the presented study, we investigate how social context shapes collective fanning, a thermoregulatory behavior critical for colony function, in Western honeybees (Apis mellifera). Using oxytetracycline (OTC), a known physiologically disruptive antibiotic to honeybees, to selectively impair certain group members, we tested our hypothesis that the presence of untreated bees would rescue the fanning response in mixed-composition groups. We show that groups containing untreated individuals fan at levels comparable to fully untreated groups, despite the presence of OTC-impaired bees. This preservation of collective thermoregulatory function was correlated with both treated and untreated individuals in mixed groups shifting their interaction dynamics and social network positions. These findings reveal a decentralized mechanism of collective resilience, whereby behavioral compensation by individuals sustains group-level thermoregulation under partial disruption. Our results provide a framework for understanding how social insect colonies maintain function in the face of individual-level perturbations, with broader implications for predicting the limits of collective resilience in animal societies experiencing increasing environmental pressures.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2024

Physical Interactions Drive Collective Thermoregulatory Behavior in Honey Bees

Social animals can coordinate complex behaviors, which can affect massive change on the environment. Within groups, individuals can sense the environment and communicate that information with others. Direct contact, like physical touch, is a key method of communication among social animals, and may be a mechanism to facilitate the coordination of collective behaviors that buffer environmental change. Here, we use a collective thermoregulatory fanning behavior in honey bees (Apis mellifera) to test the hypothesis that direct physical contact is necessary to perform this behavior. By modulating their ability to engage in physical contact, we establish that honey bee workers must touch each other to coordinate the fanning response. We then manipulated social density by changing the physical space the bees occupied to modulate likelihood of contact and found that in high social densities, honey bees are more likely to fan. Using video tracking, we then verified that bees in higher social density indeed have more direct physical interactions. This work identifies a mechanism of communication and potentially information synthesis in an ecologically relevant collective behavior. By understanding the ways in which animals communicate, we may be able to pinpoint the mechanisms of resilience that social insects evolved to manage a changing world.

animal behavior and cognition↗