Emigration dynamics of cockroaches under different disturbance regimes do not depend on individual personalities

Abstract

Group-level properties, such as collective movements or decisions, can be considered an outcome of the interplay between individual behavior and social interactions. However, the respective influences of individual preferences and social interactions are not evident. In this research, we study the implications of behavioral variability on the migration dynamics of a group of gregarious insects (Periplaneta americana) subjected to two different disturbance regimes (one without disturbances and another one with high frequency of disturbances). The results indicate that individuals presented consistent behavior during the nighttime (active phase of cockroaches) in both conditions. Moreover, we used a modeling approach to test the role of personality during the migration process. The model considers identical individuals (no personality) without memory and no direct inter-attraction between individuals. The agreement between theoretical and experimental results shows that behavioral variability play a secondary role during migration dynamics. Our results showing individual personality during the nighttime (spontaneous decision to forage) but not during the emigration process (induced by environmental disturbances) highlight the plasticity of personality traits.

Measuring the effect of RFID and Marker Recognition tags on cockroach behaviour using AI aided tracking

“…The difference for label-based tags indicates that either the placement, the larger area of these tags, or the extra adhesive needed to secure two tags may be the cause of the observed differences. Most notably, most studies avoid placing tags on the multi-segmented abdomen (Thoms and Robinson, 1987; Crall et al, 2016; Planas-Sitjà et al, 2017). It is possible that limiting the movement between abdomen segments affects the animal’s movement, although it is not clear why a potential restriction would increase movement as we observed.…”

Differential Gene Expression Correlates with Behavioural Polymorphism during Collective Behaviour in Cockroaches

“…As SRT cockroaches spend more time outside the shelter, and past research shows that the probability to visit a shelter is a consistent trait over time [ 37 , 40 ], pTRP could influence behaviour through moderating photophobia or light stimuli sensitization [ 64 ]. On the other hand, cockroaches have a high level of thigmotaxis, which can vary among individuals [ 38 ], and can play a role in aggregation and escape behaviour [ 66 , 67 ]. Thus, while none of the DEGs found could be related to thigmotaxis behaviour, differences in shelter use between LRT and SRT may be due to an interplay between phototaxis and thigmotaxis.…”