Self-Organized Huddles of Rat Pups Modeled by Simple Rules of Individual Behavior

Schank, Jeffrey C.; Alberts, Jeffrey R.

doi:10.1006/jtbi.1997.0488

Cited by 72 publications

(86 citation statements)

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“…Several aggregations have been suggested as self-organized pattern formations, such as the clustering of whirling beetles [10,11], firebug overwintering aggregations, sow bug aggregations, aggregation of bees, larval aggregation [8], and thermoregulatory huddling behavior [12], among others. Thermoregulatory huddling has developed in several taxonomic groups, including small mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Huddling behavior as critical phase transition triggered by low temperatures

Canals

Bozinovic

2011

Complexity

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Huddling is a grouping behavior where animals maintain close bodily contact and save energy. We tested the hypothesis that this thermoregulatory behavior behaves as a system with continuous (second-order phase) transition called critical when the environmental temperature (driving parameter) is near a critical value. To do so, we followed theoretical and experimental approaches, examining data from geometrical models, metabolic rate during huddling in small mammals, and also conducting an experiment on thermoregulatory huddling behavior with white mice. Our results support all predictions for systems under continuous-phase transition triggered by low temperatures, a phenomenon reported for first time in a biological system. We suggest that huddling behavior in social animals, a recognized adaptive behavior, may be considered a self-organized system coupled with an external driving parameter.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Huddling behavior as critical phase transition triggered by low temperatures

Canals

Bozinovic

2011

Complexity

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“…A small number of simple rules proved sufficient to replicate the behavior of the real, 7-day-old rats (Schank & Alberts, 1997)! These rules and their derivations, described in detail elsewhere (Schank & Alberts, 1997;2000), involved simple probabilities of a pup being active or not, contingent on whether it was active or inactive in the preceding 5 sec period.…”

Section: Computational Modeling Reveals Rules Of Individual Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These rules and their derivations, described in detail elsewhere (Schank & Alberts, 1997;2000), involved simple probabilities of a pup being active or not, contingent on whether it was active or inactive in the preceding 5 sec period. Then, there were probabilities of moving if the pup was in contact with another pup, a wall, or a corner.…”

Section: Computational Modeling Reveals Rules Of Individual Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Huddling by rat pups: Ontogeny of individual and group behavior

Alberts

2006

Developmental Psychobiology

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A full account of behavioral development in rats must include the ontogeny of both individual and group behavior. Most of our accumulated knowledge, however, pertains to individual ontogenesis. Group behavior and its development are readily seen in the huddling behavior of rat pups. A rat huddle is an entity with characteristics and capabilities distinct from those of the individuals that comprise it. The huddle is a natural context for acquiring olfactory preferences for species odors. Olfactory learning in a huddle involves thermal and tactile stimulation from the mother's body but, surprisingly, not the rewards of suckling or of milk transfer. Although there is complete developmental continuity of huddling behavior, the sensory controls of huddling change dramatically during the first 2 weeks of postnatal life. Huddling behavior is initially controlled by thermal cues (''physiological huddling'') and then becomes dominated by olfactory stimuli (''filial huddling''). The complex group behavior of huddling was modeled successfully with computational methods. Group behavior emerges from individual interactions, guided entirely by rules of individual behavior (no rules for group behavior). Three simple rules of autonomous activity/inactivity can spawn the patterns of aggregon formation displayed by groups of 7-day-old pups, but not by 10-day-olds. The developmental change evident by Day 10 requires adding a rule by which each individual is affected by the activity state of adjacent pups. Group behavior responded to manipulations of central oxytocin on Day 10, but not on Day 7. ß 2006 Wiley-Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 49: 22-32, 2007.

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“…Agent-based modelling has helped to establish that these group-level properties can emerge from simple rules of interaction between individuals [5,6]. Models of huddling have typically studied self-organisation from one of two directions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-organising Thermoregulatory Huddling in a Model of Soft Deformable Littermates

Wilson

2017

Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems

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Abstract. Thermoregulatory huddling behaviours dominate the early experiences of developing rodents, and constrain the patterns of sensory and motor input that drive neural plasticity. Huddling is a complex emergent group behaviour, thought to provide an early template for the development of adult social systems, and to constrain natural selection on metabolic physiology. However, huddling behaviours are governed by simple rules of interaction between individuals, which can be described in terms of the thermodynamics of heat exchange, and can be easily controlled by manipulation of the environment temperature. Thermoregulatory huddling thus provides an opportunity to investigate the effects of early experience on brain development in a social, developmental, and evolutionary context, through controlled experimentation. This paper demonstrates that thermoregulatory huddling behaviours can selforganise in a simulation of rodent littermates modelled as soft-deformable bodies that exchange heat during contact. The paper presents a novel methodology, based on techniques in computer animation, for simulating the early sensory and motor experiences of the developing rodent.

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Self-Organized Huddles of Rat Pups Modeled by Simple Rules of Individual Behavior

Cited by 72 publications

References 0 publications

Huddling behavior as critical phase transition triggered by low temperatures

Huddling behavior as critical phase transition triggered by low temperatures

Huddling by rat pups: Ontogeny of individual and group behavior

Self-organising Thermoregulatory Huddling in a Model of Soft Deformable Littermates

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