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Updated: Sep 2, 2025

Conditions Affecting Social Space in Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: November 5, 2015
Viewing animal migration through a social lens
Ellen O Aikens1, Iris D Bontekoe2, Lara Blumenstiel3
1Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, 78468 Konstanz, Germany; Collective Migration Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.
Abstract:
Evidence of social learning is growing across the animal kingdom. Researchers have long hypothesized that social interactions play a key role in many animal migrations, but strong empirical support is scarce except in a few unique systems and species. In this review, we aim to catalyze advances in the study of social migrations by synthesizing research across disciplines and providing a framework for understanding when, how, and why social influences shape the decisions animals make during migration. Integrating research across the fields of social learning and migration ecology will advance our understanding of the complex behavioral phenomena of animal migration and help to inform conservation of animal migrations in a changing world.
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