Intent matters: how flow and forms of information impact collective navigation

Area of Science:

• Collective behavior
• Animal navigation
• Theoretical ecology

Background:

• Collective navigation is theorized to enhance efficiency via the 'many-wrongs' principle.
• Flowing environments introduce drift, creating a discrepancy between intended and actual headings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model how different heading information affects collective navigation in flowing environments.
• To determine if collective navigation benefits persist regardless of the information shared.

Main Methods:

• Development of a theoretical model simulating collective navigation.
• Analysis of navigation efficiency under varying flow conditions.
• Comparison of navigation outcomes based on intended vs. actual heading information.

Main Results:

• Navigation using intended headings significantly improves migration times and group success.
• Intended heading navigation enables groups to navigate previously unnavigable flows.
• Navigation using actual headings offers limited benefits, only in favorable currents, and can be detrimental.

Conclusions:

• Sharing intended headings is a robust strategy for collective navigation in flowing environments.
• The type of information shared critically influences the success of collective navigation.
• Collective navigation strategies must account for environmental factors like flow dynamics.