On collective behavior in C. elegans

C. elegans is a model organism in many biological domains, such as genetics, neurophysiology, and behavioral ecology. Despite our relatively deep knowledge of the neuronal, genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying C. elegans communication, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of emergent group-level dynamics. We review the literature on collective behavior of C. elegans by categorizing works in this relatively small research field along three main axes corresponding to primary collective responses: aggregation, swarming, and collective decision-making. Through an analysis of the methods and scientific contributions of these works, we develop a critical perspective that points to important gaps in our understanding of the mechanisms underlaying the emergence of collective responses. We discuss the consequences of the lack of evidence concerning the effect of population density on the emergence of specific group dynamics, and the relatively limited knowledge related to how self-generated pheromones regulate local interactions and contribute to the emergence of group responses. We elaborate on the methodological problems of developing experimental scenarios to disentangle causal relationships between population density, pheromone-based interactions and collective responses. We propose to overcome these limitations with an interdisciplinary approach based on the use of in vivo experiments, mathematical and computer-based models.