Current research projects - Movement ecology and collective animal behaviour

My research focuses on the ecology and behaviour of animals, in particular how the mechanisms involved at the individual level scale up to groups or population levels. I typically combine lab and field experiments with computational or mathematical modelling, and I am always keen to adapt the latest technological innovations to improve our ability to track and quantify animal behaviour.

Here are some of the current active projects in my team:

Detection, monitoring and tracking of beneficial and pest invertebrates using field robotics, radars and machine learning

We are developing an innovative framework to automate the detection, tracking and monitoring of invertebrates in the field using a combination of machine learning, drones and ground-based platforms (including robotics and innovative radar tracking). In some cases (e.g. locusts, snails, bees), the resulting data will be key to modelling and predicting insect movement. This is a new multidisciplinary collaboration which will capitalise on existing equipment and expertise in AgTech and machine learning at the Plant Accelerator and URAF, the experience of Buhl’s team in monitoring, tracking and modelling invertebrate movement (in collaboration with ECMS, in particular with Ed Green) and the extensive experience of SARDI Entomology working at the forefront of pest management and biosecurity.

Locust collective movement

To develop a better understanding of locust collective movement, we are combining lab and field experiments (which involve innovative techniques such as tracking individuals with a UAV) with computer simulations, which allow us to simulate up to millions of locusts using CUDA (parrallel computation on graphic cards). Ultimately, our goal is to build a model that will provide control operations with a better knowledge of band movement and trajectories so that improved methods such as barrier spraying can be optimized.

Termite nest collective construction

As the pinnacle of animal construction, termite nests embody how much complexity can arise from a multitude of relatively simple behaviour and interactions. Individual termites are small organisms with relatively simple neural systems and limited perceptive abilities, yet they can coordinate their building activity to construct structures up to thousands of times higher than themselves. In the most complex examples, termite nests take the form of complex mounds reaching several meters high, with elaborate ventilation systems and features such as spiralling staircases or suspended bridges. This project aims to unravel the mechanisms underlying the construction of complex termite nests and their evolution by combining collective behaviour, computed tomography, physics and mathematical biology. 

Collective nutrition in social insects

Nutrition is at the centre of most collective behaviour phenomena. In social insects such as ants and termites, foraging is handled by a sub-group of workers who not only have to fulfil their own nutritional requirements but also provide the rest of the colony with the nutrients they require. How does the information pertaining to the nutritional state of the colony flows and how do workers adapt their foraging strategies in order to achieve efficient communal nutrition? We will tackle these questions using a combination of lab experiments, tracking nutrients with fluorescent dies and individuals with miniature barcodes, and computer simulations implementing the behaviour and nutritional processes as well as their evolution.