Formation of the global Mixed Species Working Group: Fostering integrative approaches to understanding mixed-species groups

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators

Abstract

Many animals, including fish, birds and monkeys, travel and feed together with different species. Although these groups are common, the scientists who study them tend not to work with each other. Those who study bird flocks, for example, are generally unaware of those who study fish schools. This specialization among animal biologists limits our understanding of how and why animal groups form. This award will enable the Principal Investigators to convene a workshop to establish a Mixed Species Working Group, which will be comprised of experts who study a wide variety of animals. Over two days of presentations, team-building, facilitated discussions, and planning sessions, the Working Group will design a web portal for public interaction and education, and produce educational materials targeted for scientists, conservation groups, and park managers. Culturally diverse participants hail from North America, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, China, Latin America, and the European Union, and include junior and senior researchers as well as graduate and undergraduate students. The workshop on mixed-species animal groups, convened at Ecosummit 2016 in Montpellier, France, represents the largest meeting ever held on such groups. The Working Group will pursue two major goals in discussions, publications, and broader impact activities: (1) To develop a unifying theory of mixed-species groups, accomplished through analysis of emergent social roles that drive the formation and maintenance of all mixed species groups (e.g., protectors, sentinels, and beaters). In collaborative data sharing and analysis, the Working Group will test the hypothesis that there are necessary and sufficient social roles of participating species for mixed species groups to persist. Empirical data from across biomes and taxa will be used to identify functional umbrella species in different ecosystems. (2) To understand how stressors, especially human-induced perturbations, may weaken or strengthen key social roles and coherence of group function in degraded environs. This understanding will help scientists develop conservation strategies for sensitive species. Because mixed species groups are a popular study system across many disciplines of animal ecology, an important outcome of the Working Group is that its members' professional activities and affiliations will significantly degrade traditional barriers between taxon-specific scientific cliques in community ecology and biodiversity conservation. The workshop is partially supported by NSF's Office of Science and Engineering.