We explore the ecology of collective behavior in dynamic & changing ecosystems.

The Collective Ecology Group is led by Will Oestreich. Will is a U.S. National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) & the University of Washington (UW). He is an incoming group leader (PI) at the University of Zurich (UZH).

Information, biophysical ecosystem dynamics, & behavior interact in fascinating ways to shape organisms' ecology & evolution. We integrate approaches from several fields to understand social & collective behavior through an ecological lens, pursuing answers to questions including (but not limited to):

• When, why, & how do individuals produce & use social information?

• How do animals (non-human & human) individually & collectively make behavioral decisions in a dynamic world?

• How can we as humans collectively sense animal behavior & ecosystem dynamics to understand, steward, & adapt to the changing biophysical systems of which we are all a part?

Check out the rest of this site to learn more about how we grapple with these questions and ideas!