Organizers

• Dr. Lindelani Makuya, CNRS Strasbourg (France) and University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg (South Africa)

Speakers

1. Dr. Lindelani Makuya
   CNRS Strasbourg; University of the Witwatersrand
   The Costs and Benefits of Solitary Living
2. Prof. Carsten Schradin
   IPHC-CNRS Strasbourg
   Solitary living is not ancestral in mammals
3. Prof. Michael Webster
   University of St. Andrews
   Social learning in solitary animals
4. Dr. Keerthipriya P.
   Colorado State University
   Temporal variation in the local kin density of an asocial small mammal under climate change
5. Prof. Reuven Yosef
   Ben Gurion University
   Rethinking Solitude: Social Complexity and Cooperative Behavior in Striped Hyenas (Hyaena hyaena)
6. Daniel Jorge
   Princeton University
   Regulation of a simple behavioral toolkit is sufficient to reconstruct social diversity in bees

Abstract
In this symposium, we will highlight the importance to study solitary living species, which have so far been largely ignored. However, without understanding solitary living, we risk overlooking a fundamental category of social systems. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of social evolution is incomplete without examining solitary living. Moreover, understanding the costs and benefits of solitary living is essential to understand its alternative, pair and group living, and to determine which form of social organisation is most adaptive under various condition.

We will also highlight different solitary species (social organisation) that can differ in their social structure, i.e. how often and how they interact with other solitary conspecifics. Therefore, it is important to investigate the behavioral and physiological mechanisms that lead to solitary living.

Organizers

• Prof. Renee M. Borges, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

Speakers

• Prof. Radhika Venkatesan
  IISER Kolkata
  Scent of selection: The role of plant and larval odors in shaping parasitoid host choice
• Aaditya Gupta
  Ashoka University
  Under the Influence: Parasitic Manipulation of Female Rock Agama Behaviour
• Avani Kajarekar
  IISER Thiruvananthapuram
  To shimmer or not to shimmer: Collective defensive display in the Asian giant honey bee, Apis dorsata
• Darwin Diaz
  University of Panama
  Behavioral responses of the orb-weaver spider Eustala illicita to vibratory stimuli in a plant-ant mutualistic system
• Prof. Dumas Galvez
  Coiba Scientific Station
  Host specificity and dispersal behavior in acacia orb-web spiders
• Ritabrata Chowdhury
  University of Cambridge
  How to climb a slippery surface: Claws but not adhesive pads are essential for "wax-running" in ant partners of Macaranga trees
• Prof. Samay Pande
  Indian Institute of Science
  From Hunting to Harvesting: Evolution of Mutualism in Bacterial Predator-Prey Systems

Abstract:
Mutualism are often embedded within parasitism, and often originate from parasitic interactions between partners. Parasitism, on the other hand, and behaviours associated with parasitism, are often the basal conditions from which benign and beneficial behaviours have arisen. Mutualism between partners can be direct wherein one partner directly benefits the other, or indirect in which a third partner prevents one of the mutualistic partners from over-exploiting the other. While mutualism and parasitism can be examined theoretically, and their net outcomes have been evaluated in terms of fitness benefits to the partners, they are effected via behaviours that are often intricate, stereotyped or plastic depending on the context. These behaviours may also vary with the context depending on whether there is intra- or inter-specific competition between mutualistic partners or between parasite and host.

This symposium will consist of talks including a lead talk that will explore behaviours in diverse mutualistic and parasitic systems, e.g. fig and fig wasp brood-site pollination mutualisms, plant–herbivore caterpillar–parasitoid interactions, potter wasp–dipteran parasitoid interactions, or nematode–fig wasp interactions. It will explore host finding and host exploitation behaviours using multitrophic systems as examples. The sensory ecology of these systems will also be examined.

Organizers

• Prof. Masayo Soma, Hokkaido University, Japan
• Prof. Anand Krishnan, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, India

Speakers

• Prof. Anand Krishnan
  Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, India
  Associations between song notes and courtship behaviours of budgerigars are individual-specific
• Chiti Arvind
  Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Tirupati
  Variation in birdsong dialects and differential responses to songs across populations
• Chun Chieh Liao
  Australian National University
  Simple sounds, complex messages: whistle calls convey alarm and social information in group-living white-winged choughs
• Thomas Macgillavry
  Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology (University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna)
  Unlocking the Secrets of Bird of Paradise "Dances" in the Wild
• Warren Horrod Wilson
  Royal Holloway University of London
  Comparative Cultural Evolutionary Approaches to Birdsong Evolution
• Yuhan Zhang
  Hokkaido University
  Why birds use complex greeting displays: Evolution of mutual communication in pair bonding and sociality in Estrildid finches
• Alper Yelimlies
  University of Vienna; Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition
  Female song and duetting in Galapagos Yellow Warblers: analysis of structure and test of functions

Abstract
What are the evolutionary drivers of complex communicative signals in animals? Birds have been an extremely intriguing research target to answer this question, and are well-studied across a broad range of mating-related contexts, such as mate choice, pair formation and bonding, and mating/resource competition. Classic examples lie in male songbird singing or lekking bird courtship dancing, where superior performance (e.g. acoustically complex songs, physically demanding acrobatic displays) by males indicates better condition, and is therefore advantageous in mating or preferred by females. Complex communication has evolved multiple times, serving a variety of potential functions, but we still lack a full picture of the evolution of communicative complexity. Recently, there is accumulating evidence that communicative displays are more complex than assumed. Birds may show multimodal (audio-visual) signals, which can deliver redundant back-up messages increasing signal efficacy, or otherwise code additional or different information that unimodal signals lack. Further, recent studies indicate that female signalling is more prevalent in birds than what used to be thought, but the selective forces driving the evolution of female signals is not well understood. When female signaling is present, males and females may show mutual interactions or coordinated performance (duets), possibly contributing to pair-bonding or joint resource defense, where honesty of the signal is not tested well. Finally, the role of social complexity and social learning in the evolution of complex communication remains poorly studied in birds. Given these, in this symposium, we aim to gather state-or-the-art research findings covering the above-mentioned topics, and explore the frontiers of this interdisciplinary area that spans from evolutionary ecology to neuroethology. The hope is to stimulate wide-ranging conversation and exchange of knowledge across taxa, to identify priority areas for future research.

Organizers

• Prof. Armin Bahl, Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Germany
• Prof. Vatsala Thirumalai, National Centre for Biological Sciences, India

Speakers

• Prof. Kuo Hua Huang
  Institute of Molecular Biology Academia Sinica
  Integration of social and depth information during affiliative behavior in virtual reality
• Prof. Sanjay Sane
  National Centre for Biological Sciences- Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
  Airflow sensing in insects: insights from lab and the field
• Prof. Armin Bahl
  Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Germany
  Behavioral algorithms of ontogenetic switching in larval and juvenile zebrafish phototaxis.
• Prof. Nachum Ulanovsky
  Weizmann Institute of Science
  Neuroscience going wild: Neural coding of natural behaviors in social groups of bats and in bats navigating outdoors on a remote oceanic island
• Dr. Nishan Shettigar
  Janelia Research Campus HHMI
  Mice hunting crickets using sound in a large ambiguous environment
• Prof. Serena Ding
  Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
  Worm towers: a novel collective dispersal behaviour in Caenorhabditis nematodes
• Prof. Sachin Deshmukh
  Shiv Nadar University
  Towards ethologically relevant spatial scales: representation of space in the rat hippocampus as a function of arena size
• Prof. Akanksha Rathore
  Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani
  Mapping the Collective: Field and Modeling Insights into Blackbuck Lekking Dynamics

Abstract
Neuroscience experiments have been classically performed under well-constrained and highly controlled environmental conditions in the lab. There is a rich history in circuit neuroscience, where researchers employ simple moving gratings and bars in virtual reality, cleanly controlled odorant delivery, or precisely tuned tactile stimuli – usually in individual animals in isolation and confined spaces. Using advanced molecular and microscopy techniques, it is now possible to label individual neurons and populations of cells in the brain for activity and structural analysis and to test for causality with circuit manipulations – all of which have provided profound insights into the fundamental operations of nervous system function and motor control. However, to explore the neural basis and the evolutionary purpose of a certain behavior, it is critical to obtain a better understanding of the real-world problems that animals face in their daily lives – while being together as groups in the wild. Modern tools from neuroscience are now ready to be employed in the field, and virtual reality in the lab can mimic environmental conditions in a highly realistic manner. Our symposium seeks to bring together experts working at the interface of neuroscience, behavioral analysis in the lab, and field research. Through an exchange of the latest conceptual ideas and discussions on state-of-the-art tracking and recording technologies, we aim to bridge these still rather separate research disciplines. We hope this will open new possibilities for collaborations across laboratory and field settings.

Organizers

• Dr. Sruthi Unnikrishnan, Centre for Wildlife Studies, India

Speakers

• Sylvain Grison
  University of Tokyo, Japan
  Unraveling Honey Bee's Waggle Dances in Natural Conditions with Video-Based Deep Learning
• Prof. Deborah Smith
  The University of Kansas, USA
  India is the place to study honey bees!
• Prof. Hema Somanathan
  Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, India
  From sensory perception to pollination: The neuroecology of tropical Bees
• Prof. Vinita Gowda
  Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal
  High floral constancy is common among bees and it is shaped by the locally abundant flowering species
• Prof. Xin Zhou
  University of Guelph Canada
  Pollen collection in honeybee worker is driven by protein craving induced by larval pheromone
• Kaustubh Verma
  Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, India
  Behaviours facilitating efficient traffic movement at hive entrance in the stingless bee Tetragonula iridipennis
• Bharath Kumar A K
  Independent Researcher
  Nocturnal dances of the tropical giant honey bee Apis dorsata
• Ms. Avani Kajarekar
  IISER Thiruvananthapuram
  To shimmer or not to shimmer: Collective defensive display in the Asian giant honey bee, Apis dorsata

Abstract
Honey bees form a small group of closely related species that differ in colony size, worker body size, nesting behaviour and distribution range. These differences are likely associated with variation in social behaviour and communication. For example, differences in nesting behaviour have led to changes in habitat usage, onset of foraging and defense behaviour. Chemical communication became more complex with colony size. Additionally, single species might have evolved unique behaviours such as the long-range migration and night dances in the giant honey bee Apis dorsata, or wax salvage from old nests in the dwarf honey bee Apis florea. Currently, our knowledge of honey bee biology is dominated by studies on the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, which is derived and has a unique distribution over Africa and Europe. Research on the Asian honey bee species, which comprise all the other honey bee species, is still in its infancy. However, such research is very important, for two reasons, one, to better understand the ground plan and variation of honey bee behaviour, and second, to better know the wild Asian honey bees that are the most important pollinators in tropical Asia. The aim of the symposium is to address our knowledge gaps and bring together researchers working on Asian honey bees to showcase the recent advancements in the field. One of our confirmed Speakers will talk about the latest advancement made in his research to fully automate decoding of honey bee dance language in the field. This research would be immensely useful for studying foraging ranges and strategies opted by different colonies. We also hope the symposium provides an opportunity for collaboration and explores promising directions for future research that could yield significant insights into the world of Asian honey bees.

Organizers

• Prof. Jitesh Jhawar, Ahmedabad University, India
• Prof. Akanksha Rathore, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani
• Prof. Viraj Torsekar, GITAM Visakhapatnam

Speakers

• Dr. William Oestreich
  Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
  Oceanic collective behavior: Lessons from life in Earth's largest biome
• Prof. Claudio Feliciani
  The University of Tokyo
  The Role of Density in the Swarming Behavior of Soldier Crabs: Laboratory Experiments and Ecological Observations
• Dr. Ebi Antony George
  University of Lausanne
  Affinity with injured individuals predicts social wound care in ants
• Dr. Iacopo Hachen
  Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz
  The collective bases of sensorimotor control: a virtual reality experiment
• Jahanvi Tiwari
  Indian Institute of Science
  Collective motion in mixed schools of two barb species
• Prof. Rumi De
  IISER Kolkata
  The dynamics of evasion and pursuit in prey swarms and the emergence of various escape strategies during a predator attack.
• Dr. Takenori Tomaru
  Kyoto Institute of Technology
  Collective footsteps in self-organized pedestrian crowds

Abstract
Animal collective behaviours such as fish schooling, insect swarming, and synchronising rhythms such as firefly flashing - are emergent phenomena. These behaviours occur at the level of the groups and require the individuals to sense and respond to each other for coordination. Although biologically, individuals differ, they can be approximated as individual particles interacting with each other, much like atoms or molecules. Therefore, collectives have traditionally been studied by physicists who are often interested in explaining them using universal mechanisms. These approaches have been phenomenally successful and generated interest amongst physicists and biologists alike. Biologists have been interested in testing the predictions from models developed by physicists and computational scientists in natural systems, in either labs or the wild. Over the years, with technological advancement, collective behaviour studies have moved beyond computer screens, toy models, and laboratories into the wild.

Researchers are now wondering about the effects and importance of individual differences or heterogeneity on collective behaviours. Yet, research using advanced tools and involving a range of complexity is highly active across the globe and is generating crucial knowledge for both basic and applied research, such as swarm robotics and identifying collective behaviours as ecosystem indicators. This symposium welcomes researchers working on collective behaviours and dynamics from various disciplines and aspects, from finding the mechanisms underlying emergent group patterns to their applications.

Organizers

• Dr. Pragya Singh, Bielefeld University, Germany

Speakers

• Prof. Tamas Szekely
  University of Bath
  Sex roles and breeding systems: linking evolution, ecology and conservation
• Marta Liber
  Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine
  Selection for sociality drives divergent brain transcriptomes in zebrafish
• Dr. Irene Garcia Ruiz
  Columbia University
  Environmental harshness promotes the evolution of plural breeding
• Ankana Sanyal
  Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
  Dispersal in subadult male Asian elephants in Nagarahole and Bandipur National Parks, southern India.
• Dephan Philipose
  National Institute of Advanced Studies Bangalore
  Inter- and Intra-Population Variation in the Personality Traits and Behavioral Syndromes in Hatchery Reared Juvenile Deccan Mahseers
• Prof. Tomasz Osiejuk
  Adam Mickiewicz University
  Heterogeneity in identity coding among closely related species of African wood doves
• Dr. Sean Ehlman
  Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries
  Developmental arcs of plasticity in whole movement repertoires of a clonal fish

Abstract
Individualization refers to the process by which organisms develop distinct phenotypes in response to both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Despite substantial research into individual behaviour, traditional frameworks often focus on species-level or population-level averages, overlooking the importance of variability within species. Heterogeneity in behavioural individualization can arise from genetic, epigenetic, developmental and environmental influences, and plays a critical role in the evolution of behavioural strategies, with consequences at the individual, population, and ecosystem levels.

This symposium will aim to bring together researchers from diverse fields such as behavioural ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation biology to discuss empirical and theoretical work on the causes and consequences of behavioural individualization. We also anticipate that speakers will disseminate recent methodological advances that enable the study of behavioural heterogeneity, including the use of modern statistical tools, long-term datasets, and advanced tracking technologies. By integrating insights from across disciplines, this symposium aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the processes driving heterogeneity in individualization and their broader implications for evolutionary biology, ecology and conservation efforts.

Organizers

• Dr. Rittik Deb, National Institute of Science Education and Research, India
• Dr. Viraj Torsekar, GITAM Visakhapatnam
• Dr. Diptarup Nandi, Azim Premji University

Speakers

• Dr. Kavita Isavaran
  Indian Institute of Science
  Maintenance of trait variation under sexual selection: an overview
• Prof. Wolfgang Goymann
  Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence
  Sex-role-reversal and the Bateman gradient – Females but not males benefit from mating with multiple partners
• Dr. Alexandros Vezyrakis
  Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
  Opposites attract: Innovation is maintained by disassortative mating and female choice
• Dr. Erika Zaid
  La Trobe University
  Semelparous marsupials reduce sleep for sex
• Dr. Delphine De Moor
  Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig
  Male intersexual aggression: adaptive mating strategy or evolutionary by-product?
• Dr. Bodhisatta Nandy
  IISER Berhampur
  Life history matters: Evolution of sexually selected traits and sexual conflict
• Dr. Kritika Garg
  IISER Mohali
  Mate choice in the promiscuous harem-forming fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx

Abstract Under strong directional sexual selection, the reproductive success for the advertising sex is often highly skewed. Despite such skewness, variation in reproductive traits is maintained across evolutionary times. This 'lek paradox', observed in many mating systems across several taxa, is theoretically predicted to be driven by several drivers but with little empirical support. These drivers include sexual conflict, genetic variation of condition-dependent traits, predation pressure and mate sampling leading to suboptimal choices. Although the field of sexual selection has been heavily researched for decades, eco-evolutionary studies testing these hypotheses in natural populations are scarce and limited to a few species. Hence, in this symposium, we aim to bring together behavioural and field ecologists, quantitative geneticists, evolutionary biologists, and neuroethologists to explore the diverse drivers that maintain variation in sexually selected traits. We aim for this discourse to connect scientists from various disciplines and motivate young researchers to explore this paradox. Overall, in a rapidly changing world, we plan for the symposium to help us in two specific ways - develop general conceptual frameworks by unifying mechanistic drivers and equip ourselves better to conserve and manage populations to maintain genetic variation under strong selection. We are well-poised to propose and chair this symposium since we have extensively studied the causes and consequences of sexually selected traits using modern tools (theoretical and empirical) across multiple scales and systems, both in the laboratory and the field.

Organizers

• Dr. Priti Bangal, Nature Conservation Foundation, India
• Mr. Bharat Ahuja, Indian Institute of Science

Speakers

• Agnishikhe Kumar
  Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University China; University of Liverpool UK
  Effects of habitat fragmentation on interspecific information flow among birds about predators
• Divija Murkoth
  IISc Bangalore
  More fish than bird: Decoding the dynamics of mixed species groups in waterbird communities
• Kanika Aggarwal
  IISc Bangalore Understanding mixed-species bird flocking behavior across elevational gradients in the Western Himalayas
• Prof. Kartik Shanker
  IISc Bangalore
  Chance and necessity: the anatomy of mixed-species groups
• Prof. Viraj Torsekar
  GITAM
  Mixed species schooling: when and how do fish school with different species?
• Santanu Mahato
  Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History
  Breaking bonds: Male aggression, female choice, and the resultant group fission in a mixed-species group of Nilgiri langurs and tufted gray langurs
• Satyam Gupta
  Ashoka University
  Vocal species are more central in Eastern Himalayan Mixed-Species bird flocks

Abstract
Mixed species animal groups (MSGs) are defined as moving groups of animals that are formed and maintained by interactions between participating species. Such groups are diverse with respect to taxa, habitats and regions they occur in, the duration for which they last and the social cohesion in these groups. MSGs include migratory associations that may last several months such as groups formed between various ungulate species in the grasslands of Africa, feeding associations formed between passerine birds in evergreen forests that can be measured by the minute, or ephemeral associations between reef-fish. The widespread prevalence of such groups raises interesting questions about the costs incurred and benefits derived for different participating species. By participating in such groups, species derive a range of foraging or antipredator benefits while minimizing the costs of intraspecific competition typically associated with single-species groups.

This cost-benefit trade-off drives behaviour and behaviour results in emergent patterns that can influence communities, and sometimes entire ecosystems. We are only at the beginning to understand the importance of these groups from the perspective of understanding group living and how they may alter the landscape of fear. Applying what we have learnt from studying the behaviour of mixed-species groups (at both individual and group levels) so far, has changed the way we think about various disciplines social structures and information networks in animal groups. This symposium aims to highlight how understanding such group behaviours can advance our understanding of animal sociality while also being an important contributing factor to conservation decisions based on animal behaviour. Our symposium will serve as a gregarious platform to share research on the behaviour and ecology of heterospecific associations from terrestrial to marine ecosystems across taxa.

Organizers

• Prof. Ratna Ghosal, Ahmedabad University, India
• Dr. Anuradha Bhat, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, India

Speakers

• Dr. Zegni Triki University of Neuchatel
  Social Lives and Smart Minds: How Group Dynamics Shape Freshwater Fish Cognition
• Costanza Zanghi
  University of Bristol
  Enhanced conspicuousness of prey in warmer water mitigates the constraint of turbidity for predators
• Prof. Karthikeyan Vasudevan
  CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology
  Paternity of nests in a long-lived crocodile – gharial, Gavialis gangeticus in Chambal River, north India
• Dr. Vishnupriya Kolipakam
  Wildlife Institute of India
  

Abstract
Inter- and intra-specific interactions are driven by a range of environmental factors that act as selective forces resulting in the complex species community structure of ecosystems. Freshwater ecosystems are often determined by a combination of properties of aquatic habitat and the surrounding terrestrial systems. Studies have focused on understanding how species interactions with each other (such as predation, competition) and their environment (such as habitat structure, water quality) result in the plethora of behavioural traits found in aquatic organisms. Research ranging across fields from genetics, physiological, and behavioural investigations can help provide insights on proximate and ultimate causes and mechanisms for evolution of behavioural complexity. In the current scenario of climate change and human modifications to the environment, native species experience additional challenges and different species have evolved various adaptations in response to these challenges. Freshwater systems are relatively far more dynamic when compared to terrestrial habitats, and thus, adaptive traits are expected to be highly prevalent among aquatic organisms. Behavioural plasticity and modifications can potentially improve an organism's prospects of surviving and reproducing in a changing world. Changes in foraging patterns, timing of reproduction, shifts in population distribution, and a broad range of cognitive abilities are some of the many modifications in response to anthropogenic alteration to aquatic habitats.

Given the importance of aquatic (particularly freshwater) habitats to all living organisms (including humans), and increasing awareness towards impacts of disturbances to these ecosystems, there is increasing interest among behavioural biologists to investigate behavioural and cognitive traits in aquatic animals, the modes via which the organism cope with the possible challenges. The proposed symposium aims to bring aquatic behavioural ecologists from across the world together to present their research and will not only provide a platform to help foster networking to encourage and foster cross collaborative opportunities but also a venue for younger researchers to learn and interact with experts of the field. Submissions for contributed talks will be invited from active researchers working on broad aspects of behavioural plasticity, learning and cognition, as well as inter species interactions among freshwater species.

Organizers

• Ishika Ramakrishna, Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bengaluru, India
• Prof. Anindya Sinha, National Institute of Advanced Studies, India

Speakers

• Prof. Anindya Sinha
  National Institute of Advanced Studies, India
  Of Human-Macaques and Macaque-Humans: My Collaborative Research with Wild Bonnet Macaques in Southern India
• Ishika Ramakrishna
  Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bengaluru, India
  Can We Know What a Gibbon Knows? A Multispecies Ethnographic Approach to Investigate Other-than-Human Agency within Co-Constructed Lifeworlds
• Dr. Samira Agnihotri
  University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Bengaluru, India
  The Darkness of the Evergreen Forest, Or Why Bother about Ethno-Ornithologies?
• Dr. Nishant Srinivasaiah
  University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Bengaluru, India
  Elephanthood
• Dr. Shweta Shivakumar
  Nature Conservation Foundation, India
  Vernacular Ethologies of Leopard–Human Encounters
• Prof. Nishant Kumar
  Dr B R Ambedkar University Delhi; DBT/Wellcome Trust UK India Alliance Fellow (National Centre for Biological Sciences Bengaluru & University of Oxford); THINKPAWS Sustainability Research Foundation Delhi
  Perceptual Worlds: Sensory Shifts Shape Human-Animal Conflicts

Abstract
The lives of nonhumans are typically examined through anthropocentric perspectives, relying heavily on the lived experiences of people and researchers to interpret the behaviours and decisions of other-than-humans. To effectively study nonhuman behaviour and increasingly, human and nonhuman relationships, we should pay closer attention to animal agency and their affectual geographies from a nonhuman rather than a human perspective. In this symposium, we emphasise a series of novel approaches, perspectives, methodologies and academic interpretations that are imperative in contemporary ethno-ethological studies of more-than-humans.

The papers presented in this symposium will shed a light on the collection of innovative inquiries into animal behaviour, using case studies from across India, including work with elephants, racket-tailed drongos and other birds, western hoolock gibbons, different macaque species, sloth bears and leopards. Apart from being unique in their approaches, these studies lay a crucial focus on other-than-human perspectives and explore deep understandings of how and why animals exhibit certain behaviours and make the decisions they do, especially in changing landscapes.

We thus propose a paradigm shift from anthropocentric approaches in the study of nonhuman ecology and behaviour to more nonhuman species-centric perspectives, to learn more about other-than-human individuals as themselves, wherein human biology, behaviour and cognition are no longer employed as gold standards against which all other species are measured.

Through the fascinating insights obtained from the work of the presenters of this symposium, we also argue that although we may never completely comprehend nonhuman perspectives first-hand and uncover the details of their cognitive processes, we must do our best to incorporate their agency and the impacts of their own lived experiences and affect in shaping their worlds while studying their ecologies, behaviours and interactions with people, and in developing management and conservation strategies for their populations and their interactions with human communities in the long term.

Organizers

• Prof. Ludwig Huber, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
• Dr. Christoph Völter, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany

Speakers

• Luke A. Townrow
  Johns Hopkins University
  Bonobos point more for ignorant than knowledgeable social partners
• Dr. Fumihiro Kano
  Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior; University of Konstanz
  What's the Real Problem? Investigating the Replication Crisis in Anticipatory-Looking False-Belief Tasks
• Dr. Christoph Völter
  Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
  Canine perspective taking: can pet dogs use indirect evidence to infer what others can see?
• Marie Padberg
  Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
  Great apes show an altercentric bias when confronted with conflicting beliefs

Abstract
Learning about another individual's mental state would enable individuals to interpret, predict, and manipulate the behaviour of others (Krupenye & Call, 2019). While, for humans, the main question is when and under what circumstances these "higher" mind-reading processes emerge during development, the corresponding research on non-human animals has been primarily motivated by the question whether such skills exist at all outside the genus Homo. Since the seminal paper by Premack and Woodruff (1978), it is mainly primates that have been tested in such tasks (Krupenye and Call 2019; Horschler et al., 2020). In recent years, canines have been added to this area of research (Huber & Lonardo, 2023). Dogs have solved several perspective-taking tasks instantly and reliably across a large number of variations, including concealing information from others and guesser/knower differentiation. However, whether any of these studies show that primates or canines truly attribute mental states to other individuals is still a highly controversial issue. It is possible that animals do not form concepts of others' mental states but rather about others' behavior, and that this is sufficient to succeed in all paradigms used with animals so far (Kaminksi 2017).

In this symposium, a group of researchers in this field will discuss (i) whether non-human animals are not only sensitive to what others see but also what others know and do next (intend); (ii) whether they are able to use the other's perspective in an altercentric manner; (iii) whether they can comprehend reality-incongruent mental states; and (iv) what are the best paradigms to test these abilities in a comparative manner. The use of promising paradigms (like Guesser-Knower, False Belief), important controls (like self-experience, submentalizing) and new methodologies (like eye-tracking) have brought a new impetus to the debate.

Organizers

• Dr. Hemal Naik, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Konstanz, Germany
• Dr. Ebi Antony George, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

Speakers

• Zsofia Katona
  Acoustics Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
  Computer Vision for the Detection and Individual Identification of Budgerigars in a Social Setting
• Edgar Zigis
  Vilnius University
  Machine Learning for Amphibian Bioacoustics: Detection and Calling Behavior Analysis
• Dr. Fumihiro Kano
  Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior; University of Konstanz
  Computer Vision for Animal Behavior Research: Gaze Tracking Across Species as a Case Study Bridging Biology and Computer Science
• Ingerid Helgestad
  University of Exeter
  Quantifying Food Caching Investments with Accelerometers and Machine Learning
• Sree Subha Ramaswamy
  Dognosis India Pvt Ltd R&D
  From Sniff to Signal: An Integrated Multi-Modal System for Quantitative Analysis of Canine Olfactory Behavior using Reinforcement Learning Paradigms

Abstract
Observing animal behavior in an affordable and minimally intrusive way is not trivial. Modern Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) tools offer promising solutions for automated multisensory data (cameras, audio, biologgers etc.) processing which can be adapted to study a large range of behaviours across taxa. However, the field of AI/ML is evolving at a rapid pace making it difficult to find the right tool to address specific behavioural contexts. Incorporating AI based tools into behavioural research requires a strategic approach which involves multiple steps: methodical data collection, dataset preparation with annotations, selection of a suitable tool(s) and validation of the chosen method on the behaviour of interest. In this symposium, we will start with a broad overview on the use of AI based tools in each step of this process. Speakers will then share their experience with implementing AI/ML solutions to study behaviour. Beyond the talks, the symposium should spark discussions between researchers using these tools and others interested in integrating AI/ML tools in their research. The core objectives of the symposium are to promote the effective use of AI in the behavioural research community and highlight steps that can be taken to increase engagement with the AI/ML research community (e.g., through the publication of annotated datasets).

Organizers

• Dr. Chayan Munshi, Ethophilia Research Foundation, India
• Prof. Maria Thaker, Indian Institute of Science, India
• Shawn Dsouza, Indian Institute of Science, India

Speakers

• Dr. Chayan Munshi
  Ethophilia Research Foundation
  Discussing anthropogenic influence on behaviour
• Prof. Adi Barocas
  Tel-Hai Academic College
  Disturbance -specific behavioral responses of giant otters exposed to ecotourism and extractive activities
• Agnes Francila F
  Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal
  Parenting in the city: Investigating sex-specific parental investment and reproductive success in urban and rural House Sparrows
• Bianca Melita Palmas
  Tuscia University
  Adapting to toxic waters: PFAS -Induced disruption in behavioural and life- history variation across 8 wild mosquitofish populations (Gambusia holbrooki)
• Prof. Ka Yee Chow
  University of Chester
  Impact of Human Presence and Activity on Urban Eurasian Red Squirrels' Innovative
• Parvathi Krishna Prasad
  Deakin University
  The impact of human behaviours on fine -scale movement of Asian elephants
• Shawn Dsouza
  Indian Institute of Science
  Super predator or super scary? Anthropogenic fear differs in mechanisms and magnitude across ecosystems and trophic levels.
• Prof. Arijit Ganguly
  Achhruram Memorial College Jhalda
  Adaptive response or environmental stress? Exploring the impact of LED light on Spathosternum prasiniferum life history traits

Abstract
Humans are a global species that interact with every extant ecosystem in order to make the Earth more habitable for themselves. They are also unique among animals in occupying multiple niches, sometimes within the same ecosystem. As hunters and fishers, humans can replace top predators in a system by targeting them directly. The superpredator hypothesis suggests that humans, due to their lethality, should elicit greater anti-predator behavior than any other predator in the same system. However, humans may also interact with animals in benign ways.

Despite the massive and ubiquitous effects of human interactions, there is still a lack of a coherent and predictive framework for understanding the effects of human-animal interactions. Growing interest in non-lethal human-animal interactions has led to a greater recognition of the impact of anthropogenic activities on ecosystems and biodiversity. These unnatural activities encompass a range of issues, including pollution (environmental contamination), urbanization, deforestation, artificial light at night (ALAN), and excessive noise.

It is of great concern to behavioral ecologists and evolutionary biologists to understand how animals are responding to humans. This symposium aims to discuss the ways in which animals are adapting to humans, focusing on responses to both lethal and non-lethal human interactions. We welcome talks that examine animal responses to humans when they are either lethal (as hunters or fishers) or non-lethal but present in the environment or causing environmental change. The session will highlight immediate responses of animals and how plasticity and evolution can shape adaptations to the anthropogenic world.

Organizers

• Prof. Lauren Guillette, University of Alberta, Canada
• Prof. Debbie Kelly, University of Manitoba, Canada
• Prof. Oliveira Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas Sociais e da Vida, Lisboa, Portugal
• Prof. Zhanna Reznikova, Independent scientist (a former Russian scientist)

Speakers

• Prof. Rui Oliveira
  Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas Sociais e da Vida
  Of fish and flies: experimental studies on the evolution of social cognition using two model organisms
• Dr. Alice Bridges
  University of Sheffield
  Puzzle-solving bumblebees show a remarkable capacity for innovation and complex culture
• Prof. Balamurali G S
  Atria University
  Different stressors induce different and non-transmissible cognitive biases in bumblebees
• Dr. Benjamin Whittaker
  University of Alberta
  How does information bias affect cognition in nest-building birds?
• Dr. Daniil Ryabko
  Fishlife Research
  Group binding as the main driver of language evolution
• Prof. Debbie Kelly
  University of Manitoba
  Avian Cognition: From the Laboratory to the Field
• Dr. Laure Tosatto
  Monash University,Université de Caen Normandie
  Investigating Associative Symmetry in Symbolic Representation of Numbers in Bees
• Prof. Lauren Guillette
  University of Alberta
  String pulling and nest building: do male and female zebra finches learn differently?
• Prof. Ludwig Huber
  Messerli Research Institute; University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
  Cognitive arms-race in free-ranging pigs
• Prof. Alice Auersperg
  University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
  Object combinations and the onset of tool use animals
• Dr. Annika Boussard Stockholm University Hot stuff! Large brains buffer against heatwave induced cognitive decay
• August Paula
  Max-Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour
  Spatiotemporal Decision-Making in Ants: Insights from Ring Attractor Networks and Virtual Reality
• Prof. Molly Cummings
  University of Texas at Austin
  Social experiences drive the development of diverse cognitive capacities- insights from swordtails
• Natasha Shpoliansky Tel Aviv University Task-specific effects of a culturally transmitted foraging skill on problem-solving in black rats

Abstract
From ants to whales, the lives of animals have challenges that demand minute-by-minute decisions: to fight or flee, dominate or obey, take off, share, eat, spit out or court. This symposium focuses on the cognitive abilities of animals that allow them to solve problems that they face in their daily lives and bridges the gap between studies of intelligence in vertebrates and invertebrates. In particular, learning results in adaptive tuning to the changeable environment; while intelligence helps, animals use their learned experiences in new situations. There is a beautiful world of intellectual biodiversity and different aspects of learning, from the spinal reflex to cultural transmission. Members of some species, whether pig-headed or bird-brained, display learning within specific domains that are closely connected with their ecological traits and evolutionary history. In many cases, species long known from classic natural history have been re-studied with modern methods to exacting standards. This resurgence of research on mammals, birds, fish and arthropods gives a multifaceted panorama of intellectual convergences in a range of cognitive domains, from 'language' and numerical abilities to the theory of mind. One of the symposium organizers (Reznikova) submitted a book with the symposium title that will be published by Cambridge University Press.

Organisers

• Dr. Saikat Ray, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
• Prof. Juan Ignacio Sanguinetti-Scheck, Harvard University, USA

Speakers

• Prof. Michael Brecht
  Humboldt University
  Large-Brain Analysis in Elephants
• Prof. Daniela Vallentin
  Max Plank Institute of Biological Intelligence, Germany
  Real-time vocal flexibility in wild nightingales
• Prof. Juan Ignacio Sanguinetti-Scheck
  Harvard University
  Ethology through the Brain's Magnifying Glass
• Dr. Selmaan Chettih
  Columbia University
  Bar-coding of episodic memories in the hippocampus of a food caching bird
• Dr. Saikat Ray
  Weizmann Institute of Science
  Real World Neuroscience
• Prof. Arkarup Banerjee
  Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
  Neural Circuits Underlying Vocal Communication in a Singing Mouse

Abstract Animal brains and behaviours have evolved in the natural world – to allow different species to meet their daily life challenges. However, our understanding of the mechanisms that drive behaviours in ecologically relevant settings are poorly understood. While ethology experiments typically ask questions related to the ultimate evolutionary mechanisms of why a behaviour might have evolved in a species – they are rather limited in uncovering the exact proximate mechanisms for the basis of such behaviours. Conversely, neuroscientific studies aimed at understanding the neural basis of behaviours, often focus on rather reduced and simplified settings and behaviours – making it unclear how much of the neural understanding that we glean from such studies can translate to behaviours that animals have evolved to do. This symposium will highlight the best of both worlds – and we will explore a range of organisms performing natural and social behaviours, from birds, to deer mice, to bats, monkeys and elephants to uncover the proximate neural mechanisms that drive such diverse natural behaviours

Organisers

• Dr. Mokkapati Jaya Sravanthi, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA
• Prof. Hema Somanathan, IISER Thiruvananthapuram

Speakers

• Dr. Jaya Sravanthi Mokkapati
  Pennsylvania State University
  Integrating plant genetics, bee foraging behaviour and macronutrients in pollen to explore the co-evolution of plant-pollinator interactions
• Dr. Vivek Nithyananda
  Newcastle University, United Kingdom
  Floral reward value and visual search in bumblebees
• Anupama Nayak Manel
  University of Konstanz
  A moth's eye view of flower symmetry - Do innate preferences for symmetry reflect functional advantages for an insect pollinator?
• Gauri Gharpure
  NCBS-TIFR
  Sensory ecology of Himalayan pollinators in different environmental contexts
• Sajesh Vijayan
  University of Western Ontario
  Hearing the dance: vibro-acoustic communication of the dance signal in honeybees
• Prof. Tanvi Deora
  Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence
  Tactile sensing and learning during insect feeding and pollination interactions
• Kristine Abenis
  National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS); University of Toulouse; University of the Philippines Los BaÃos (UPLB)
  Low-Level Doses of Radioactivity Affects Learning of Honey Bees
• Anupreksha Jain
  University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Automated Tracking Reveals Diverse Effects of Insecticides on Bumble Bee Foraging and In-Nest Behaviour

Abstract
Pollinators are crucial to ecosystems and agriculture, influencing biodiversity and crop productivity. Our symposium seeks to advance our knowledge of how pollinators interact with their environment, make foraging decisions, and adapt to changing conditions. We aim to gather researchers, practitioners, and technology experts to discuss the latest developments in sensory biology and cognitive ecology of pollinator foraging and how emerging technologies are revolutionising our understanding and management of pollinators.

Recent technological advancements, including computer vision/AI, have provided unprecedented tools and methods to explore complex pollinator behaviours in greater detail. Our symposium focuses on understanding how pollinators make foraging decisions by exploring theoretical frameworks within the scope of sensory behaviour (visual, olfactory, tactile, auditory etc.), cognition, optimal foraging, and nutritional geometry.

This symposium will feature several talks on diverse topics under this theme that further our understanding of pollinator behaviour and ecology from mechanistic and evolutionary standpoints. Notably, the opening talk by our co-organizer Dr. Mokkapati, will present the opportunities and challenges in studying plant-pollinator interactions using automated monitoring coupled with plant genetics. This symposium will facilitate the integration of animal behaviour with diverse fields, including entomology, plant genetics, chemical ecology, computer science, and engineering, and it will provide opportunities for these collaborations to form.

Organisers

• Dr. Delphine De Moor, University of Exeter, UK
• Prof. Anindya Sinha, National Institute of Advanced Studies, India
• Prof. Lauren Brent, University of Exeter, England

Speakers

• Dr. Delphine De Moor
  Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
  Challenges and Solutions: A New Frontier in Comparative Social Network Analysis
• Dr. Stotra Chakrabarti
  Macalester College
  Understanding Lion Societies: The Role of Comparative Research
• Dr. Jacob Feder
  Arizona State University, USA
  Disparate Social Structures are Underpinned by Distinct Social Rules across the African Papionins
• Dr. Krishna Balasubramaniam
  Anglia Ruskin University, England
  Animal Sociality and Risk-taking in Anthropogenic Environments: Insights from Comparative Studies on Macaques
• Prof. Greg Albery
  Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
  Assembling and Analysing Meta-datasets in Social Network Ecology
• Harish Kumar
  Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali
  Hygiene or dominance: testing the functional role of allogrooming in two cooperatively breeding birds

Abstract
There is a vast and ever-accumulating amount of social behavioural data across related animal taxa, an incredible resource to shed light on the ecological and evolutionary drivers of variation in animal social behaviour. Yet, substantial logistical and analytical challenges impede systematic comparisons of these data. A first major challenge is the lack of persistent, accessible, and standardised databases that can be used for comparative research. This is due to several reasons, including difficulties in storing complex behavioural data in a flexible and searchable format, as well as researchers' lack of awareness of their data's potential or even a hesitance to share them. A second major challenge lies in accurately analysing data collected over decades across different species and research sites. Addressing the confounding effects of varying data collection protocols, phylogenetic influences, intraspecific differences, and the inherent complexities of cross-species comparisons requires novel analytical approaches. Despite these challenges, efforts are underway to apply comparative methods to questions in animal social behaviour, with many of these approaches being collaborative. This symposium will bring together leading researchers in comparative animal social behaviour to share their exciting new results, as well as their experiences and strategies for overcoming the challenges of consolidating and analysing comparative datasets. Through a series of presentations, we will demonstrate the potential of comparative research to answer fundamental questions in cross-species social evolution, highlight existing gaps in analytical methods and data-sharing practices, and outline the next steps needed to facilitate collaborative comparative behavioural research within and across taxa.

Organizers

• Dr. Deyatima Ghosh, Nanjing Forestry University (People's Republic of China), Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (India), University of Lincoln (UK)
• Prof. Anna Wilkinson, University of Lincoln, United Kingdom

Speakers

• Dr. Deyatima Ghosh
  Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
  Cognition in Pest Predators: A Missing Link in Sustainable Agriculture
• Prof. Anindya Sinha
  National Institute of Advanced Studies; University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology
  Being Macaque: Synurbisation Histories and Vernacular Ethologies in the Indian Anthropocene
• Prof. Anna Wilkinson
  University of Lincoln
  Cold-blooded cognition meets ecosystem ecology: The impact of cognition on seed dispersal processes
• Prof. Alan Mcelligott
  City University of Hong Kong
  Using Behaviour and Cognition Research to Advance Animal Welfare Impact
• Prof. Hisashi Murakami Kyoto Institute of Technology
  Memory and its possible assessment in fiddler crabs: an experiment at the spatial-social interface
• Prof. Lisa Leaver
  University of Exeter
  Bouncing back? An experimental investigation of branch flexibility and body mass in jumping grey squirrels
• Dr. Mark O Hara
  Messerli Research Institute University for Veterinary Medicine Vienna
  The Social Sphere- A novel omnidirectional task for testing social learning
• Prof. Scarlett Howard
  Monash University
  Can there be success in failure? Revealing strategies of success and failure by bees during a complex cognitive task
• Dr. Sruthi Unnikrishnan
  Centre for Wildlife Studies
  Cognition in Coordination: Contrasting Dominance and Self-Regulation in two species of Ropalidia Wasps
• Theresa Rössler
  Messerli Research Institute University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
  Tool use in an introduced cockatoo population

Abstract
Multispecies ethnographies are essential to understand the sentient lives of nonhuman beings within increasingly human-dominated, ecological contexts of the Anthropocene. This is especially true for India, where the close physical and emotional proximity of humans and macaques over centuries has not only led to intense interspecies behavioural exchanges but also to the slow, but irreversible, synurbisation – the adaptation of individuals to urban ecologies – by free-ranging macaque populations in recent times. Affective interactions have begun to emerge in these naturalcultural contact zones, where humans and macaques encounter and relate to one another through specific exchanges of signals and materials. This then demands the reimagination of our societies as not being exclusively human spaces but unique nature–society hybrids. Drawing on our ongoing studies on the synurbisation of rhesus and bonnet macaque populations from across the country, I will highlight, in this talk, what living in altered socioecological environments might mean to both macaques and humans, and, in the process, reflect on the urban ecologies of our future.