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. 2009 Mar 27;364(1518):755-62.
doi: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0277.

Independence and interdependence in collective decision making: an agent-based model of nest-site choice by honeybee swarms

Christian List  1 , Christian Elsholtz, Thomas D Seeley
Affiliations

Independence and interdependence in collective decision making: an agent-based model of nest-site choice by honeybee swarms

Christian List et al. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. .

Abstract

Condorcet's jury theorem shows that when the members of a group have noisy but independent information about what is best for the group as a whole, majority decisions tend to outperform dictatorial ones. When voting is supplemented by communication, however, the resulting interdependencies between decision makers can strengthen or undermine this effect: they can facilitate information pooling, but also amplify errors. We consider an intriguing non-human case of independent information pooling combined with communication: the case of nest-site choice by honeybee (Apis mellifera) swarms. It is empirically well documented that when there are different nest sites that vary in quality, the bees usually choose the best one. We develop a new agent-based model of the bees' decision process and show that its remarkable reliability stems from a particular interplay of independence and interdependence between the bees.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Illustrative simulations to test hypothesis 3.1. High reliability, high interdependence.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Illustrative simulations to test hypothesis 3.1. High reliability, medium interdependence.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Illustrative simulations to test hypothesis 3.1. High reliability, low interdependence.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Illustrative simulations to test hypothesis 3.1. Low reliability, high interdependence.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Illustrative simulations to test hypothesis 3.1. Low reliability, medium interdependence.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Illustrative simulations to test hypothesis 3.1. Low reliability, low interdependence.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Illustrative simulations to test hypothesis 3.2. Independence without interdependence.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Illustrative simulations to test hypothesis 3.2. Interdependence without independence.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Sequences of simulations to test hypothesis 3.2. Interdependence ranging from low to high.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Sequences of simulations to test hypothesis 3.2. Independence ranging from low to high.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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