Using optimal foraging theory to infer how groups make collective decisions

Abstract

A growing body of evidence emerging from the analysis of advanced animal tracking data shows that moving groups make shared decisions about where to go, with each group member influencing the outcome. How groups coordinate departure decisions (when to go), however, remains poorly understood. Classic models from optimal foraging theory, specifically the marginal value theorem (MVT), are well-established tools that can generate quantitative predictions about when individuals should prefer to leave a food patch, given patch quality and the distribution of patches in the environment. Integrating optimal foraging theory into studies of animal collectives provides rich opportunities for gaining new insights from both empirical and theoretical studies. Specifically, the MVT can be used to make predictions about conflict of interests among group members, how consensus costs vary under different models of collective decision-making, and under what environmental conditions shared decision-making may be favored or disfavored