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Aerial view of the University of Konstanz, with construction area in the foreground.

New DFG research unit "DynaSym"

How different species interact with each other, for example as predator and prey, is by no means fixed and can depend on the prevailing environmental conditions. Which factors play a role in this process is the focus topic of the new DFG research unit "DynaSym", with the participation of the University of Konstanz. The unit's spokesperson is Lutz Becks.

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Plague of locusts in Kenya. Countless locusts in one place.

Following your nose into the swarm

Locusts adapt their sense of smell to better detect sparse food sources in crowded swarms of up to billion animals, as researchers from the Cluster of Excellence Collective Behaviour at the University of Konstanz discovered. They published their results in the journal Nature Communication.

Tracking animals without markers

Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence Collective Behaviour developed a computer vision framework for posture estimation and identity tracking which they can use in indoor environments as well as in the wild. They have thus taken an important step towards markerless tracking of animals in the wild using computer vision and machine learning.

Two meerkats. One seems to speek into the ear of the other one.

Meerkat chit-chat

Konstanz researchers unravel the vocal interactions of meerkat groups and show they use two different types of interactions to stay in touch.

Individual small robot

"Turing test" for animal systems

What advantages do robots offer in researching the behavioural rules of animal groups? How is robotics research inspired by nature? Three robotics researchers from the Cluster of Excellence "Collective Behaviour" (CASCB) at the University of Konstanz provide insights.

Two lions in grassland. One is standing. The other one is laying close to a bush.

In the realm of lions (copy 1)

“Contrary to ‘The Lion King’ there is no king or queen in lion societies. No single individual gets priority access to resources, whether that be access to mates or access to food after participating in a hunt”, says Konstanz researcher Natalia Borrego.