The paper identifies excitation-inhibition interactions in fireflies that mediate flash synchronization through phase-response curve analysis and modeling.

bioRxiv · Jan 20, 2026 · PreprintAnimal Behavior & Cognition

3D Imaging of Honeybee Swarm Assembly and Disassembly

Danielle L. Chase, Daniel Zhu, Mahi Kathait, Henry Robertson, Jash Shah, Sully Harrer, Gary Nave, Nolan Bonnie, Orit Peleg

This paper develops a 3D imaging system to study honeybee swarm assembly and disassembly dynamics, revealing distinct patterns in formation and dissolution.

Integrative and Comparative Biology · Jan 1, 2026Peer-reviewedAnimal Behavior & Cognition

Adaptive Cell Size, Merging, Tilting, and Layering in Honeybee Comb Construction

Golnar Gharooni Fard, Chethan Kavaraganahalli Prasanna, Orit Peleg, Francisco López Jiménez

This study investigates honeybee comb construction strategies in response to varying cell sizes, identifying three distinct modes: merging, tilting, and layering.

PLoS Biology · Aug 26, 2025Peer-reviewedAnimal Behavior & Cognition

Attraction, Dynamics, and Phase Transitions in Fire Ant Tower-Building

Gary K. Nave, Nelson T. Mitchell, Jordan A. Chan Dick, Tyler Schuessler, Joaquin A. Lagarrigue, Orit Peleg

This paper develops an agent-based model to simulate fire ant tower-building, identifies the role of attraction in enabling the behavior, and provides an optimization tool for designing towers with specific properties.

Frontiers in Robotics and AI · Mar 3, 2020Peer-reviewedSystems Biology