Max Planck-Smithsonian - Center for Animal Behavior

Overview

Exploring the unparalleled sensory and social diversity found in tropical ecosystems, the forthcoming 2027 Max Planck-Smithsonian Center for Sensory Ecology and Social Evolution aims to understand the way animals perceive and respond to their environment, how these sensory mechanisms shape their social interactions, and ultimately, how these interactions scale up to determine the structure, functioning, and resilience of their societies.

The MP-S SE2 will bring together the knowledge, expertise, and resources of two world-leading institutions: the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) in Germany. STRI is the global leader in the in-situ study of tropical ecosystems, while MPI-AB is at the global forefront of the study of animal decision-making in the wild.

Three pillars of research:

How do individuals’ sensory abilities enable and constrain interactions among conspecifics, and thus shape the strength, stability, and structure of their social connections?

How is a group’s ability to overcome the challenges presented by its environment enhanced or constrained by its collective sensing capacities?

How does the structure and flexibility of group-living animals’ social networks, and their capacity for collective sensing enhance or limit the resilience of their populations to the environmental uncertainty?