Newly settled juvenile spiny lobsters are asocial. After a few months of living alone in dense vegetation, juvenile lobsters undergo an ontogenetic niche shift to crevice shelters and begin their association with conspecifics. Our research has demonstrated that juvenile lobsters initially benefit from their attraction to conspecifics by finding shelter quickly and reducing their exposure to predators. As lobsters grow, the benefits from association increase and become mutually cooperative. Subadults benefit by means of group defense when attacked by triggerfish.
Adults benefit by means of drag reduction when migrating in single-file queues.
Our field and laboratory research on spiny lobster social behaviors has revealed some important insights into the ecological conditions that favor the development of cooperative behaviors. Recently, we have been observing the behavior of elk under variable conditions of predation risk in Yellowstone National Park. This research is in collaboration with Dr. John Laundre. In regions of the park where wolves have established territories, elk spend a greater proportion of time scanning and less time feeding. However, these patterns vary with both social status and season.