Group behaviors can determine survival in tough conditions Julia Parrish, UW research assistant zoology professor, stands on the rim of a Jesus Christ is Lord rally, held by a group of students, last Friday in Red Square. Scientists see patterns that could predict the future Like teenage boys hanging out on a street corner or fans cheering at a football game, animals behave differently when they're in a large group than when they're alone. Pattern that emerges from aggregation is not limited to living systems, Parrish said.
Snowflakes are a classic example.
A single flake falls and is beautiful to look at. A stormful of flakes stick together and are carved by the wind into elaborate ridges and cornices. A winter's worth of flakes slip and slide and adjust to gravity, eventually producing an avalanche. But animal aggregations have an evolutionary side. How individuals react to outside influences can determine their own survival, as well as the survival of other group members.