Daiki SATO Assistant Professor

Daiki SATO
Assistant Professor

Researchmap

• Chiba University Institute for Advanced Academic Research / Graduate School of Science

• Keywords

  Evolutionary genomics, Genome-wide association analysis, Collective behavior, Diversity effect, Fruit flies

• Professional Memberships

  Society for Evolutionary Studies, Japan, The Ecological Society of Japan

Research Theme

Evolutionary genomics of individual and collective behavior

Abstract

Animals, including humans, display a variety of behaviors that vary among species and individuals. Within a species, the variation in behavior can be regarded as personality, which is also associated with conditions like mental disorders in humans. Consequently, understanding the genetic basis of behavioral diversity has been a subject of research for many years. Recent advances and widespread use of genome analysis techniques have led to the discovery of novel genes and genetic mutations that control animals’ behavior.

On the other hand, an individual's behavioral traits are not static but can be influenced by the presence and actions of other individuals. In animal groups, emergent characteristics that are observed for the first time at the group level, such as coordinated collective behavior and social division of labor, often emerge. However, it remains unclear how individual behavioral diversity influences such group dynamics. In this study, I aim to investigate the evolution of collective behavior, focusing on interactions between individuals, through group-level behavioral experiments and genomic analysis of fruit flies. I seek to unravel the molecular mechanisms and ecological functions underlying the development of sociality in animals.

Daiki SATO's Article / PressRelease