How Environmental Factors Affect Group Living in a Terrestrial Isopod System

My project aims to investigate how group living behavior responds to abiotic environmental change temporal scales. I will focus on the effects of environment on group living, and how aggregation may affect fitness. This work will aid understanding of aggregative organism dynamics and group living in the face of abiotic environmental change. As the planet’s climate changes, understanding how group living organisms will respond gives insights into how ecosystem structures may be permanently affected. Soil decomposers are at high risk of increasing temperatures, as their nutrient cycling can slow, and habitats may experience drought. I will use the terrestrial isopod species Porcellio laevis to study effects of environment on group living behaviors and associated fitness.