"Why Swarms Coordinate Without Communication: Dynamical Limits of Sequential Signaling"

Collective systems such as bird flocks and fish schools are often assumed to rely on sequential communication between individuals. However, can such communication operate fast enough to explain observed coordination speeds? Using controlled dynamical models, we quantify recovery times after perturbations and compare them with theoretical bounds for sequential signaling. We show that strongly coordinated groups reorganize significantly faster than any realistic communication process would allow. These results suggest that collective coordination is not primarily driven by information exchange, but by global dynamical attractors that structure the system as a whole. Communication becomes relevant only when intrinsic dynamical coherence weakens. If you use this material or have questions, comments, or potential extensions, feel free to contact me at: fjmartinezsanchezact@gmail.com