This theme issue assembles current studies that ask how and why precise synchronization and related forms of rhythm interaction are expressed in a wide range of behaviour. The studies cover human activity, with an emphasis on music, and social behaviour, reproduction and communication in non-human animals. In most cases, the temporally aligned rhythms have short—from several seconds down to a fraction of a second—periods and are regulated by central nervous system pacemakers, but interactions involving rhythms that are 24 h or longer and originate in biological clocks also occur. Across this spectrum of activities, species and time scales, empirical work and modelling suggest that synchrony arises from a limited number of coupled-oscillator mechanisms with which individuals mutually entrain. Phylogenetic distribution of these common mechanisms points towards convergent evolution. Studies of animal communication indicate that many synchronous interactions between the signals of neighbouring individuals are specifically favoured by selection. However, synchronous displays are often emergent properties of entrainment between signalling individuals, and in some situations, the very signallers who produce a display might not gain any benefit from the collective timing of their production.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Synchrony and rhythm interaction: from the brain to behavioural ecology’.

这个主题问题汇集了当前的研究，这些研究询问如何以及为什么在广泛的行为中表达精确同步和节奏交互的相关形式。这些研究涵盖人类活动，重点是音乐，以及非人类动物的社会行为、繁殖和交流。在大多数情况下，时间对齐的节律具有很短的周期（从几秒到几分之一秒），并且由中枢神经系统起搏器调节，但涉及 24 小时或更长时间的节律以及起源于生物钟的相互作用也会发生。在这一系列活动、物种和时间尺度上，经验工作和建模表明，同步源于有限数量的耦合振荡器机制，个体相互牵引。这些共同机制的系统发育分布指向趋同进化。对动物交流的研究表明，相邻个体的信号之间的许多同步相互作用特别受到选择的青睐。然而，同步显示通常是信号个体之间夹带的涌现属性，在某些情况下，制作显示的信号员可能不会从他们的生产的集体时间中获得任何好处。

这篇文章是主题问题“同步和节奏交互：从大脑到行为生态学”的一部分。