Related papers: Group Size Effect on the Success of Wolves Hunting
A swarm of preys when attacked by a predator is known to rely on their cooperative interactions to escape. Understanding such interactions of collectively moving preys and the emerging patterns of their escape trajectories still remain…
How does the size of a swarm affect its collective action? Despite being arguably a key parameter, no systematic and satisfactory guiding principles exist to select the number of units required for a given task and environment. Even when…
Despite the fact that grouping behavior has been actively studied for over a century, the relative importance of the numerous proposed fitness benefits of grouping remain unclear. We use a digital model of evolving prey under simulated…
Selection on the level of loosely associated groups has been suggested as a route towards the evolution of cooperation between individuals and the subsequent formation of higher-level biological entities. Such group selection explanations…
We study the degree of success of a single predator hunting a herd of prey on a two dimensional square lattice landscape. We explicitly consider the self volume of the prey restraining their dynamics on the lattice. The movement of both…
The survival chance of a prey chased by a predator depends not only on their relative speeds but importantly also on the local environment they have to face. For example, a wolf chasing a deer might take a long time to cross a river which…
We propose a minimal model of predator-swarm interactions which captures many of the essential dynamics observed in nature. Different outcomes are observed depending on the predator strength. For a "weak" predator, the swarm is able to…
Popular hypotheses about the origins of collective adaptation are related to two basic behaviours: protection from predators and a combined search for food resources. Among the anti-predator explanations, the predator confusion hypothesis…
Collective animal movement fascinates children and scientists alike. One of the most commonly given explanations for collective animal movement is improved foraging. Animals are hypothesized to gain from searching for food in groups. Here,…
Moving animal groups consist of many distinct individuals but can operate and function as one unit when performing different tasks. Effectively evading unexpected predator attacks is one primary task for many moving groups. The current…
In this study, we investigate the prey predator dynamics of the elk wolf system in northern Yellowstone National Park, USA, using a data driven modeling approach. We used yearly population data for elk and wolves from 1995 to 2022 to…
We show, based on a theoretical model, how inertia plays a pivotal role in the survival dynamics of a prey swarm while chased by a predator. With the varying mass of the prey and predator, diverse escape patterns emerge, such as circling,…
Social insects are ecologically and evolutionarily most successful organisms on earth, which can achieve robust collective behaviors through local interactions among group members. Colony migration has been considered as a leading example…
Collective foragers, from animals to robotic swarms, must balance exploration and exploitation to locate sparse resources efficiently. While social learning is known to facilitate this balance, how the range of information sharing shapes…
Animals live in groups to defend against predation and to obtain food. However, for some animals --- especially ones that spend long periods of time feeding --- there are costs if a group chooses to move on before their nutritional needs…
Collective vigilance describes how animals in groups benefit from the predator detection efforts of others. Empirical observations typically find either a many-eyes strategy with all (or many) group members maintaining a low level of…
We study a nonhierarchical tritrophic system, whose predator-prey interactions are described by the rock-paper-scissors game rules. In our stochastic simulations, individuals may move strategically towards the direction with more…
For group-living animals, reaching consensus to stay cohesive is crucial for their fitness, particularly when collective motion starts and stops. Understanding the decision-making at individual and collective levels upon sudden disturbances…
Social dilemmas are central to human society. Depletion of natural resources, climate protection, security of energy supply, and workplace collaborations are all examples of social dilemmas. Since cooperative behaviour in a social dilemma…
Foraging is a widespread behavior, and being part of a group may bring several benefits compared to solitary foraging, such as collective pooling of information and reducing environmental uncertainty. Often theoretical models of collective…