Our agenda
Understanding the foraging of biological
organisms, from
microorganisms and insects over fish and birds up to human scales,
recently
moved into the focus of research due to big progress with
experimental
measurement techniques. From the theoretical side key advances were
made by modeling experimental data in terms of anomalous
stochastic
processes. The most prominent and controversial example is
the Levy
hypothesis, which predicts optimal search for food sources in terms of
Levy flights.
This Advanced Study Group will bring together a
team of experts on
nonequilibrium statistical physics, anomalous stochastic processes,
mathematical biology and ecology of animal movements. The team will be
supplemented by a vivid visitors programme.
Key topics
to be investigated by this group are:
1. Critically assess the Levy hypothesis
2. Test other types of anomalous stochastic dynamics for
modeling foraging
3. How to define optimality for foraging?
4. Assess the influence of external environmental constraints on
foraging
5. Assess the influence of internal conditions of the forager on
foraging
6. Study collective foraging