Computer model aids understanding of natural wonder
Posted on 3 May 2007
The nightly display by thousands of birds has even caught the eye of advertisers, but the reasons why the starlings do it, has tantalised scientists.
Interdisciplinary research led by a mathematical biologist now at the University of York has given a new perspective on the reasons for flocking and herding behaviour. The findings are published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The computer model describes many types of flocking or herding behaviour of individual creatures
Dr Andrew Wood
With colleagues at the University of Edinburgh, Dr Andrew Wood developed a computer model describing flocking behaviour that allows the individual creatures to evolve and change.
They discovered that when the creatures are subjected to evolutionary pressure - avoiding predators and finding food - two types of flock emerge. One maximises the efficiency of the flock as a whole, while the other maximises the efficiency of each individual relative to its fellows.
Dr Wood, a Research Councils UK Fellow at the York Centre for Complex System Analysis in the Department of Biology, said: "The computer model describes many types of flocking or herding behaviour of individual creatures: from the dense mills of schooling fish to the tumbling flocks of starlings. Our results suggest that this model accurately mimics real groups and will give us a better understanding of this behaviour."
Notes to editors:
- Evolving the selfish herd: emergence of distinct aggregating strategies in an individual based model by Dr Andrew Wood; Professor Graeme Ackland (10.1098/rspb.2007.0306) Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences is due to be published online at 00.01 BST Wednesday 2 May 2007.
- The University of York’s Department of Biology is one of the leading centres for biological teaching and research in the UK. The Department, with more than 400 scientific and support staff and 400 undergraduates currently has one of the highest research ratings in the UK.
- The RCUK Academic Fellowship Scheme was launched in March 2004, as part of the Government’s strategy for science, engineering and technology, Investing in Innovation. The Government is providing funds to create up to 1,000 new academic fellowships.