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Complex patterns from simple decisions: the emergence of behaviours in Otiorhynchus sulcatus F.
Author(s) -
Blackshaw R. P.,
Goodwin T.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
agricultural and forest entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.755
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1461-9563
pISSN - 1461-9555
DOI - 10.1111/j.1461-9555.2004.00234.x
Subject(s) - random walk , biology , clockwise , spiral (railway) , statistical physics , geometry , mathematics , statistics , physics , mathematical analysis , rotation (mathematics)
1 Filming the movement of individual adult Otiorhynchus sulcatus in a stimulus‐free arena allows the frequency distribution of turning angles to be obtained. Turns are predominantly anti‐clockwise and the distribution is dominated by three preferred angles (approximately 50, 130 and 190°). 2 The implications of these results are explored through deterministic and stochastic random walk models of fixed step‐length. Use of each of these turning angles results in different trajectories, potentially representing different search patterns. 3 The introduction of stochastic variation in the turning angles alters the trajectories and, for the 50° turning angle, results in an approximation to published descriptions of spiral and circular search patterns for other insects. 4 This single parameter random walk model is compared with previously published models and it is postulated that, for O. sulcatus, the selection of a turning angle is sufficient to provide a rich repertoire of spatial trajectories.