University of Leicester mathematicians develop theory which helps to unravel long-standing mysteries of animal movement.
University of Leicester mathematicians develop theory which helps to unravel long-standing mysteries of animal movement.
- Theory explains how animals such as bats, insects and birds adjust movement behaviour based on environment
- Environmental cues which could change animal movement include seeking out food, avoiding predators and locating mating partners
- Animals have to continuously exert force to overcome environmental drag and friction and adapt behaviour accordingly
Mathematicians from the University of Leicester have developed a theory which explains how small animals, such as bats, insects and birds, adjust their movement behaviour based on cues within their environment.
In a paper published in Scientific Reports, the researchers propose a unified theory of animal movement that relates the movement pattern to an animal’s biological traits such as its mass and body shape and to the properties of the environment.
Read more at University of Leicester
Photo credit: C. Robiller / www.naturlichter.de via Wikimedia Commons
