Scale-free olfactory-driven foraging

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The objectives of the proposed research are to: 1) Formulate and validate stochastic models for the fluctuations in scent concentration experienced by insects whilst airborne within the atmospheric boundary-layer. This will be achieved by building upon the groups¿ extensive experience of formulating and validating stochastic models of aerosol motions in turbulent flows; acquired over 10 years and through the production of 40 papers in top-flight fluid-dynamic journals. The models will reproduce accurately key aspects of concentration fluctuations associated with insect responses. These include distributions of concentration, intermittency factors and threshold up-crossing rates. 2) Combine the stochastic models with models of olfactory response and determine the extent to which scent-response accounts for observed insect foraging and sexual behaviours. Two hypotheses will be tested:- 1)Superstatistical stochastic models can simulate accurately the joint evolution of scalar concentrations and scalar concentration gradients in turbulent flows. This hypothesis is supported by the results of preliminary studies described in the case for support. 2)Scale-free foraging behaviours can arise from olfactory-driven searches, i.e. from a naïve response to complex turbulent fluctuations in scent concentration. The hypothesis will tested in numerical simulations by combining stochastic models for the evolution of scalar concentrations and scalar concentration gradients.

unavailable