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Frontiers in Mathematical Biology pp 296–325Cite as

Modelling Social Animal Aggregations

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Biomathematics ((LNBM,volume 100))

Abstract

It is hard to find animals in nature that do not aggregate for one reason or another. The details of such aggregations are important because they influence numerous fundamental processes like mate-finding, prey-detection, predator avoidance, and disease transmission. Yet, despite the near universality of aggregation and its profound consequences, biologists have only recently begun to probe its underlying mechanisms. In this chapter we review theoretical approaches to animal aggregation, concentrating on aggregations which are caused by social interactions. We emphasize methods and limitations, and suggest what we think are the most promising avenues for future research. For an earlier review article on dynamical aspects of animal grouping consult Okubo (1986).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Daniel Grünbaum & Akira Okubo

  2. Marine Sciences Research Center, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5000, USA

    Akira Okubo

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  1. Daniel Grünbaum
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  2. Akira Okubo
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  1. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544-1003, USA

    Simon A. Levin

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Grünbaum, D., Okubo, A. (1994). Modelling Social Animal Aggregations. In: Levin, S.A. (eds) Frontiers in Mathematical Biology. Lecture Notes in Biomathematics, vol 100. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-50124-1_18

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