Social Behavior, Mixing, And The Evolution Of Schooling

Abstract : Swimming organisms adjust their behavior in response to environmental conditions and form structures such as patches, swarms, and schools. Disadvantages of these tendencies include tougher competition for food, the attraction of predators; some hydrodynamic disadvantages -- turbulent wakes disrupt movement, and more energy is required to swim, etc. There are several advantages however, such as enhanced reproduction, predator avoidance, and the easier search for prey; some hydrodynamic advantages -- extra turbulence brings higher encounter rates, and coordinated swimming. Here, we study a model for such organisms' behavior.