The fluid dynamical context of chemosensory behavior

Area of Science:

• Fluid dynamics
• Animal behavior
• Sensory ecology

Background:

• Chemoperception is crucial for navigation in aquatic and terrestrial environments.
• Understanding olfactory-guided navigation requires characterizing fluid dynamics and its relation to sensory mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review fluid dynamical concepts relevant to chemosensory navigation.
• To examine animal orientation studies in light of fluid dynamical principles.
• To identify common navigational strategies across different flow regimes and animal taxa.

Main Methods:

• Review of fluid dynamical concepts applicable to chemosensory navigation.
• Analysis of animal orientation studies considering flow regimes (e.g., high vs. low Reynolds number flows).
• Comparison of sensory and behavioral mechanisms across different fluid environments and animal groups.

Main Results:

• Sensory and behavioral mechanisms are often tailored to specific flow regimes and stimulus environments.
• Animals in high vs. low Reynolds number flows exhibit distinct adaptations.
• Convergent evolution of common solutions is observed in similar flow regimes despite taxonomic differences.

Conclusions:

• Fluid dynamics provides essential underpinnings for understanding animal navigational strategies.
• Nondimensional categorization of behavior in relation to flow can reveal commonalities across diverse species.
• Comparative analysis across fluid environments highlights the interplay between flow, behavior, and sensory adaptations.