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Pair formation in insect swarms driven by adaptive long-range interactions
Dan Gorbonos1, James G Puckett2, Kasper van der Vaart3
1Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel.
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface
|October 7, 2020
Summary
Insect swarms exhibit transient pair formation, a phenomenon now explained by acoustic interactions. An adaptive-gravity model shows pairs form naturally as insects move from high to low sound environments, driven by sound-modulated attraction.
Area of Science:
- Collective behavior
- Insect swarming dynamics
- Bioacoustics
Background:
- Insect swarms display uncoordinated motion, contrasting with bird flocks.
- Transient synchronized pairs observed in insect swarms, with origins unclear.
- Uncertainty exists whether pairing is a distinct behavior or emergent property.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the origin of transient pair formation in insect swarms.
- Determine if pairing arises from existing swarming dynamics or requires new rules.
- Model insect interactions to explain observed pairing phenomena.
Main Methods:
- Developed an 'adaptive-gravity' computational model for insect swarming.
- Modeled long-range acoustic attractions modulated by background sound (adaptivity).
- Simulated insect movement from high-sound swarm centers to low-sound peripheries.
Main Results:
- Pair formation occurred robustly without additional behavioral rules in the model.
- Pairs formed when insects moved from high to low background sound environments.
- Adaptive attraction increased in low sound, creating bound states; high sound disrupted pairs.
Conclusions:
- Pair formation in insect swarms can be a natural byproduct of adaptive acoustic interactions.
- The 'adaptive-gravity' model successfully reproduces observed insect swarming and pairing.
- Suggests similar pairing mechanisms may occur in other systems with long-range attraction and adaptive sensing, like cellular swarming.
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