A lionfish-inspired predation strategy in planar structured environments.

Area of Science:

• Mathematical Biology
• Game Theory
• Bioinspired Robotics

Background:

• Predator-prey interactions are complex, involving pursuit and evasion tactics.
• Lionfish (Pterois sp.) exhibit unique hunting behaviors utilizing their fins.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate a pursuit-evasion game inspired by lionfish predation.
• Analyze the trade-off between pursuer's capture work and minimizing evader escape routes.
• Determine optimal pursuer appendage expansion strategies.

Main Methods:

• Developed a mathematical model for a pursuit-evasion game in a bounded environment.
• Incorporated bioinspired strategies for both pursuer (appendage expansion) and evader (random escape).
• Utilized expected work to capture as a cost function to analyze optimal strategies.

Main Results:

• The pursuer's optimal strategy involves expanding appendages based on relative distance and boundary proximity.
• Increased drag from expanded appendages impacts the pursuer's work to capture.
• Boundary proximity significantly influences pursuit trajectories and evasion possibilities.

Conclusions:

• Optimal pursuit strategies are context-dependent, balancing energy expenditure with effective prey capture.
• The study provides insights into the role of environmental boundaries in predator-prey dynamics.
• Bioinspired designs can inform robotic systems for navigation and capture tasks.