Superdiffusivity due to resource depletion in random searches

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Juliana M. Berbert
  • Mark A. Lewis

• Animal search patterns are governed by the various movement strategies undertaken when animals
  encounter stimuli. The stimuli caused by resource growth and depletion can modify search patterns due
  to the need to
  finding resources. In this paper, we investigate the influence of resource depletion on the
  dynamics of dispersal of a population which is related to diffusion or anomalous diffusion. Our approach
  is to develop a population level model using partial differential equations that takes into account rules for
  movement based on the resource levels. Through numerical analysis, we show that the population
  dispersal patterns depend on the resource depletion, with superdiffusive spread in cases where the
  depletion rate (as given by high consumption and low replenishment) is high. This has the potential to
  increase searching efficiency.

• Date created

  2017-11-25

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Animal movement
  • Resource depletion
  • Diffusion equations
  • Anomalous diffusion

• Type of Item

  Article (Draft / Submitted)

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-8szd-ss87

• License

  Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International