Animal Groups in Three Dimensions
How Species Aggregate

The first attempt to investigate this pervasive biological phenomenon from a variety of disciplines, from physics to mathematics to biology.

Julia K. Parrish (Edited by), William M. Hamner (Edited by)

9780521460248, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 13 December 1997

402 pages, 104 b/w illus.
26.1 x 18.3 x 2.6 cm, 1.04 kg

' … has definite possibilities for the imaginative production of project work at the undergraduate level, using some concepts of applied mathematics and many standard techniques of calculus and statistics.' Peter Giblin, The Mathematical Gazette

This book is about the ways in which many animals form groups; for instance, schools of fish, flocks of birds, and swarms of insects. Covering both invertebrate and vertebrate species, the authors investigate three-dimensional animal aggregations from a variety of disciplines, from physics to mathematics to biology. The first section is devoted to the various methods, mainly optical and acoustic, used to collect three-dimensional data over time. The second section focuses on analytical methods used to quantify pattern, group kinetics, and interindividual interactions within the group. The section on behavioural ecology and evolution deals with the functions of aggregative behaviour from the point of view of an inherently selfish individual member. The final section uses models to elucidate how group dynamics at the individual level creates emergent pattern at the level of the group.

1. Unifying principles, galactic framework, and the holy grails of aggregation Julia K. Parrish, William M. Hamner and Charles T. Prewitt
Part I. Imaging and Measurement: 2. Methods for three-dimensional sensing of animals Jules S. Jaffe
3. Analytical and digital photogrammetry Jon Osborn
4. Acoustic visualization of three-dimensional animal aggregations in the ocean Charles H. Green and Peter H. Wiebe
5. Three-dimensional structure and dynamics of bird flocks Frank Heppner
6. Three-dimensional measurements of swarming mosquitos: a probabilistic model, measuring system, and example output Terumi Ikawa and Hidehiko Okabe
Part II. Analysis: 7. Quantitative analysis of animal movements in congregations Peter Turchin
8. Movements of animals in congregations: an Eularian analysis of bark beetle swarming Peter Turchin and Gregory Simons
9. Individual decisions, traffic rules, and emergent pattern in schooling fish Julia K. Parrish and Peter Turchin
10. Aggregate behavior in zooplankton: phototactic swarming in four developmental stages of Coullana canadensis (Copepoda harpacticoida) Jeannette Yen and Elizabeth A. Bryant
Part III. Behavioural Ecology and Evolution: 11. Is the sum of the parts equal to the whole?: the conflict between individuality and group membership William M. Hamner and Julia K. Parrish
12. Why are some members more likely to be on the outside of the group?: Testing the evolutionary predictions William L. Romey
13. Costs and benefits as a function of group size: experiments on a swarming mysid Paramesopodopsis rufa fenton David A. Ritz
14. Predicting the three-dimensional structure of animal aggregations from functional consideration: The role of information Lawrence M. Dill, C. S. Holling and L. H. Palmer
15. Perspectives on sensory integration systems: problems, opportunities, and predictions Carl R. Schilt and Kenneth S. Norris
Part IV. Models: 16. Conceptual and methodological issues in the modeling of biological aggregations Simon A. Levin
17. Schooling as a strategy for chemotaxis in a noisy environment Daniel Grunbaum
18. Trail following as an adaptable mechanism for popular behavior Leah Edelstein-Keshett
19. Metabolic models of fish school behaviour: The need for quantitative observations William McFarland and Akira Okubo
20. Social forces in animal congregations: interactive, motivational and sensory aspects Kevin Warburton.

Subject Areas: Animal behaviour [PSVP], Applied mathematics [PBW]