Berlin 2008 – scientific programme

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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik

DY 5: Statistical physics in biological systems (joint session DY/BP)

DY 5.9: Talk

Monday, February 25, 2008, 16:30–16:45, MA 001

From Cannibalism to Active Motion — •Pawel Romanczuk and Lutz Schimansky-Geier — Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstr. 15, 12489 Berlin

The detailed mechanisms leading to collective dynamics in animal and insects groups are still poorly understood. A recent study by Simpson et. al. suggests cannibalism as a driving mechanism for coordinated migration of mormon crickets [1].

Based on this result we propose a simple generic model of brownian particles interacting by asymmetric, non-conservative collisions accounting for the cannibalistic behaviour and the corresponding avoidance strategy. We discuss our model in one and two dimensions and show that a certain type of collisions drives the system out of equilibrium and leads to coordinated active motion of groups.

[1] Stephen J. Simpson, Gregory A. Sword, Patrick D. Lorch and Iain D. Couzin: Cannibal crickets on a forced march for protein and salt, PNAS, 103:4152-4156, 2006