Why swarming insects have perplexing spatial statistics

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Reynolds, A. M. 2025. Why swarming insects have perplexing spatial statistics. Physical Biology. 22 (4), p. 044001. https://doi.org/10.1088/1478-3975/addf08

AuthorsReynolds, A. M.
Abstract

Unlike flocks of birds and schools of fish that show net motion and synchronized motion, insect mating swarms are stationary and lack velocity ordering. Their collective nature when unperturbed is instead evident in their spatial statistics. In stark contrast with bird flocks, wherein the number density can fluctuate enormously from flock to flock, the number density of individuals in laboratory swarms of the midge Chironomus riparius is approximately constant. Nonetheless, as swarms grow more populous, individuals cluster more and more. Here with the aid of stochastic trajectory models I show that these two seemingly contradictory behaviours can be attributed to the presence of multiplicative noise. The modelling also predicts that swarms are most stable when they are asymptotically large.

KeywordsInsect swarms; Stochastic modelling
Year of Publication2025
JournalPhysical Biology
Journal citation22 (4), p. 044001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1088/1478-3975/addf08
Open accessPublished as green open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Funder project or codeBBSRC Strategic Programme in Smart Crop Protection
Publisher's version
Copyright license
CC BY 4.0
Accepted author manuscript
Copyright license
CC BY 4.0
Supplemental file
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online12 Jun 2025
Publication process dates
Accepted30 May 2025
PublisherIOP Publishing Ltd
ISSN1478-3967

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