Natural search algorithms as a bridge between organisms, evolution, and ecology

Abstract

The ability to navigate is a hallmark of living systems, from single cells to higher animals. Searching for targets, such as food or mates in particular, is one of the fundamental navigational tasks many organisms must execute to survive and reproduce. Here, we argue that a recent surge of studies of the proximate mechanisms that underlie search behavior offers a new opportunity to integrate the biophysics and neuroscience of sensory systems with ecological and evolutionary processes, closing a feedback loop that promises exciting new avenues of scientific exploration at the frontier of systems biology.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Aug 05, 2016
Source ID
10.1073/pnas.1606195113

Entities

People

  • Andrew M. Hein
  • Douglas R. Brumley
  • Francesco Carrara
  • Roman Stocker
  • Simon A. Levin

Organizations

  • Army Research Office
  • Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
  • Human Frontier Science Program
  • James S. McDonnell Foundation
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Princeton University
  • Simons Foundation
  • Swiss National Science Foundation

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Aquatic Ecology
  • Neuroscience
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology