Reynolds A M, Rhodes C J
Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom.
Ecology. 2009 Apr;90(4):877-87. doi: 10.1890/08-0153.1.
Over recent years there has been an accumulation of evidence from a variety of experimental, theoretical, and field studies that many organisms use a movement strategy approximated by Lévy flights when they are searching for resources. Lévy flights are random movements that can maximize the efficiency of resource searches in uncertain environments. This is a highly significant finding because it suggests that Lévy flights provide a rigorous mathematical basis for separating out evolved, innate behaviors from environmental influences. We discuss recent developments in random-search theory, as well as the many different experimental and data collection initiatives that have investigated search strategies. Methods for trajectory construction and robust data analysis procedures are presented. The key to prediction and understanding does, however, lie in the elucidation of mechanisms underlying the observed patterns. We discuss candidate neurological, olfactory, and learning mechanisms for the emergence of Lévy flight patterns in some organisms, and note that convergence of behaviors along such different evolutionary pathways is not surprising given the energetic efficiencies that Lévy flight movement patterns confer.
近年来，来自各种实验、理论和实地研究的证据不断积累，表明许多生物体在寻找资源时采用了近似莱维飞行的运动策略。莱维飞行是一种随机运动，能够在不确定的环境中最大限度地提高资源搜索效率。这是一项极具意义的发现，因为它表明莱维飞行为区分进化而来的先天行为和环境影响提供了严格的数学基础。我们讨论了随机搜索理论的最新进展，以及众多研究搜索策略的不同实验和数据收集计划。还介绍了轨迹构建方法和稳健的数据分析程序。然而，预测和理解的关键在于阐明观察到的模式背后的机制。我们讨论了一些生物体中出现莱维飞行模式的候选神经、嗅觉和学习机制，并指出鉴于莱维飞行运动模式所带来的能量效率，沿着如此不同的进化途径出现行为趋同并不奇怪。
