Spatial Ecology Department, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Yerseke, Netherlands.
Science. 2011 Jun 24;332(6037):1551-3. doi: 10.1126/science.1201187.
Ecological theory predicts that animal movement is shaped by its efficiency of resource acquisition. Focusing solely on efficiency, however, ignores the fact that animal activity can affect resource availability and distribution. Here, we show that feedback between individual behavior and environmental complexity can explain movement strategies in mussels. Specifically, experiments show that mussels use a Lévy walk during the formation of spatially patterned beds, and models reveal that this Lévy movement accelerates pattern formation. The emergent patterning in mussel beds, in turn, improves individual fitness. These results suggest that Lévy walks evolved as a result of the selective advantage conferred by autonomously generated, emergent spatial patterns in mussel beds. Our results emphasize that an interaction between individual selection and habitat complexity shapes animal movement in natural systems.
生态理论预测，动物的运动方式与其资源获取效率有关。然而，仅仅关注效率会忽略这样一个事实，即动物的活动可以影响资源的可获得性和分布。在这里，我们展示了个体行为与环境复杂性之间的反馈可以解释贻贝的运动策略。具体来说，实验表明贻贝在形成空间模式的床时会使用莱维漫步，而模型则表明这种莱维运动可以加速模式的形成。贻贝床中出现的图案反过来又提高了个体的适应性。这些结果表明，莱维漫步是由于贻贝床中自主产生的、突发的空间模式带来的选择优势而进化的。我们的研究结果强调了个体选择和栖息地复杂性之间的相互作用塑造了自然系统中动物的运动方式。
