Our agenda

Understanding the foraging of biological organisms, from microorganisms and insects over fish and birds up to human scales, recently moved into the focus of research due to big progress with experimental measurement techniques. From the theoretical side key advances were made by modeling experimental data in terms of anomalous stochastic processes. The most prominent and controversial example is the Levy hypothesis, which predicts optimal search for food sources in terms of Levy flights.
This Advanced Study Group will bring together a team of experts on nonequilibrium statistical physics, anomalous stochastic processes, mathematical biology and ecology of animal movements. The team will be supplemented by a vivid visitors programme.

Key topics to be investigated by this group are:
1. Critically assess the Levy hypothesis
2. Test other types of anomalous stochastic dynamics for modeling foraging
3. How to define optimality for foraging?
4. Assess the influence of external environmental constraints on foraging
5. Assess the influence of internal conditions of the forager on foraging
6. Study collective foraging