Obstacle avoiding patterns and cohesiveness of fish school

TL;DR

This paper models fish school obstacle avoidance using stochastic differential equations, identifies four distinct patterns, and links these patterns to the internal property of school cohesiveness.

Contribution

It introduces a novel SDE-based model for fish obstacle avoidance and defines cohesiveness, connecting it to observable avoidance patterns.

Findings

Four obstacle avoiding patterns identified: Rebound, Pullback, Pass, Reunion, and Separation.

Patterns change with parameter variations.

School cohesiveness can be measured through avoidance patterns.

Abstract

This paper is devoted to studying obstacle avoiding patterns and cohesiveness of fish school. First, we introduce a model of stochastic differential equations (SDEs) for describing the process of fish school's obstacle avoidance. Second, on the basis of the model we find obstacle avoiding patterns. Our observations show that there are clear four obstacle avoiding patterns, namely, Rebound, Pullback, Pass and Reunion, and Separation. Furthermore, the emerging patterns change when parameters change. Finally, we present a scientific definition for fish school's cohesiveness that will be an internal property characterizing the strength of fish schooling. There are then evidences that the school cohesiveness can be measured through obstacle avoiding patterns.