Fractal patterns of insect movement in microlandscape mosaics

Journal Article · Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1995 · Ecology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/1941226· OSTI ID:50824

Wiens, J A ^[1]; Crist, T O ^[1]; With, K A ^[1]; Milne, B T ^[2]

---

1. Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States)
2. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

How individuals move, whether in short-term searching behavior or long-term dispersal influences the probability that individuals will experience physiological stress or encounter appropriate habitat, potential mates, prey, or predators. Because of variety and complexity, it is often difficult to make sense of movements. Because the fractal dimension of a movement pathway is scale independent, however, it may provide a useful measure for comparing dissimilar taxa. The authors use fractal measures to compare the movement pathways of individual beetles occupying semiarid shortgrass steppe in north-central Colorado. 20 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-88ER60715; FG04-88ER60714
• OSTI ID: 50824
• Journal Information: Ecology, Vol. 76, Issue 2; Other Information: PBD: Mar 1995
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

55 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BASIC STUDIES
BEETLES
BEHAVIOR
MOTION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS