Version 1
: Received: 30 September 2024 / Approved: 30 September 2024 / Online: 30 September 2024 (14:27:19 CEST)
How to cite:
Reynolds, A. M. Swarming Insects May Have Finely Tuned Characteristic Reynolds Numbers. Preprints2024, 2024092427. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2427.v1
Reynolds, A. M. Swarming Insects May Have Finely Tuned Characteristic Reynolds Numbers. Preprints 2024, 2024092427. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2427.v1
Reynolds, A. M. Swarming Insects May Have Finely Tuned Characteristic Reynolds Numbers. Preprints2024, 2024092427. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2427.v1
APA Style
Reynolds, A. M. (2024). Swarming Insects May Have Finely Tuned Characteristic Reynolds Numbers. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2427.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Reynolds, A. M. 2024 "Swarming Insects May Have Finely Tuned Characteristic Reynolds Numbers" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2427.v1
Abstract
Over the last few years there has been much effort put into the development and validation of stochastic models of the trajectories of swarming insects. These models typically assume that the positions and velocities of swarming insects can be represented by continuous jointly Markovian processes. These models are first-order autoregressive processes. In more sophisticated models, second-order autoregressive processes the positions, velocities and accelerations of swarming insects are collectively Markovian. Although it is mathematically conceivable that this hierarchy of stochastic models could be extended to higher orders, here I show that such a procedure would not be well-based biologically because some terms in these models represent processes that have the potential destabilize insect flight dynamics. This prediction is supported by an analysis of pre-existing data for laboratory swarms of the non-biting midge Chironomus riparius. I suggest that the Reynolds number is a finely tuned property of swarming, as swarms may disintegrate at both sufficiently low and sufficiently high Reynolds numbers.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
