Ecological and Behavioral Approaches to Search Behavior

This chapter offers a selective review of behavioral and ecological perspectives on search behavior. Basic results from foraging theory are presented and their relationship to search is discussed. Techniques for the statistical description of searching motion are outlined, with a focus on the correlated random walk and the so-called Lévy fl ights— a technique that holds considerable promise. The problems of search in groups are reviewed at several levels. Both cooperative search (as conducted, e.g., by members of a social insect colony) and group movements of extremely selfi sh animals are considered. Finally, a review is provided of the producer-scrounger game, which considers the interactions within groups when some individuals parasitize the search behavior of others. The implications of these ideas are discussed and potential future directions for future enquiry are highlighted.