Abstract

Navigation is a widespread challenge, a problem faced by migrating embryonic cells on route to forming tissues or animals returning to feeding grounds. A spectrum of guidance cues provide the necessary information, often in tandem, yet these may fluctuate significantly in strength. Furthermore, in fluid environments the presence of complex and turbulent currents constitute a considerable further obstacle. In this talk I will consider multiscale approaches for understanding such phenomena, from particle-level random walks to describe individual movement paths, to continuous descriptions for the density distribution of a population. First, I will consider a paradigm of individual navigation - marine turtles returning to remote nesting beaches - and explore the constraints placed on navigating ability to return successfully. Second, I move to examples of collective navigation, where sharing information between group members boosts navigation. In particular I will explore the extent to which collective navigation allows a population to escape information voids, demonstrating through an application of whale navigation subjected to anthropogenic noise.