Selected publications

Combining expert knowledge with literature analysis, this study developed a conceptual classification scheme of invasion science that allows to organize publications and data sets, guide future research, and identify knowledge gaps. The scheme features 5 major themes of invasion science that are divided into 10 broader research questions and linked to 39 major hypotheses of the field.

The research team investigated the predator-prey behaviour of striped marlins (Kajikia audax) and sardine shoals (Sardinops sagax caerulea) in the open ocean. Their findings reveal that individual prey in groups follows simple decision-making rules, which lead to complex, collective self-organized manoeuvers – and that this response is something predators can capitalize on.

Why do animals hunt in groups? The authors have shown in a field study in the ocean off Mexico: the faster the prey school moves, the higher the capture rate of the striped marlin. This is because if the prey school is moving fast, individual prey fish are more likely to become isolated. These isolated fish are then easily caught by the non-attacking marlins, an advantage of group hunting.