In 1973 it was noticed at the Puget Sound Native Tree Botanical Garden that fish were forming schools near the beach, and when they did that, predators would show up.

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It was also noticed that the local orb web spiders were not noticed in the garden until the fall when the termites were emerging in their nuptial flights.

 

Thus began the studies of these animal forms, their behaviors, their causes, their similarities and differences.

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In the early 2000's, we asked the Assistant Dean of the School of Fisheries at the University of Washington if it had been determined exactly why fish form schools and shoals.  The answer at that time: no, there were multiple reasons forcing this behavior, but the jury was still out regarding their strength and interactions.

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By 2008 , after many attempts, a model describing a heretofore unnoticed evolutionary forcing function was developed: when termites reduce predatorial exposure in the temporal domain, they reduce predation by spiders.  When fish reduce their footprint in the spatial domain, they improve their survival rate.

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This led to the proposition that animal behaviors, frequency vs time , and frequency vs space, are equivalent to wave forms : wavelength vs frequency which are related by Fourier Transforms.

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That meant: the success that termites obviously have by only getting exposed a few days in a year was equivalent to fish reducing their footprint within the ocean,

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​On March 17, 2024, the author observed predation of Pacific Herring by California Sealions and successful predatorial abation by the herring using Detection Avoidance via Separation.

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​Across the bay the seals and gulls were working together, the seals driving the school to the beach, and the gulls circling overhead.  The gulls were screaming their cries, and the seals had external ears, unlike the local crab seals.

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Near the author, the herring massed against the shore, but unlike the beach across the bay, gulls were absent, likely due to the large trees overhanging the bay and the presence of the author.

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The seals were seen charging toward the other shore after losing contact with the hering, and looking around for the gulls.

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These studies are tied to other lifeform studies at Dolphin Place and the Puget Sound Native Tree Botanical Garden.  

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Longitudinal Study of the co-evolution of local wet-wood termites and their predatorial orb-web spiders within the forest.

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​​Observational Study of physiological differences affecting behavioral differences between harbor seals and California Sea Lions and their association with local shore birds.

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Longitudinal study of the interaction of estuarian predatorial avaians such as Eagles, Blue Herons, Crows, Ravens, King Fishers, Herring Gulls, and Ospreys.  ​​

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​Animal Behavioral Study of Evolutionary Forces impacting Fish causing them to form shoals and schools.  Mathematical, computational, and game theory models supported by local and world-wide observations.