KINESES

What does an animal do when it has a specific need, such as food, a higher humidity environment, or shelter from the sun, but it has no information about the location of the needed resource? It may engage in an undirected search, or kinesis.

This simple diagram illustrates the basics of an undirected search. The animal, travelling from left to right in the diagram, moves in a more or less straight line through unsuitable habitat. When it begins to perceive better conditions (the blue area) two things can change--its rate of speed and the angle of its turns. By turning sharper angles and slowing down, it stays in the vicinity of the improved conditions. Simple changes in movement pattern, in response to better environmental condidtions, amount to habitat selection. Conversely, if an animal finds itself in poor conditions, rapid, straightline movements will increase its likelihood of finding better conditions.