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Zigzagging: theoretical insights on climbing strategies

Zigzagging: theoretical insights on climbing strategies
Zigzagging: theoretical insights on climbing strategies
Human and animal trails on steep hillsides often exhibit dramatic switchbacks and shortcuts. Helbing et al. have recently examined the emergence of human trail systems on flat terrains while Minetti and Margaria established the effect of gradients on human metabolic efficiency. In this paper we use these ideas to develop a semi-quantitative theoretical model of the behaviour of humans moving on a terrain with relief. The model determines the direction of movement by minimising metabolic cost per unit of distance in a desired direction. The structure of the theory resembles the Landau Theory of Phase Transitions, much used in theoretical physics. We find that both hairpin bends (switchbacks) and shortcuts appear as efficient strategies for downhill walkers, while uphill walkers retain switchbacks. For weakly inclined slopes, the best strategy involves walking directly uphill or downhill. For sufficiently steep slopes, however, we find that the best strategy should undergo a transition to a broken symmetry solution corresponding to the switchback trail patterns typical of rugged environments. The critical slope at which this transition takes place should be less steep for uphill and downhill walkers. The theory should be amenable to empirical investigation. Amongst other applications, this model will enable us to generalize the work of previous authors to real landscapes, eventually permitting the reconstruction of ancient patterns of movement in archaeological landscapes.
zigzags, metabolic curve, landscape archaeology, Landau Theory, bifurcation
0022-5193
206-217
Llobera, M
79ac5655-21ca-43ab-9a92-7ccb82d46111
Sluckin, T.J.
8dbb6b08-7034-4ae2-aa65-6b80072202f6
Llobera, M
79ac5655-21ca-43ab-9a92-7ccb82d46111
Sluckin, T.J.
8dbb6b08-7034-4ae2-aa65-6b80072202f6

Llobera, M and Sluckin, T.J. (2007) Zigzagging: theoretical insights on climbing strategies. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 249 (2), 206-217. (doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2007.07.020).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Human and animal trails on steep hillsides often exhibit dramatic switchbacks and shortcuts. Helbing et al. have recently examined the emergence of human trail systems on flat terrains while Minetti and Margaria established the effect of gradients on human metabolic efficiency. In this paper we use these ideas to develop a semi-quantitative theoretical model of the behaviour of humans moving on a terrain with relief. The model determines the direction of movement by minimising metabolic cost per unit of distance in a desired direction. The structure of the theory resembles the Landau Theory of Phase Transitions, much used in theoretical physics. We find that both hairpin bends (switchbacks) and shortcuts appear as efficient strategies for downhill walkers, while uphill walkers retain switchbacks. For weakly inclined slopes, the best strategy involves walking directly uphill or downhill. For sufficiently steep slopes, however, we find that the best strategy should undergo a transition to a broken symmetry solution corresponding to the switchback trail patterns typical of rugged environments. The critical slope at which this transition takes place should be less steep for uphill and downhill walkers. The theory should be amenable to empirical investigation. Amongst other applications, this model will enable us to generalize the work of previous authors to real landscapes, eventually permitting the reconstruction of ancient patterns of movement in archaeological landscapes.

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More information

Published date: November 2007
Keywords: zigzags, metabolic curve, landscape archaeology, Landau Theory, bifurcation

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 54515
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/54515
ISSN: 0022-5193
PURE UUID: 4a9037d1-e043-4f1e-96cc-8ce2446185b0
ORCID for T.J. Sluckin: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9163-0061

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Date deposited: 28 Jul 2008
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:32

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Contributors

Author: M Llobera
Author: T.J. Sluckin ORCID iD

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