Foraging behaviour

13 important questions on Foraging behaviour

What does the optimal foraging theory, OFT, assumes?

natural selection favored feeding behaviours that maximizes

What are 2 OFT models?

diet model and patch-use model

What is optimal behaviour?

the behaviour that produces the highest fitness
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What is the diet model of the OFT model? explain it and name 3 assumptions

food types differ in size, energy content and handling time -> so animals need to decide which food items they eat and which they reject
  1. foragers maximize their fitness by maximizing energy intake rate
  2. food items are encountered one at a time and in proportion for abundance
  3. food items can be ranked according to their profitability

What is a forager that eats wide variety of food types called?

a generalist

What is a forager that eats a restricted diet called?

a specialist

What is the patch-use model and when is it optimal?

  • when animals exploit a patch it can take some time before food is replenished in that patch
  • an optimal patch use model predicts how long a forager should stay in a food patch to maximizes its fitness

What are the 4 assumptions of an optimal patch use model?

  1. foragers attempt to maximize energy intake rate
  2. all patches are identical
  3. travel time between the patches is constant
  4. as a forager depleted a patch, its instantaneous harvest rate declines

What is true about short and long travel time by food patches?

  • short travel times have small optimal patch times
  • long travel times have long optimal patch times

What doe the energetic cost of foraging includes?

the energy used to exploit a patch and the metabolic costs incurred while feeding

What do predation risk costs involve?

the probability of being killed while feeding

What are missed opportunity costs?

the costs of forgetting other activities that might yield even higher fitness -> mate

What is the giving up density, GUD?

the amount of food that is left over when harvesting a patch

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