BIOL 307 Lecture 7: Optimal foraging
Document Summary
The sum of processes involved in the acquisition of energy and nutrients. Pursuit handling (assessment): can happen at any time during the cycle, return to search if the prey if not good for pursuit or consuming. Also need to consider cost of incomplete cycles. patch exploitation: food resources are not evenly distributed e. g. flowers, nuts. Central place foraging: returning to the same place after foraging e. g. adult birds foraging for nestlings. Central place foraging, animal returns to a central place to bring back the food e. g. bee hives, nestling birds. Decisions about where to search, when to stop searching and move on, whether to pursuit the prey, foraging in group or alone. Optimal foraging maximizes net energy intake per unit time. Assumes maximum reproductive success is achieved by max rate of energy gain. Assumes animals prefer highest rate of gain, and able to distinguish the options. Assumes animals are capable of making decisions (e. g. no predators and other factors)
