This document provides a comprehensive overview of the concept of foraging and its significance in determining the fitness of organisms. It delves into the various factors that influence efficient foraging behaviour, including minimising fluctuations in energy intake, maximising energy intake durin...
Class 🐡 MBIO317 - Behavioural Ecology
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Summary -
This document discusses the concept of foraging, which is the search for food, and its
importance in determining the fitness of organisms. Efficient foragers should maximise
energy intake, minimise fluctuations in energy intake, and maximise energy intake during
certain periods. The document also covers the costs and benefits of foraging, prey-handling
time, and the economic decision-making involved in selecting prey. Additionally, it explores
the best place to feed, the type of search path to use, and strategies for minimising risks while
foraging.
Foraging is searching for food
it is responsible for many types of relationship between organisms
like relationships between predator and prey
relationships between grazers, browsers and plants
the relationships may be simple or complex
its more complex when the prey can do something about being preyed on
Why study foraging?
behaviour - it influences fitness
Foraging 1
, the amount of other organisms you can eat, will determine how well you survive,
and therefore ultimately your fitness
it will also determine the growth rate, how big you get, how strong you get - also
influencing fitness
ecology - responsible for complex patterns
understanding the flow of energy through a food web
Natural selection should favour efficient foragers
‘optimal’ foragers should -
maximise energy intake (or intake of some nutrient)
minimise fluctuations in energy intake
maximise energy intake during certain periods
Costs and benefits
all food items have costs as well as benefits
time and energy costs come from looking for food, making food edible (opening), and
eating the food
they need to get more energy intake per unit effort - efficient foragers must make a profit
‘economic decision making’
Prey-handling time
prey items aren’t ‘pre-prepared’
predators have to work to -
find prey
get at nutritious parts
Foraging 2
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