Behavioral Ecology Flashcards
What is behavior?
the way in which individuals interact with their environment
How may behavior be adaptive?
if behavior enhances fitness of species
What is optimal foraging theory?
natural selection favors foraging decisions that maximize fitness
What are fitness currancies?
variables thought to correlate directly with actual fitness
What is the optimal strategy for foraging?
forage at the most resource rich patches, but only go so far away (intermediate distances)
Looking at a graph of benefit vs cost, where should forage?
where benefit over the cost is greatest
What can predator avoidance result in?
may cause central foragers to make shorter trips and take in fewer calories
How does curve change due to percieved risk?
benefit doesn’t change but cost curve rises
What are the direct and indirect factors of predation risk perception?
- direct - predator presence
- indirect - environmental
How can group foraging size be limited?
by cost and benefit curve
What is decision of what to eat governed by?
cost/benefit relationship
If food items are equally beneficial, food items are
gathered in proportion to the abundance that they exist in the foraging area
What are generalists?
eat many food items, high handling times, but low search times
What are specialists?
eat few food types, low handling times, but high search times
What are exceptions to optimal foraging?
- imperfect knowledge of the locations and benefits of the food
- predation risk and prey defenses
- foraging for other benefits in addition to caloric reward
- mistakes in foraging
