Economic Decisions (C3) & Arms Race (C4) Flashcards
Optimization analysis?
= deals with what food items should an optimal foragers eat.
How to measure adaptive value? (2)
• Contribution to survival & reproduction (not practical).
• Immediate nutritional energy gain (important).
Eg of optimization analysis?
Shrews.
What diet selections models do we focus on? (2)
• Optimal Foraging Theory.
•
Handling time?
= the amount of time it takes a forager to capture, handle & chew prey.
Profitability of each food item equation?
P = E/h.
P = E/h symbols? (3)
• P = Profitability.
• E = Currency.
• h = handling time.
In what instance does the optimal forager feed on the less preferred food type?
When the profitability of the two food types is the same.
Why would the Profitability of the two food types be the same? (2)
• Due to the addition of a search time to the preferred food type.
• Increased search time for the preferred food type.
Therefore, optimal forager will eat less preferred food type on its way to most preferred food type.
Which food will be the most preferred/the one that the forager will eat?
Food type with the highest Profitability.
Eg of Profitability equation (Lay it out for me)? (5)
● Food 1:
E = 10.
h = 5.
Therefore, P of food 1 = 10/5 = 2.
● Food 2:
E = 5.
h = 5.
Therefore, P of food 2 = 5/5 = 1.
● Optimal forager should only eat Food 1 (preferred).
● If Food 1 becomes scarce & search time increases then:
× Food 1
E = 10; h = 5; s = 5.
Therefore, P of food 1 = E/(h+s) = 10/(5+5) = 1.
× Food 2:
E = 5: h = 5.
Therefore, P of food 2 = 5/5 =1.
● Optimal forager will eat both food types.
Considerations regarding profitability of foods? (3)
• Search time.
• Handling time.
• Physical constraints.
General equation of Profitability?
P = Energy of prey item/ Time take to acquire prey item.
Egs of physical constraints? (3)
• Size of prey.
• Maximum size processing.
• Minimum size threshold.
Symbols of equation? (5)
• E = energy provided by prey.
• h = handling time.
• s = searching time.
• T = total time taken to acquire prey item (h+s).
• P = Profitability.
Things to note regarding Profitability? (3)
• High quality prey always gets eaten.
• Lower quality prey only gets eaten when gain from eating > gain from rejecting & searching for preferred food.
• Less quality food inclusion depends on the abundance of highest quality food.
If e2/h2 > e1/ (s1 + h1) then…?
Forager eats both foods.
If e2/h2 < e1/ (s1 + h1) then…?
Forager eats food 1 only.
Optimal foraging theory predictions? (4)
• Rank order of the preferred food item depends on the amount of energy & time taken to obtain it.
• Whether a particular food is eaten or not depends only on the availability of the most preferred food types.
• Diet widens as the abundance of the preferred food type decreases.
• Food types should be accepted or rejected in an all-or-nothing basis.
Is 1st OFT prediction supported?
Not always supported.
Why is 1st OFT prediction not always supported?
It’s because the currency could be different to energy (i.e., it’snot always energy).
Egs that shows 1st OFT prediction is not always supported? (2)
• Starlings.
• Bees.
Is the 2nd OFT prediction supported?
Not always supported.
Why is the 2nd OFT prediction not always supported?
It’s because the OFT only considers interspersed food & not when food types are patchy/have patchy distribution.
Is the 3rd OFT prediction supported?
Always supported.
Is the 4th OFT prediction supported?
No.
Why is the 4th OFT prediction not supported at all?
It’s because animals generally show partial preference.
Egs of 4th OFT prediction not being supported? (2)
• Crows.
• Oystercatchers.
Eg of OFT?
Experiment with great tit (Parsus major).
Explain experiment of great tit (Parsus major)? (2)
• Large worms (Prey 1) and small worms (Prey 2) were placed on a moving belt.
• Varying distances between large worms = varying search time.
Why might the all-or-nothing OFT prediction be wrong? (5)
• Food items might vary in quality.
• Random variability in encounter rate.
• Value of food type varies over time.
• Simultaneous encounter with 2 food types.
• Other behavioural constraints (predation, competition).
What do you mean when you say Random variability in encounter rate?
We mean that there’s uncertainty regarding when or where the next meal might come or be.
Optimal decision rule?
= decision that maximizes the currency under the constraints of the environment.
Egs of Optimal decision rules?
• Optimal size of a food item that an animal should feed on.
Egs of OFT? (2)
• Crows feeding on clams.
• Oystercatchers & clams.
Explain Crows & clams? (4)
• Search time = 4 × flight time.
• If too choosy, they wander across rejecting too many small clams.
• If not choosy enough, waste lots of time feeding on small clams that take too much time to open relative to the small content of clam.
• Probability of the clam breaking is independent of size.
Factors to consider when deciding how long a forager should stay in a patch? (3)
• Distance between patches.
• Food in each patch.
• How long it will to feed in each patch.
Scenario of Marginal Value Theorem (MVT)? (3)
• As you pick fruits from a tree, energy gain starts to decrease when apples become less on the tree.
• Take longer & longer to find more apples.
• Do you keep looking or do you move to another tree?
Loading curve/Gain curve?
= curve of diminishing returns.
Aim of loading curve?
To maximize net rate of food intake while taking into account travel time between patches.
What is the maximum rate of energy gain on the gain curve?
The line that hits the gain curve at a tangent (steepest slope).
Longer time/distance between patch =…?
More time in patch.
Shorter time/distance between patch = …?
Less time in patch.
Shorter time/distance between patch = …?
Less time in patch.
Constraints?
= factors that can limit the forager’s ability to maximize the currency.
Egs of constraints? (3)
• Time it takes from nesting site to foraging site.
• Maximum number of food items a forager is able to carry back to its nesting site.
• Limits to learning & memory.
Minimum size threshold?
= the point at which consuming the prey becomes profitable.
If Food item > Minimize size threshold?
= food item in the environment is consumed.
If Food item < Minimum size threshold?
= food item in environment is rejected.
What does the minimum size threshold depend on? (2)
• Search time.
• Handling time.
Paper of Crows & clams?
Explain Oystercatchers & clams? (2)
• Easier to break small clams than large clams.
• Use bills to open small clams.
Paper on Oystercatchers & clams?
Why do you think there is no clearest rejection vs acceptance but always only partial preference?
Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT)?
= behavioural ecology model that helps predict how an animal behaves when searching for food.
OFT use?
Helps us predict the best strategy that an animal can use to maximize benefits over costs.
Marginal Value Theorem (MVT)?
= involves the decision of how long one should stay in a patch before moving to the next patch.
MVT attributes? (4)
• Limitation of the OFT.
• Search time for both food types becomes independent.
• Patchy food distribution.
• Summarized through the Gain curve.
Eg of MVT?
Foraging behaviour of Starlings.
Predictions of MVT? (2)
• Allows you to predict optimal time in a patch if you know the travel time & gain curve.
• More patches, less time per patch.
Assumptions of the MVT? (3)
• Resources are patchy at the spatial scale of forager movements.
• Maximum fitness = maximize long term rate of energy intake.
• Choosing among two patches available at once (simultaneously).
MVT constraints? (2)
• Travel time.
• Shape of the curve of diminishing returns.
MVT applications?
Eg of MVT & Reproductive decisions?
Dung flies.
Explain Dung flies?
Explain Dung flies in terms of Curve of diminishing returns?