optimal foraging theory

Question 1

How can animals actively forage?

Answer 1

Visual and olfactory queues can be used to track and hunt.
animals will be specially evolved to do this.
energy is expended in this method so the prey that is caught must be high in energy.

Question 2

How can animals passively forage?

Answer 2

wait and ambush.
visual, tactile and auditory cues are used.
very little energy is used.

Question 3

List three ways in which pray can be distributed

Answer 3

1. uniformly- in a crop or flock
2. clumped- in small patches.
3. random- scattered in a large area

Question 4

what is the OPTIMAC formula?

Answer 4

used to calculate CBA of hunts.

Energy gain= energy intake/time invested.

Question 5

What is the pre-choice model (optimal diet model)?

Answer 5

A cost benefit analysis is used to determine whether something is worth the energy used to pray on it no reward pray should be ignored in most cases.

Question 6

What is the marginal prey theory?

Answer 6

Takes into consideration the amount of time already spent at the location and how many other organisms of foraging there too if a patch is not worth the energy spent foraging that the organism will move on.