Foraging in the subterranean social Damaraland mole-rat, Cryptomys damarensis: an investigation into size-dependent geophyte utilization and foraging patterns

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandy Barnett ◽  
Nigel C Bennett ◽  
Steven R Telford ◽  
Jennifer U.M Jarvis
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Patterns ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Mole Rat ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Resource Patches ◽  
Rate Of Consumption

The foraging behaviour of captive colonies of the Damaraland mole-rat, Cryptomys damarensis, was investigated in an artificial soil-filled burrow system provided with three tray patches that varied in bulb and corm (i.e., geophyte) density and size. Members of two founder colonies (comprising three and four mole-rats) were exposed to resource patches that varied in food profitability (both size and density of geophytes). There was no preference for excavating any of the patches with different densities or sizes of geophytes. The larger geophytes were preferentially stored and the smaller ones preferentially eaten both on encounter and within the food store. The duration of handling and rate of consumption of geophytes by 15 animals of various body sizes from three colonies were recorded. Handling time was related to the size of the geophytes. Small geophytes were less profitable to consume. It was concluded that the mole-rats generally followed the qualitative predictions of optimal foraging theory but fell short of being energy maximizers.

Foraging by bumble bees on patches of artificial flowers: a laboratory study

1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 1866-1870 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. K. Hartling ◽  
R. C. Plowright
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Study ◽  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Bee Foraging ◽  
Bombus Atratus ◽  
Artificial Flowers ◽  
Repeat Visits

A remotely controlled artificial flower system for investigation of bumble bee foraging behaviour in the laboratory is described. The behaviour of Bombus atratus Fkln. workers from captive colonies trained to forage on patches of artificial flowers in a flight room conformed well to the predictions of optimal foraging theory. Within-patch movement was systematic, tending to minimize repeat visits to flowers sampled previously. Between-patch movement was influenced both by frequency of encounters with empty flowers in the first patch and by inter-patch distance.

Optimal Foraging by Birds

2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-197
Author(s):  
Keith W. Pecor ◽  
Ellen C. Lake ◽  
Matthew A. Wund
Keyword(s):  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Food Choice ◽  
Habitat Preference ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Habitat ◽  
Foraging Patterns ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Educational Environments ◽  
Bird Feeders

Optimal foraging theory attempts to explain the foraging patterns observed in animals, including their choice of particular food items and foraging locations. We describe three experiments designed to test hypotheses about food choice and foraging habitat preference using bird feeders. These experiments can be used alone or in combination and can also provide a foundation for students to develop extensions incorporating the basic methodology. We see these experiments as most applicable in secondary and postsecondary education, but they could be adapted for a variety of educational environments and for students with a variety of backgrounds.

scholarly journals Foraging behaviour of Brazilian riverine and coastal fishers: How much is explained by the optimal foraging theory?

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 236 ◽  
Author(s):  
PriscilaF.M. Lopes ◽  
Natalia Hanazaki ◽  
RenatoA.M. Silvano ◽  
Mariana Clauzet ◽  
Milena Ramires ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Theory

scholarly journals Effects of small-scale clustering of flowers on pollinator foraging behaviour and flower visitation rate

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asma Akter ◽  
Paolo Biella ◽  
Jan Klecka
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Spatial Clustering ◽  
Ideal Free Distribution ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Distribution Model ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Visitation Rate ◽  
Flower Visitation

AbstractPlants often grow in clusters of various sizes and have a variable number of flowers per inflorescence. This small-scale spatial clustering affects insect foraging strategies and plant reproductive success. In our study, we aimed to determine how visitation rate and foraging behaviour of pollinators depend on the number of flowers per plant and on the size of clusters of multiple plants using Dracocephalum moldavica (Lamiaceae) as a target species. We measured flower visitation rate by observations of insects visiting single plants and clusters of plants with different numbers of flowers. Detailed data on foraging behaviour within clusters of different sizes were gathered for honeybees, Apis mellifera, the most abundant visitor of Dracocephalum in the experiments. We found that the total number of flower visitors increased with the increasing number of flowers on individual plants and in larger clusters, but less then proportionally. Although individual honeybees visited more flowers in larger clusters, they visited a smaller proportion of flowers, as has been previously observed. Consequently, visitation rate per flower and unit time peaked in clusters with an intermediate number of flowers. These patterns do not conform to expectations based on optimal foraging theory and the ideal free distribution model. We attribute this discrepancy to incomplete information about the distribution of resources. Detailed observations and video recordings of individual honeybees also showed that the number of flowers had no effect on handling time of flowers by honeybees. We evaluated the implications of these patterns for insect foraging biology and plant reproduction.

The Foraging Behaviour of Mongolian Gerbils: a Behavioural Need or a Need To Know?

Behaviour ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 133 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 129-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn Forkman
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Meriones Unguiculatus ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Mongolian Gerbils ◽  
The Third ◽  
Fourth Experiment

AbstractIn the present paper Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were shown to prefer to forage from an unprofitable food source when it contained hidden food, but not when the food was clearly visible. Four experiments were performed, in each experiment the animal could forage from either a food source with easily accessible food or from a food source which required more work. In the first experiment the animal could choose between seeds with husks and those without, and in the second experiment between seeds glued to a stick and seeds in a bowl. In both these experiments the animals could see the food of both food sources. The animals chose to forage from the most profitable food source, i.e. the seeds without husks and the seeds in a bowl respectively. In the third experiment the animals could choose between eating seeds hidden under lids or seeds in a bowl, and finally in the fourth experiment they could forage for seeds on a camouflaging surface or on a surface where the seeds were clearly visible. In these last two experiments it was impossible to see the food in the unprofitable food sources without working for it. In these situations the animals choose to forage from the unprofitable food source, i.e. from underneath the lids and on the camouflaging surface. These results are in accordance with exploration being the driving force behind contrafreeloading (learned industrioussness). The results cannot be explained by classical optimal foraging theory.

scholarly journals Among-individual differences in foraging modulate resource exploitation under perceived predation risk

Oecologia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 194 (4) ◽  
pp. 621-634
Author(s):  
Jana A. Eccard ◽  
Thilo Liesenjohann ◽  
Melanie Dammhahn
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Theory ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Resource Exploitation

AbstractForaging is risky and involves balancing the benefits of resource acquisition with costs of predation. Optimal foraging theory predicts where, when and how long to forage in a given spatiotemporal distribution of risks and resources. However, significant variation in foraging behaviour and resource exploitation remain unexplained. Using single foragers in artificial landscapes of perceived risks and resources with diminishing returns, we aimed to test whether foraging behaviour and resource exploitation are adjusted to risk level, vary with risk during different components of foraging, and (co)vary among individuals. We quantified foraging behaviour and resource exploitation for 21 common voles (Microtus arvalis). By manipulating ground cover, we created simple landscapes of two food patches varying in perceived risk during feeding in a patch and/or while travelling between patches. Foraging of individuals was variable and adjusted to risk level and type. High risk during feeding reduced feeding duration and food consumption more strongly than risk while travelling. Risk during travelling modified the risk effects of feeding for changes between patches and resulting evenness of resource exploitation. Across risk conditions individuals differed consistently in when and how long they exploited resources and exposed themselves to risk. These among-individual differences in foraging behaviour were associated with consistent patterns of resource exploitation. Thus, different strategies in foraging-under-risk ultimately lead to unequal payoffs and might affect lower trophic levels in food webs. Inter-individual differences in foraging behaviour, i.e. foraging personalities, are an integral part of foraging behaviour and need to be fully integrated into optimal foraging theory.

scholarly journals Sophisticated collective foraging with minimalist agents: a swarm robotics test

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed S. Talamali ◽  
Thomas Bose ◽  
Matthew Haire ◽  
Xu Xu ◽  
James A. R. Marshall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Swarm Robotics ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Theory Model ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Individual Agent ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Collective Foraging ◽  
Swarm Size

Abstract How groups of cooperative foragers can achieve efficient and robust collective foraging is of interest both to biologists studying social insects and engineers designing swarm robotics systems. Of particular interest are distance-quality trade-offs and swarm-size-dependent foraging strategies. Here, we present a collective foraging system based on virtual pheromones, tested in simulation and in swarms of up to 200 physical robots. Our individual agent controllers are highly simplified, as they are based on binary pheromone sensors. Despite being simple, our individual controllers are able to reproduce classical foraging experiments conducted with more capable real ants that sense pheromone concentration and follow its gradient. One key feature of our controllers is a control parameter which balances the trade-off between distance selectivity and quality selectivity of individual foragers. We construct an optimal foraging theory model that accounts for distance and quality of resources, as well as overcrowding, and predicts a swarm-size-dependent strategy. We test swarms implementing our controllers against our optimality model and find that, for moderate swarm sizes, they can be parameterised to approximate the optimal foraging strategy. This study demonstrates the sufficiency of simple individual agent rules to generate sophisticated collective foraging behaviour.

scholarly journals Be different to be better: the effect of personality on optimal foraging with incomplete knowledge

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poppy M. Jeffries ◽  
Samantha C. Patrick ◽  
Jonathan R. Potts
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Strategy ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Partial Knowledge ◽  
Marginal Value ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Plausible Mechanism ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Modelling Approach

AbstractMany animal populations include a diversity of personalities, and these personalities are often linked to foraging strategy. However, it is not always clear why populations should evolve to have this diversity. Indeed, optimal foraging theory typically seeks out a single optimal strategy for individuals in a population. So why do we, in fact, see a variety of strategies existing in a single population? Here, we aim to provide insight into this conundrum by modelling the particular case of foraging seabirds, that forage on patchy prey. These seabirds have only partial knowledge of their environment: they do not know exactly where the next patch will emerge, but they may have some understanding of which locations are more likely to lead to patch emergence than others. Many existing optimal foraging studies assume either complete knowledge (e.g. Marginal Value Theorem) or no knowledge (e.g. Lévy Flight Hypothesis), but here we construct a new modelling approach which incorporates partial knowledge. In our model, different foraging strategies are favoured by different birds along the bold-shy personality continuum, so we can assess the optimality of a personality type. We show that it is optimal to be shy (resp. bold) when living in a population of bold (resp. shy) birds. This observation gives a plausible mechanism behind the emergence of diverse personalities. We also show that environmental degradation is likely to favour shyer birds and cause a decrease in diversity of personality over time.

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