Foraging+Strategies


 * Overview **


 * Foraging ** is the act of searching for food. As a field of study, foraging theory is a branch of [|behavioral ecology] that studies the foraging behavior of animals in response to the environment in which the animal lives. Foraging is one mechanism that can be used to define agent behavior when attempting to model animal movement, given appropriate temporal and spatial scales.


 * The optimal diet model, which describes the behavior of a forager that encounters different types of prey and must choose which to attack
 * Patch selection theory, which describes the behavior of a forager whose prey is concentrated in small areas with a significant travel time between them
 * Central place foraging theory, which describes the behavior of a forager that must return to a particular place in order to consume its food, or perhaps to hoard it or feed it to a [|mate] or [|offspring].


 * bioenergetics / caloric budgets may influence behavior to a large degree; however, my be too complex to integrate in much detail (simple implementation?)
 * need to weigh energy expenditure against gains (inherent animal trait)

Key Concepts

 * Optimal foraging theory ** is an idea in [|ecology] based on the study of [|foraging] [|behaviour] and states that [|organisms] forage in such a way as to maximize their net [|energy] intake per unit time. In other words, they behave in such a way as to find, capture and consume [|food] containing the most [|calories] while expending the least amount of time possible in doing so. The understanding of many ecological concepts such as [|adaptation], energy flow and [|competition] hinges on the ability to comprehend what food items animals select, and why.


 * Non-destructive foraging** occurs when a target site becomes temporarily depleted (either absolutely or functionally) or the forager becomes satiated and leaves the area. The resource is presumed to replenish on some interval


 * Destructive foraging** occurs when the target site is undetectable in subsequent flights, suggesting a state of permanent depletion of resources at that site.

Modeling Foraging Behavior

 * Various random walk methodologies are applied to describe the movement patterns of individuals
 * recent research suggests that animals do not typically engage in optimal fitness-maximizing behavior; instead they seem to have some inherent level of 'laziness'?

Related Topics
Application of random walks to foraging strategies

Additional Resources
Abbot et al (1997) Parallel individual-based modeling of Everglades deer ecology