Bio 410 Lect 7 (T.2)

Front 1

Optimality theory - boils down to just a cost-benefit analysis, now taking that analysis and finding the most effective solution to a problem and that is the optimal way of acting/optimal design.

Back 1

Optimality theory

Front 2

____ is a formalized way of cost/benefit thinking. Over time, designs that are most efficient (at acquiring resources and turning them into offspring) become more numerous and persist, due to competition among individuals.

Back 2

Optimality theory

Front 3

Selection thus ____ design.

Back 3

optimizes

Front 4

____ - getting the maximum energy you can without losing too much energy. And therefore gaining more fitness.

Back 4

Optimal foraging theory

Front 5

____ - give the pattern that maximizes net energy gain, and thus fitness.

Back 5

Optimal foraging theory

Front 6

____ - increases fitness, more than any other alternative would allow you to do.

Back 6

Optimal solution

Front 7

____ - increases individual (and inclusive) fitness more than any alternative would.

Back 7

Optimal solution

Front 8

____ - predict what an optimal solution to an ecological problem should be

Back 8

Optimality models and theory

Front 9

Optimal foraging theory involves:

Back 9

Choices
Currency
Constraints

Front 10

____ - animal has to decide what to eat

Back 10

Choices

Front 11

Most foragers prefer food in ____ packages (ex. m & m's)
Most animals are ____ rather than generalists, prefer a certain type of food versus everything. Ex. Barn owl mainly meadow vole,

Back 11

small
specialists

Front 12

____ - what is being maximized, animals are trying to maximize calories.

Back 12

Currency

Front 13

____ - limits to foraging, they limit your ability to get whatever you want

Back 13

Constraints

Front 14

____ intake = energy from food - cost
____ is time to search, energy used to pursue, handle eat etc.

Back 14

energy
cost

Front 15

____ limits - fox cant go after moose
____ constraints - need to eat variety of foods, moose need low energy salty aquatic plants
____ - need to avoid predators
____ - don’t want to compete more than necessary

Back 15

physical
nutrient
predation
competition

Front 16

Choices- ____
Is choosing the food the way to get the most energy I can get?
Is it going to be easy for me to handle?
Is it going to give me good return in term of calories?

Back 16

Profitable vs Nonprofitable

Front 17

Ex. Crabs like mussels, profitability of mussel eating, divide energy in prey divided by time takes to open and eat.

There is an ideal size mussel, small ones are easy to open but so small not much back, the large ones have much more calories but much more energy to pry open etc.

We then predict ____ versus actual and see if it matches ____.

Do they fit our prediction? No, what if in nature this is the actual size

Back 17

profitability curve
profitability curve

Front 18

Profitability curve on bottom,
More info
____, (what is actually out there versus what is best)
So here we can say they are going after most profitable worms, not just what is most ____.

Back 18

Percent frequency
abundant

Front 19

Avoidance of ____ -
Bats recognize the two

Howler and spider monkeys - have to very choosy, choices in terms of their foraging.

Back 19

toxins

Front 20

____ - food energy available

Back 20

Currency

Front 21

_____ - how many calories can I obtain from this area, food is often in patches some are better than others.
Animals often sample, to find the optimum patch.
Ex. Chipmunks sample different trees

Ex. Starling - all sample at the same time and watch

Back 21

Assess site quality

Front 22

Bumblebee example -
Were ____, favored reliable source (even if it all averaged out)

Some species are ____.

Back 22

risk averse
risk prone

Front 23

Have to choose between ____ food supplies and ____ one.

Back 23

stable
unstable

Front 24

Most species have a preference of ____ versus ____ environments.

Back 24

stable
unstable

Front 25

____ - consider degree of variability in food supply, understand that there is a risk involved. Not just out for most calories, but is this a resource that will provide for a long time or need more later.

Back 25

Risk-sensitive

Front 26

____ - gamblers, choose variable site
____ - choose reliable site.

Back 26

Risk-prone
Risk-adverse

Front 27

Humans are typically one of these two, think about late at night example (most people are ____)

Back 27

risk-adverse

Front 28

____ - a way of predicting when an animal is going to leave a given patch of food to go to another one.

Back 28

Marginal value theorem

Front 29

Another example bad year for blueberries, will not just pick off easy ones, will get all the blueberries you can before you get more because it will be difficult anywhere.

As overall habitat quality decreases spend longer in one single patch

Back 29

Marginal value theorem

Front 30

Ex. Picking blueberries, have to fill buckets, have a few bushes, gotten easy ones, do you move on or get all the other smaller ones.
How far are they, a few steps away or 3 miles away and have to walk there?

As travel time increases, spend longer in one single patch.

Back 30

Marginal value theorem

Front 31

____ - adults go farther away than young ones, they are more capable of better defending themselves. Foraging strategy changes.

Back 31

Marmots

Front 32

____ -
(dotted line - imitation hawk is present)
If a predator is present many more seeds are carried. (ideally would want to stay and eat them)
Foraging strategy changes in the presence of a predator (flying away uses calories)

Back 32

Constraints

Front 33

Fish changes behavior immediately with predator around, (even a picture will run and hide)

Predator present - will only eat in high cover
Predator not - eat out in open

Whirligig beetles -
Safest in center, but easiet to eat on the outside.

So hungriest beetles are on outside and not hungry are on inside.

Back 33

Constraints

Front 34

Baboons - Most feed in river bed habitat: safer, even though not as much food available.
Take into account predation factors and change their ____.

Back 34

behavior

Front 35

Finches have specialized beaks to limit competition.

American crow behaviors will change their behavior if another crow is around.

Back 35

competition

Front 36

Constraints on optimal foraging-

Back 36

Competition
Predation

Front 37

____ - much more fish than one bird. Ideally chase one fish into the mouth of a waiting gull.

Back 37

Cooperative hunting

Front 38

Can have ____ of fish by dolphins and seagulls.

Back 38

Cooperative hunting

Front 39

Mammalian carnivores - lionesses, are very capable, will set up "traps", ambush the prey. Will get prey that one single lion cannot get prey.

Ex. One reason solitary male lions have a short lifespan - cannot bring down the prey

Back 39

Sociality / Cooperative hunting

Front 40

Primates -
Chimps hunting together as a group - omnivores just as us, like to get meat when they can.

Back 40

Sociality / Cooperative hunting

Front 41

Thought that being carnivorous and hunting other animals is one of the important aspects of being able to work together and be social, all grew out of ____.

Back 41

hunting

Front 42

____ of any animal, their body structure is designed to get them to more efficiently get food.

Back 42

Characteristics

Front 43

All of the following are constraints to optimal foraging except

Back 43

Energy content of food

Front 44

In foraging, many species are risk-sensitive to WHAT?

Back 44

Variable quality

Front 45

Where do baboons feed most often?

Back 45

River bed

Front 46

Most risk-sensitive species are...

Back 46

Risk-averse

Front 47

Humans are considered ____

Back 47

Generalists

Front 48

As travel time between patches _____ animals spend more time in any given patch.

Back 48

Increases