#optimal foraging theory

Predator Prey Model

In optimal foraging theory, the most profitable prey is one with:

Prey profitability in optimal diet theory is commonly measured as energy gained per unit handling time, E/h. Handling includes pursuing, subduing, processing, and consuming an item after it is encountered. A prey type with high energetic content and short handling time therefore yields a high return rate and should rank above prey with less energy or longer handling. Search time affects whether a predator should broaden its diet, but it is not included in the basic ranking of prey types because the decision to attack is made after encounter. When highly profitable prey become rare and search t

Ref: Ecology: Concepts and Applications, Molles, 9th Ed., Ch. 14

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PREDATOR

Which of these supports optimal patch-leaving behavior?

Optimal patch departure occurs when the instantaneous rate of resource gain in the current patch falls to the average rate available in the environment, including travel time. This rule maximizes long-term gain rather than requiring complete depletion. Remaining until a patch is empty is often inefficient because the last items are difficult to find, while leaving too early sacrifices readily available food. The phrase “leave at maximum gain rate” is a simplified description of leaving at the point that maximizes the overall intake-rate tangent in the marginal value theorem. It should not be i

Ref: Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems, Begon et al., 5th Ed., Ch. 10

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PREDATOR

According to OFT, prey1 with E1/h1 > E2/h2 means:

A prey type with larger E/h provides more energy for each unit of handling time and is ranked above a lower-profitability type. On encounter, prey 1 should therefore be accepted because rejecting it to search for prey 2 would replace a superior immediate opportunity with an inferior one. The abundance of prey 1 influences whether the predator should broaden its diet to include prey 2, but it does not normally make the predator reject prey 1. Saying prey 2 is always ignored is too strong: when preferred prey become rare and search time rises, including the lower-ranked type may increase total i

Ref: Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems, Begon et al., 5th Ed., Ch. 10

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PREDATOR

Optimal foraging theory helps animals:

Optimal foraging theory treats feeding behavior as a trade-off in which natural selection favors decisions that increase net energetic gain per unit time, subject to constraints. Search, pursuit, capture, handling, digestion, predation danger, and missed opportunities all contribute to the cost side, while food energy and nutrients provide returns. Maximizing search effort alone could waste energy, and minimizing diet breadth is not always advantageous because scarcity may favor adding lower-ranked foods. High E/h prey are generally profitable rather than avoided. The central prediction is the

Ref: Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems, Begon et al., 5th Ed., Ch. 10

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In the optimal foraging graph, what do T and T′ represent?

In marginal value models of patch use, travel time T is the interval spent moving between resource patches, whereas patch residence time T′ is the period devoted to exploiting the current patch. A forager should leave when its instantaneous gain rate falls to the average rate available in the habitat, including travel costs. Longer travel generally favors remaining longer in each patch because departure would impose a larger unproductive interval. Search and handling times are components used in prey-choice models and may occur within a patch, but they are not the paired quantities identified

Ref: Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems, Begon et al., 5th Ed., Ch. 10

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