Optimal foraging activity
Project description
1. What does optimal foraging theory predict?

2. What are possible costs incurred in foraging?

3. What is net energy gain?

Using the simulation model, you will accomplish the following:

Explore the effects of distance to a prey item and size of a prey item on net energy gain.

Determine the optimal distance to travel to a food item and how the size of the prey item affects this optimal distance.

Determine how prey density or the frequency of encounters with prey affects the optimal distance to pursue prey.

Effects of distance to prey on net energy gain.

4. Hypothesize about how distance to prey will affect net energy gain.

5. What is your explanatory variable? What is your response variable?

6. Follow the instructions on the website for Question 1. Create the plot that it requests below.

7. What is the relationship between net energy gain and distance to the prey item? Does this support or refute your hypothesis?

8. Provide a biological explanation for these results.

Effects of prey size on optimal foraging distance

9. Hypothesize on how you think prey size affects foraging distance.

10. Run the simulation for Question 2 on the web. Make the two separate plots for medium and large prey items that are requested (you can share your data with another student):

11. Compare the small, medium, and large prey plots (including from the previous simulation. How does the optimal distance change with prey item size? Does this support or refute your hypothesis?

12. Provide a biological explanation for these results.

Effects of prey abundance on the optimal foraging distance

13. Hypothesize how prey abundance will affect the distance that an animal is willing to forage.

14. Run the simulation under Question 3 on the web. Plot the results below.

15. Compare this graph to that for the medium prey in question 10 above. How does abundance affect the optimal distance to pursue prey? Do these results support of refute your hypothesis?

16. Provide a biological explanation for your results.

17. Summarize how prey size and abundance affect the distance that a forager is willing to travel to consume them.

18. What did you learn from this activity?
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