Vicarious sampling: the use of personal and public information by starlings foraging in a simple patchy environment
Vicarious sampling: the use of personal and public information by starlings foraging in a simple patchy environment
复制标题
替代抽样：八哥在简单的斑驳环境中觅食时使用个人和公共信息
DOI：
10.1007/s002650050223
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发表时间：
1996
影响因子：
2.3
通讯作者：
Luc‐Alain Giraldeau
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
J. Templeton;Luc‐Alain Giraldeau
摘要群体采食者可以通过注意同一斑块内同种植物采食的采样活动来更有效地评价斑块质量。在之前的一次野外实验中，我们展示了八哥在一块块隐藏的食物上觅食，可以利用其他人成功的觅食活动来帮助它们评估斑块的质量。为了确定一只八哥是否也能利用另一只缺乏觅食成功的个体来评估和更快地离开空地，我们进行了两项实验研究，比较了圈养的八哥在单独和结对时品尝人工斑块的行为。在我们的实验双斑块系统中，独居的八哥首先被训练来评估斑块的质量，然后在一个空的斑块上进行测试，包括单独的和两种类型的伙伴鸟。一个伙伴抽查了很少的漏洞，因此提供的公共信息量很少；另一个伙伴抽查了许多漏洞，因此提供了大量的公共信息。在实验1中，我们没有发现替代抽样的证据。受试者单独时的空洞样本数量与与低信息伙伴和高信息伙伴时相似；因此，他们继续依靠自己的个人信息来做出补丁离开的决定。在实验2中，我们修改了实验斑块，增加了一只鸟观察另一只鸟的采样活动的容易程度，并增加了获取准确的个人采样信息的难度。这一次，受试者显然确实使用了公共信息，与高信息合作伙伴一起时，离开前的空洞比与低信息合作伙伴时少，与低信息合作伙伴一起时，与单独使用时相比，抽样空洞更少。我们认为，个人和公共信息的使用程度可能既取决于采集者记住它已经采样的地方的能力，也取决于采摘发生的环境类型。
Abstract Group foragers may be able to assess patch quality more efficiently by paying attention to the sampling activities of conspecifics foraging in the same patch. In a previous field experiment, we showed that starlings foraging on patches of hidden food could use the successful foraging activities of others to help them assess patch quality. In order to determine whether a starling could also use another individual’s lack of foraging success to assess and depart from empty patches more quickly, we carried out two experimental studies which compared the behaviour of captive starlings sampling artificial patches both when alone and when in pairs. Solitary starlings were first trained to assess patch quality in our experimental two-patch system, and were then tested on an empty patch both alone and with two types of partner bird. One partner sampled very few holes and thus provided a low amount of public information; the other sampled numerous holes and thus provided a high amount of public information. In experiment 1, we found no evidence of vicarious sampling. Subjects sampled a similar number of empty holes when alone as when with the low and high information partners; thus they continued to rely on their own personal information to make their patch departure decisions. In experiment 2, we modified the experimental patches, increasing the ease with which a bird could watch another’s sampling activities, and increasing the difficulty of acquiring accurate personal sampling information. This time, subjects apparently did use public information, sampling fewer empty holes before departure when with the high-information partner than when with the low-information partner, and sampling fewer holes when with the low-information partner than when alone. We suggest that the degree to which personal and public information are used is likely to depend both on a forager’s ability to remember where it has already sampled and on the type of environment in which foraging takes place.