Perceptual Processes in Search and Detection: Density- and Frequency-Dependence

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Behavioral ecology addresses questions about how behavior mediates processes with important ecological and evolutionary consequences. For instance, we would like to know how foraging behavior is adapted to the distribution of resources and how these behavioral adjustments influence the relationship between the distribution of a resource density and the rate at which it is harvested. The details of this relationship are important for a variety of behavioral, ecological, and evolutionary problems. Earlier attempts to understand this kind of relationship have taken a "black box" approach to describing mathematically the relationship between prey distribution and predation rate. The goal of this project is to open up the black box and analyze the component parts (processes and mechanisms), focusing on the role of perception in search and prey detection. Ecological foraging theory has paid little attention to how perception influences foraging behavior. Models developed to guide naval search operations include perceptual processes and constraints that are not explicit in ecological models. This project will examine whether the approach developed in operations research helps us to understand the role of perception in animal foraging behavior. The particular system under study is a native sparrow species foraging for cryptic weed seeds. During experiments, individuals are video-taped as they search for seeds scattered on the soil. From detailed analysis of the location of individual seeds and of search tactics and success, Dr. Getty can develop alternative models and test their ability to describe and predict behavioral tactics and predation rates under various conditions. From these analyses, he can determine the extent to which perceptual processes alter the relationship between resources, behavior, and resource exploitation.