Mathematical Models of Foraging Seabirds

将审查南乔治亚州周围海鸟的空间分散和觅食活动，以确定猎物的分散和环境的异质性。最初为昆虫开发的觅食和扩散数学模型将扩展和修改，以适应海鸟的聚集、运动和觅食。昆虫和海鸟系统都涉及寻求高度聚集资源的移动消费者。将基于行为的建模应用于海鸟，将解释种群和生态系统层面的模式。这种分析分布数据的机械性方法以前从未在海鸟身上尝试过。这一结果将大大改善对海上海鸟空间数据的解释。为了建立模型，将使用在筑巢季节在南乔治亚州鸟岛周围收集的一系列放射状断面的数据。为了测试这些模型，将在南乔治亚州南部冬季进行额外的横断面调查，集中在两种不同饮食的物种-普通潜水海燕和科格伦海燕--上。将使用二维谱分析描述物种之间的空间模式，并使用偏微分方程组的空间模型将个体的行为决策与种群的空间分散联系起来。

The spatial dispersion and foraging movements of seabirds around South Georgia will be examined as to prey dispersion and environmental heterogeneity. Mathematical models of foraging and dispersal developed initially for insects will be extended and modified for seabird aggregation, movement and foraging. Both the insect and seabird systems involve mobile consumers that seek highly aggregated resources. The application of behavioral-based modeling to seabirds will explain patterns at the population and ecosystem levels. Such a mechanistic approach to analyses of distributional data has not previously been attempted with seabirds. The results should substantially improve the interpretation of spatial data on seabirds taken at sea. To construct models, data collected on a series of radial transects around Bird Island, South Georgia, during the nesting season will be used. To test the models, additional transects at South Georgia in the austral winter, concentrating on two species with different diets, the Common Diving-Petrel and Kerguelen Petrel, will be conducted. Spatial patterns between species using two-dimensional spectral analysis will be described and behavioral decisions of individuals will be linked to spatial dispersion of populations using spatially based models of partial differential equations.