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Optimal diving under the risk of predation.
Michael R Heithaus1, Alejandro Frid
1Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6. mheithaus@mote.org
Journal of Theoretical Biology
|June 5, 2003
Summary
Predation risk influences diving behavior in air-breathing aquatic foragers. Divers adjust surface intervals to balance oxygen needs with predator avoidance, impacting dive duration and foraging strategies.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Foraging Theory
- Predator-Prey Dynamics
Background:
- Air-breathing aquatic foragers face predation risk at the surface during oxygen recovery.
- Optimal diving behavior studies often overlook the impact of predation risk on time allocation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To model the influence of surface predation risk on dive cycle time allocation in air-breathing aquatic foragers.
- To predict how varying predation risk functions affect optimal surface intervals and dive durations.
Main Methods:
- Developed a theoretical model of diving behavior incorporating surface predation risk.
- Analyzed how different energy acquisition strategies (constant rate, depletion, searching) interact with risk functions.
- Examined the relationship between time spent at the surface and the instantaneous risk of death.
Main Results:
- Optimal surface interval is influenced by the relationship between surface time and death risk.
- Decreasing risk with surface time leads to longer surface intervals and dive durations.
- Constant or increasing risk with surface time leads to shorter surface intervals and dive durations.
Conclusions:
- Predation risk significantly alters dive cycle strategies, affecting dive duration and surfacing frequency.
- The fitness consequences of suboptimal surface intervals depend on the specific risk function and foraging strategy.
- Predation risk at the surface is a crucial factor in the behavioral ecology and habitat selection of aquatic foragers.
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