Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Balancing variable patch quality with predation risk.

Michael F Winterrowd1, Lynn D Devenport

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA.

Behavioural Processes
|June 9, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Animals foraging for food balance patch quality and predation risk. This study shows least chipmunks integrate these factors over time, adapting their choices for optimal foraging based on the temporal weighting rule (TWR).

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Applying Cases to Solve Ethical Problems: The Significance of Positive and Process-Oriented Reflection.

Ethics & behavior·2015
Same author

Threats to Moral Identity: Testing the Effects of Incentives and Consequences of One's Actions on Moral Cleansing.

Ethics & behavior·2015
Same author

Researcher perceptions of ethical guidelines and codes of conduct.

Accountability in research·2015
Same author

The Influence of Compensatory Strategies on Ethical Decision Making.

Ethics & behavior·2014
Same author

Differences in Biases and Compensatory Strategies Across Discipline, Rank, and Gender Among University Academics.

Science and engineering ethics·2014
Same author

A Qualitative Analysis of Power Differentials in Ethical Situations in Academia.

Ethics & behavior·2014

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Animal Foraging Behavior

Background:

  • Foraging animals must balance multiple factors influencing patch choice, including resource availability and predation risk.
  • Patch quality can change over time, requiring animals to use temporal information to assess current conditions accurately.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how least chipmunks (Tamias minimus) integrate predation risk with temporal changes in patch quality when making foraging decisions.
  • To test the applicability of the temporal weighting rule (TWR) under varying predation risks.

Main Methods:

  • A field experiment was conducted with individually marked, free-ranging least chipmunks.
  • Predation risk and certainty of patch yields were manipulated across experimental conditions.
  • Patch choices were recorded after initial experience, with subsequent observations occurring minutes or days later.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Least chipmunks combined perceived predation risk with a dynamic assessment of patch quality.
  • These combined factors influenced the animals' estimation of overall patch value, consistent with the temporal weighting rule (TWR).
  • Observed patch choices appeared to be highly adaptive given the available information.

Conclusions:

  • The temporal weighting rule (TWR) effectively models how animals integrate predation risk and time-varying resource availability.
  • Least chipmunks demonstrate adaptive foraging strategies by dynamically adjusting patch value assessments based on multiple environmental cues.