Testing a stochastic foraging model in an operant simulation: Agreement with qualitative but not quantitative...

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Ecology
• Animal Cognition
• Operant Conditioning

Background:

• Foraging behavior is crucial for animal survival and energy balance.
• Optimal foraging theory predicts animals maximize energy intake per unit time.
• Previous studies have explored factors influencing patch choice in simulated environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate pigeon foraging behavior in a simulated environment with baited and empty patches.
• To test predictions of an optimal foraging model by manipulating travel time and resource availability.
• To identify factors influencing decisions to leave empty patches.

Main Methods:

• Four pigeons were trained on a three-key operant panel simulating foraging patches.
• Side keys represented patches with fixed-ratio schedules for feeder encounters.
• Travel time between patches and the proportion of baited feeders were manipulated.

Main Results:

• Pigeons visited more empty patches than predicted by the optimal foraging model.
• Increasing travel time increased visits to empty patches.
• Increasing the number of baited feeders decreased visits to empty patches.
• The number of empty feeders encountered before a baited one influenced patch departure.

Conclusions:

• Pigeon foraging behavior deviates from strict energy maximization predictions.
• Factors such as travel costs and encounter rates with empty resources significantly influence patch use.
• The sequence of resource encounters, not just overall availability, plays a role in foraging decisions.