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Related Concept Videos

Optimal Foraging00:48

Optimal Foraging

How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
Trophic Efficiency00:46

Trophic Efficiency

Trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE) is a measure of the total energy transfer from one trophic level to the next. Due to extensive energy loss as metabolic heat, an average of only 10% of the original energy obtained is passed on to the next level. This pattern of energy loss severely limits the possible number of trophic levels in a food chain.
Microbial Interactions: Predation01:28

Microbial Interactions: Predation

Microbial predation refers to the process by which one microorganism kills and consumes another to obtain nutrients and energy. It encompasses both bacterial and protozoan predators. This interaction plays a crucial role in shaping microbial communities and regulating nutrient cycling.Bacterial Predators: Epibiotic vs. EndobioticBacterial predators are classified based on their mode of attack as either epibiotic or endobiotic. Epibiotic predators, such as Vampirococcus, attach to the surface of...
Trophic Levels01:35

Trophic Levels

All organisms in an ecosystem occupy a trophic level in the food chain. The lowest level consists of primary producers, which synthesize their food from either solar or chemical energy. Each subsequent level obtains energy from the levels below. Detritivores can occupy any of the levels above primary producers.
Symbiosis00:58

Symbiosis

Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 18, 2026

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
10:20

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

Trait-mediated trophic interactions: is foraging theory keeping up?

Steven F Railsback1, Bret C Harvey

  • 1Humboldt State University, Department of Mathematics, 1 Harpst Street, Arcata, CA 95521, USA. steven.railsback@humboldt.edu

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|September 22, 2012
PubMed
Summary

A new foraging theory, State- and Prediction-based Theory (SPT), models how unique individuals balance food and risk in ecological communities. SPT accounts for social feedback and environmental unpredictability, improving ecological predictions.

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Last Updated: May 18, 2026

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
10:20

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Published on: March 12, 2013

Laboratory Estimation of Net Trophic Transfer Efficiencies of PCB Congeners to Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from Its Prey
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Laboratory Estimation of Net Trophic Transfer Efficiencies of PCB Congeners to Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from Its Prey

Published on: August 29, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Theoretical Ecology

Background:

  • Existing foraging theories struggle with community contexts and individual trade-offs.
  • Trait-mediated trophic interactions are widespread but lack robust theoretical frameworks.
  • Game theory addresses feedback but not individual variation in variable environments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce and validate a new foraging theory, State- and Prediction-based Theory (SPT).
  • To model how unique individuals make foraging decisions considering food, risk, and social feedbacks.
  • To explain trait-mediated trophic interactions in ecological communities.

Main Methods:

  • Developed State- and Prediction-based Theory (SPT) combining trade-off methods with routine updating.
  • Individuals predict future food and risk to optimize fitness.
  • Simulated foraging behaviors and trophic interactions under varying conditions.

Main Results:

  • SPT successfully reproduces realistic foraging behaviors.
  • The theory accounts for trait-mediated trophic interactions with social feedbacks.
  • SPT demonstrates efficacy even in unpredictable environments.

Conclusions:

  • State- and Prediction-based Theory (SPT) offers a novel framework for community foraging ecology.
  • SPT advances the understanding of individual decision-making and its ecological consequences.
  • This theory provides a foundation for studying complex interactions in variable ecosystems.