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Pursuit : A Foraging Simulation Tool for Research and Teaching.

Brian M Wood¹, James Holland Jones²

¹Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.

Evolutionary Psychology : an International Journal of Evolutionary Approaches to Psychology and Behavior

|November 4, 2023

Summary

Pursuit is a new software tool for studying optimal foraging theory. It simulates foraging environments, allowing users to make prey decisions and learn ecological principles through interactive play.

Keywords:

diet breadth optimal foraging prey choice simulation

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Area of Science:

Behavioral Ecology
Computational Ecology

Background:

Optimal foraging theory (OFT) explains how animals maximize energy intake.
Simulations are valuable for teaching and researching ecological concepts.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce Pursuit, a novel software tool for optimal foraging theory research and education.
To provide a dynamic, interactive platform for exploring foraging decisions.

Main Methods:

Pursuit simulates encounters with prey, requiring users to decide whether to pursue.
User decisions and environmental parameters are logged for analysis.
The software features a graphical and auditory interface for an immersive experience.

Main Results:

The tool allows for the creation of diverse foraging environments by administrators.
Users achieve specific foraging return rates based on their decisions and prey characteristics.
Data logging enables detailed analysis of user behavior and foraging strategies.

Conclusions:

Pursuit serves as an effective tool for laboratory experiments in behavioral ecology.
It offers an engaging method for teaching optimal foraging theory to students.
The software is freely available and cross-platform compatible (Java).