| Costs and benefits of within-group spatial position: a feeding competition model. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 17354992 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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An animal's within-group spatial position has several important fitness consequences. Risk of predation, time spent engaging in antipredatory behavior and feeding competition can all vary with respect to spatial position. Previous research has found evidence that feeding rates are higher at the group edge in many species, but these studies have not represented the entire breadth of dietary diversity and ecological situations faced by many animals. In particular the presence of concentrated, defendable food patches can lead to increased feeding rates by dominants in the center of the group that are able to monopolize or defend these areas. To fully understand the tradeoffs of within-group spatial position in relation to a variety of factors, it is important to be able to predict where individuals should preferably position themselves in relation to feeding rates and food competition. A qualitative model is presented here to predict how food depletion time, abundance of food patches within a group, and the presence of prior knowledge of feeding sites affect the payoffs of different within-group spatial positions for dominant and subordinate animals. In general, when feeding on small abundant food items, individuals at the front edge of the group should have higher foraging success. When feeding on slowly depleted, rare food items, dominants will often have the highest feeding rates in the center of the group. Between these two extreme points of a continuum, an individual's optimal spatial position is predicted to be influenced by an additional combination of factors, such as group size, group spread, satiation rates, and the presence of producer-scrounger tactics. |
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Authors:
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Ben T Hirsch |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Review |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The Quarterly review of biology Volume: 82 ISSN: 0033-5770 ISO Abbreviation: Q Rev Biol Publication Date: 2007 Mar |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2007-03-14 Completed Date: 2007-04-03 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0376515 Medline TA: Q Rev Biol Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 9-27 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA. BTHIRSCH@IC.SUNYSB.EDU |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Competitive Behavior / physiology* Dominance-Subordination Feeding Behavior / physiology*, psychology* Population Dynamics Predatory Behavior / physiology* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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