Ebook: Searching Behaviour: The behavioural ecology of finding resources
Author: William J. Bell (auth.)
- Tags: Animal Ecology, Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
- Series: Chapman and Hall Animal Behaviour Series
- Year: 1990
- Publisher: Springer Netherlands
- Edition: 1
- Language: English
- pdf
This is a book about proximate mechanisms. Although some theoreti cal structure is used to introduce the subject, the intent is to offer a comprehensive view of the mechanistic side of searching (or foraging) so as to balance the current emphasis of books on mathematical and functional models. It seems to me that the pendulum needs to swing back to studies of how animals behave, and that maybe in so doing models will become valuable again in driving experimentation. I have probably included too many examples in this book, and some are even presented in great detail. Hopefully, they provide a complete picture of the kind of animals used, the experimental setup, the kinds of data yielded, and how the data were analysed. I have done this in response to frustrating experiences of reading chapters in behavioural ecobgy books that provide insufficient information with which to evaluate an author's conclusion.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Theoretical framework....Pages 3-24
Front Matter....Pages 25-25
Orientation cues: information for searching....Pages 27-35
Scanning mechanisms....Pages 37-46
Initiating factors: when to search....Pages 47-52
Assessment mechanisms: resource, patch and habitat selection....Pages 53-65
Front Matter....Pages 67-67
Locating patches and distant resources....Pages 69-82
Restricting search to a patch....Pages 83-94
Foraging in the most profitable patches and leaving when profitability declines....Pages 95-115
When to return to a resource patch....Pages 117-129
Learning to forage efficiently....Pages 131-163
Exploratory behaviour....Pages 165-169
Central place foraging....Pages 171-187
Front Matter....Pages 189-189
External environment....Pages 191-228
Internal environment....Pages 229-243
Genetic factors....Pages 245-265
Ontogenetic and maternal influences....Pages 267-277
Front Matter....Pages 279-279
Analysing search tracks....Pages 281-300
Computer simulations of search behaviour locomotory patterns....Pages 301-309
Back Matter....Pages 311-358
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Theoretical framework....Pages 3-24
Front Matter....Pages 25-25
Orientation cues: information for searching....Pages 27-35
Scanning mechanisms....Pages 37-46
Initiating factors: when to search....Pages 47-52
Assessment mechanisms: resource, patch and habitat selection....Pages 53-65
Front Matter....Pages 67-67
Locating patches and distant resources....Pages 69-82
Restricting search to a patch....Pages 83-94
Foraging in the most profitable patches and leaving when profitability declines....Pages 95-115
When to return to a resource patch....Pages 117-129
Learning to forage efficiently....Pages 131-163
Exploratory behaviour....Pages 165-169
Central place foraging....Pages 171-187
Front Matter....Pages 189-189
External environment....Pages 191-228
Internal environment....Pages 229-243
Genetic factors....Pages 245-265
Ontogenetic and maternal influences....Pages 267-277
Front Matter....Pages 279-279
Analysing search tracks....Pages 281-300
Computer simulations of search behaviour locomotory patterns....Pages 301-309
Back Matter....Pages 311-358
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