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Foraging Behavior

The document discusses foraging behavior in animals, emphasizing the necessity of food for survival and the decision-making involved in locating food resources. It differentiates between specialist animals, which have specific dietary needs and habitats, and generalist animals, which can consume a variety of foods and adapt to different environments. Additionally, it highlights the importance of energy budgets in foraging, where energy gain must exceed energy costs for successful survival.

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Professor Mansoor
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55 views7 pages

Foraging Behavior

The document discusses foraging behavior in animals, emphasizing the necessity of food for survival and the decision-making involved in locating food resources. It differentiates between specialist animals, which have specific dietary needs and habitats, and generalist animals, which can consume a variety of foods and adapt to different environments. Additionally, it highlights the importance of energy budgets in foraging, where energy gain must exceed energy costs for successful survival.

Uploaded by

Professor Mansoor
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Foraging

behavior in
animals
Introduction
• Process of locate food resources
• Animals must consume food to survive
• Most of the time to find and consume food
Choices
-What items are included in diet?
i- Food is not distributed evenly in environment
ii- Food occurs in patches or clumps
 iii- Food is reduced in patches
Examples
HUMMINGBIRDS & BEES
• Visit clumps of flowers to obtain
Nectar, so must make decisions.
OWL
• Eat small rodents in different
habitat.
 • Rodents present in both fields &
forest ,so owl must make decisions.
ENERGY BUDGET
 Animals do not calculate personal energy budget
 Energy cost and gain involves in energy budget
 Energy COST involves (SEARCH FOOD, FOLLOW, HANDEL, DIGEST)
 So Energy GAIN is greater than Energy COST.
 EXAMPLE:
 Preying Mantis
 E.g Locate=500J, Strike=500J, Wing remove=500J, Digestion=400J)
 Total Energy cost is 1900J.
 Energy gain during absorption must be greater than Energy cost
1900J).
SPECIALIST
(The animals which have special diet and habitat)

• Eat leaves of Eucalyptus tree


• Digestive system adapted for these leaves
• It can exploit particular resources only
• If plant disease kill trees of eucalyptus
• Koala will not able to survive
GENERALIST
(THE ANIMAL WHICH EAT VARIETY OF FOOD & HAVE VARIETY OF
HABITAT)
HUMAN, EUROPEAN STARLINGS
• Can survive under wide range
• European Starlings(Pest Eater)
introduce United States before century
• Starlings now living in almost every
habitat
 • Generalist face more competition
from other organisms.
The End
Ishatir Radia

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