| Abstract | All animals must successfully gather food in order to survive and reproduce. Therefore, understanding foraging behavior and resource allocation strategies is a major goal of behavioral ecology. Various types of mathematical models have been used to understand foraging behavior. Here we present a dynamic state variable model to explore the factors shaping the foraging strategies of Albatrosses (family Diomedeidae). This approach allows one to incorporate a wide variety of biological constraints, such as spatio-temporal variation in prey availability, body condition, and reproductive stage, within a single framework. We focus here on the factors that shape foraging behavior during the postbrood stage in black browed albatrosses. In particular we compare model predictions with observed patterns of foraging patch selection, trip length, and chick feeding. We also explore how changes in the external environment, such as prey abundance and variability, influence behavioral patterns and fitness. |
|---|
