Foraging ecology and learning Adaptive behavioural strategies and the value of information
نویسندگان
چکیده
Question: To what extent can learning facilitate group formation in a social forager?Model features: An individual-based simulation model is used to explore frequencyanddensity-dependent interactions between mobile learners and non-selective stayers that foragein a patchy resource environment.Key assumption: Foraging efficiency peaks at intermediate group sizes.Conclusions: Frequency-dependent interplay between mobile learners and sedentary stayersrepresents a general mechanism of group formation that maintains the advantage of socialforaging. When rare or at moderate frequencies, learners redistribute and aggregate in groupsof optimal size. This enhances the foraging performance of both learners and stayers. Whenthe learning strategy dominates in the population, group size dynamics become unstable,resource intake for learners drops, and stayers do best. The strategies mutually benefit fromeach other and may potentially co-exist.
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