Optimal foraging theory predicts diving and feeding strategies of the largest marine predator
Accurate predictions of predator behavior remain elusive in natural settings. Optimal foraging theory predicts that breath-hold divers should adjust time allocation within their dives to the distance separating prey from the surface. Quantitative tests of these models have been hampered by the diffi...
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ftrepec:oai:RePEc:oup:beheco:v:22:y:2011:i:4:p:880-888 2024-04-14T08:09:28+00:00 Optimal foraging theory predicts diving and feeding strategies of the largest marine predator Thomas Doniol-Valcroze Véronique Lesage Janie Giard Robert Michaud http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/arr038 unknown http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/arr038 article ftrepec 2024-03-19T10:28:18Z Accurate predictions of predator behavior remain elusive in natural settings. Optimal foraging theory predicts that breath-hold divers should adjust time allocation within their dives to the distance separating prey from the surface. Quantitative tests of these models have been hampered by the difficulty of documenting underwater feeding behavior and the lack of systems, experimental or natural, in which prey depth varies over a large range. We tested these predictions on blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus), which track the diel vertical migration of their prey. A model using simple allometric arguments successfully predicted diving behavior measured with data loggers. Foraging times within each dive increased to compensate longer transit times and optimize resource acquisition. Shallow dives were short and yielded the highest feeding rates, explaining why feeding activity was more intense at night. An optimal framework thus provides powerful tools to predict the behavior of free-ranging marine predators and inform conservation studies. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press. Article in Journal/Newspaper Balaenoptera musculus RePEc (Research Papers in Economics) |
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Open Polar |
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RePEc (Research Papers in Economics) |
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description |
Accurate predictions of predator behavior remain elusive in natural settings. Optimal foraging theory predicts that breath-hold divers should adjust time allocation within their dives to the distance separating prey from the surface. Quantitative tests of these models have been hampered by the difficulty of documenting underwater feeding behavior and the lack of systems, experimental or natural, in which prey depth varies over a large range. We tested these predictions on blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus), which track the diel vertical migration of their prey. A model using simple allometric arguments successfully predicted diving behavior measured with data loggers. Foraging times within each dive increased to compensate longer transit times and optimize resource acquisition. Shallow dives were short and yielded the highest feeding rates, explaining why feeding activity was more intense at night. An optimal framework thus provides powerful tools to predict the behavior of free-ranging marine predators and inform conservation studies. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Thomas Doniol-Valcroze Véronique Lesage Janie Giard Robert Michaud |
spellingShingle |
Thomas Doniol-Valcroze Véronique Lesage Janie Giard Robert Michaud Optimal foraging theory predicts diving and feeding strategies of the largest marine predator |
author_facet |
Thomas Doniol-Valcroze Véronique Lesage Janie Giard Robert Michaud |
author_sort |
Thomas Doniol-Valcroze |
title |
Optimal foraging theory predicts diving and feeding strategies of the largest marine predator |
title_short |
Optimal foraging theory predicts diving and feeding strategies of the largest marine predator |
title_full |
Optimal foraging theory predicts diving and feeding strategies of the largest marine predator |
title_fullStr |
Optimal foraging theory predicts diving and feeding strategies of the largest marine predator |
title_full_unstemmed |
Optimal foraging theory predicts diving and feeding strategies of the largest marine predator |
title_sort |
optimal foraging theory predicts diving and feeding strategies of the largest marine predator |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/arr038 |
genre |
Balaenoptera musculus |
genre_facet |
Balaenoptera musculus |
op_relation |
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/arr038 |
_version_ |
1796306965488467968 |