Energy budgets, risk and foraging preferences in dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) (original) (raw)
- 841 Accesses
- 276 Citations
- 3 Altmetric
- Explore all metrics
Summary
Juncos' preferences for constant versus variable food rewards were tested in three series of aviary experiments. Deprivation and feeding rates were varied across the three treatments, but the mean of the variable reward equalled the constant reward in every experiment. When the birds gained energy faster than required to meet all 24-h costs, they preferred the constant reward. When the birds' energy intake was less than the minimally required rate, they preferred the variable reward. When energy intake just balanced average daily costs, the birds preferred the constant reward or were indifferent, and their response depended on the particular mean-variance combination presented.
Access this article
Subscribe and save
- Starting from 10 chapters or articles per month
- Access and download chapters and articles from more than 300k books and 2,500 journals
- Cancel anytime View plans
Buy Now
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.
Instant access to the full article PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
- Beddington J, May RM (1977) Harvesting natural populations in a randomly fluctuating environment. Science 197:463–465
Google Scholar - Caraco T (1980) On foraging time allocation in a stochastic environment. Ecology 61:119–128
Google Scholar - Caraco T, Martindale S, Whittam TS (1980) An empirical demonstration of risk-sensitive foraging preferences. Anim Behav 28:820–830
Google Scholar - Coombs CH (1969) Portfolio theory: a theory of risky decision making. In: La decision. Centre National de la Recherche, Scientifique, Paris
Google Scholar - Coombs CH, Huang LC (1976) Tests of betweeness property of expected utility. J Math Psychol 13:323–337
Google Scholar - Friedman M, Savage LJ (1962) The utility analysis of choices involving risk. In: Hamilton EJ, Rees A, Johnson AG (eds) Landmarks in political economy. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 297–336
Google Scholar - Gill FB, Wolf LL (1975) Economics of feeding territoriality in the Golden-winged Sunbird. Ecology 56:333–345
Google Scholar - Gillespie JH (1977) Natural selection for variances in offspring numbers: a new evolutionary principle. Am Nat 111:1010–1014
Google Scholar - Gleit A (1978) Optimal harvesting in continuous time with stochastic growth. Math Biosci 41:111–123
Google Scholar - Green RF (in press) Bayesian birds: a simple example of Oaten's stochastic model of optimal foraging. Theor Popul Biol
- Herrnstein RJ (1964) Aperiodicity as a factor in choice. J Exp Anal Behav 7:179–182
Google Scholar - Istock CA (1978) Fitness variation in a natural population. In: Dingle H (ed) Evolution of migration and diapause. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 171–190
Google Scholar - Krebs JR, Kacelnik A, Taylor P (1978) Test of optimal sampling by foraging great tits. Nature 275:27–31
Google Scholar - Lea SEG (1979) Foraging and reinforcement schedules in the pigeon: optimal and non-optimal aspects of choice. Anim Behav 27:875–886
Google Scholar - MacArthur RA, Pianka ER (1966) On optimal use of a patchy environment. Am Nat 100:603–609
Google Scholar - Oaten A (1979) Optimal foraging in patches: a case for stochasticity. Theor Popul Biol 12:263–285
Google Scholar - Oster GF, Wilson EO (1978) Caste and ecology in the social insects. Mon Popul Biol 12:1–352
Google Scholar - Pimm SL (1978) An experimental approach to the effects of predictability on community structure. Am Zool 18:797–808
Google Scholar - Poole RW (1974) An introduction to quantitative ecology. McGraw-Hill, New York
Google Scholar - Pubols BH (1962) Constant vs. variable delay of reinforcement. J Comp Physiol Psychol 55:52–56
Google Scholar - Pulliam HR (1974) On the theory of optimal diets. Am Nat 108:59–74
Google Scholar - Pulliam HR, Millikan GC (in press) Social organization in the non-reprodutive season. In: Farner DS, King JR (eds) Avian biology, vol VI. Academic Press, New York
- Pyke GH, Pulliam HR, Charnov EL (1977) Optimal foraging: a selective review of theory and tests. Q Rev Biol 52:137–154
Google Scholar - Real LA (1980a) Fitness, uncertainty, and the role of diversification in evolution and behavior. Am Nat 115:623–638
Google Scholar - Real LA (1980b) On uncertainty and the law of diminishing returns in evolution and behavior. In: Staddon JER (ed) Limits to action: The allocation of individual behavior. Academic Press, New York, pp 37–64
Google Scholar - Real LA Iin press) Uncertainty and pollinator-plant interactions: the foraging behavior of bees and wasps on artificial flowers. Ecology
- Schaffer WM (1974) Optimal reproductive effort in fluctuating environments. Am Nat 108:783–790
Google Scholar - Shettleworth SJ (1978) Reinforcement and the organization of behavior in golden hamsters: punishment of three action patterns. Learn Motiv 9:99–123
Google Scholar - Sokal RR, Rohlf FJ (1969) Biometry. Freeman, San Francisco
Google Scholar - Southwood TRE (1977) Habitat, the templat for ecological strategies? J Anim Ecol 46:337–365
Google Scholar - Stephens DW (in press) The logic of risk-sensitive foraging preferences. Anim Behav
- Taylor RJ (1976) Value of clumping to prey and the evolutionary response of ambush predators. Am Nat 110:13–29
Google Scholar - Templeton AR, Rothman ED (1974) Evolution in heterogeneous environments. Am Nat 108:409–428
Google Scholar - Thompson WA, Vertinsky I, Krebs JR (1974) The survival value of flocking in birds: a simulation model. J Anim Ecol 43:785–820
Google Scholar - Tversky A (1967) Utility theory and additivity analysis of risky choices. J Exp Psychol 75:27–36
Google Scholar
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, 14627, Rochester, New York, USA
Thomas Caraco
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Caraco, T. Energy budgets, risk and foraging preferences in dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis).Behav Ecol Sociobiol 8, 213–217 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00299833
- Received: 07 August 1980
- Accepted: 20 February 1981
- Issue date: June 1981
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00299833