A patch use model to separate effects of foraging costs on giving-up densities: an experiment with white-tailed deer (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Odocoileus virginianus</Emphasis>) |
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Authors: | Guillaume Rieucau William L Vickery G Jean Doucet |
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Institution: | (1) Groupe de Recherche en écologie Comportementale et Animale, Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P 8888, Succ. “Centre-Ville”, Montréal, QC, Canada, H3C 3P8;(2) Transénergie, 800 de Maisonneuve E, Montréal, QC, Canada, H2L 4M8 |
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Abstract: | The giving-up density of food (GUD), the amount of food remaining in a patch when a forager ceases foraging there, can be
used to compare the costs of foraging in different food patches. But, to draw inferences from GUDs, specific effects of foraging
costs (predation risk, metabolic and missed opportunities costs) on GUDs have to be identified. As high predation risk, high
metabolic costs and abundant food all should produce high GUDs, this does not allow us to infer directly the quality of a
habitat. In order to separate the effect of each foraging cost, we developed an optimal foraging model based on food supplementation.
We illustrate the use of our model in a study where we assessed the impact of a power line right-of-way in a white-tailed
deer (Odocoileus virginianus) winter yard by determining whether the negative effects of cover loss outweigh the positive effects of browse regeneration. |
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Keywords: | Giving-up densities Patch use model Food supplementation Optimal foraging White-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus |
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