A strategy of movement and resource utilization

Abstract

We model a specific strategy of movement and foraging, termed a conspecific cuing strategy, motivated by observations on iguanid lizards. This strategy differs from several other possible strategies in that conspecific individuals are used as cues to the distribution of food resources. Both these cues and the resources themselves affect an individual’s pattern of foraging. Appreciation of this strategy helps to understand the behavior and ecology of these lizards, and of certain other vertebrates as well. At least two possible goals for foarging strategy exist: time minimization and energy maximization. Schoener (1971) d iscussed these approaches in detail. In the following model the goal is time minimization; hence we model a lizard’s time budget. There are many limitations on the scope of inquiry and the range of applicability of the analysis in the kind of model considered here. In this model of behavior the scope of inquiry is limited by our choice of a measure of the fitness of behavior. Some behaviors may, in fact, contribute to the overall fitness of an animal without affecting a particular measure of fitness used. For example, time minimization does not directly reflect activities involved in reproduction, such as courtship. Aspects of behavior involving energetic considerations such as the choice of foods which differ in energy content also cannot be considered. The range of applicability is limited by the statistical nature of the analysis. Because we are modeling responses which are postulated to occur on the average, we do