leff@smu.CSNET.UUCP (05/01/87)
Here are three new technical reports now available
Max Benson
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
University of Minnesota - Duluth
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-or- max%umn-duluth@csnet-relay
%A Richard F. Green
%T A Stochastic Model of Optimal Foraging: Systematic Search for
Negative-Binomially Distributed Prey
%R 87-2
%I University of Minnesota, Duluth
%C Duluth, Minnesota
%D February 1987
%X The optimal foraging strategy and the long-term average rate of
finding prey that it achieves are found for an animal that searches
systemically in a patchy environment in which the number of prey
per patch has a negative binomial distribution. Several "candidate"
strategies are illustrated and the rates of finding prey which they
achieve are plotted against the rates that the strategies "try to
achieve".
%A Richard F. Green
%T The Giving-Up-Time Rule as a Strategy for Animals Foraging
Systematically in a Patchy Environment
%R 87-3
%I University of Minnesota, Duluth
%C Duluth, Minnesota
%D March 1987
%X In this paper I give a method for finding the long-term average
rate of finding prey achieved by a systematic forager using a giving-
up-time rule to decide when to leave patches in which prey are
distributed continuously and randomly. The method is illustrated in
the case that patches are all of the same size and the number of prey
per patch has a negative binomial distribution. The best
giving-up-time and the rate that it achieves are found for particular
cases, and the rate achieved for each is compared with the rates
achieved by other strategies.
%A Richard F. Green
%T Optimal Foraging in Patches, Each of Which Contains the Same
Number of Prey
%R 87-4
%I University of Minnesota, Duluth
%C Duluth, Minnesota
%D April 1987
%X In this paper the optimal foraging strategy is found for an animal
which searches for prey that are found in patches, each of which
contains the same number of prey. It is assumed that: (1) patches are
all of the same size and are superficially similar. (2) Prey are
distributed at random within patches. (3) Search within each patch
is systematic. This paper provides more mathematical details than are
given in Green (1987b). The case in which search is random is also
mentioned, as are cases in which the number of prey in each patch is
either zero or some fixed value.