title: Trait-mediated trophic interactions: is foraging theory keeping up?
abstract: Many ecologists believe that there is a lack of foraging theory that works in community contexts, for populations of unique individuals each making trade-offs between food and risk that are subject to feedbacks from behavior of others. Such theory is necessary to reproduce the trait-mediated trophic interactions now recognized as widespread and strong. Game theory can address feedbacks but does not provide foraging theory for unique individuals in variable environments. 'State- and prediction-based theory' (SPT) is a new approach that combines existing trade-off methods with routine updating: individuals regularly predict future food availability and risk from current conditions to optimize a fitness measure. SPT can reproduce a variety of realistic foraging behaviors and trait-mediated trophic interactions with feedbacks, even when the environment is unpredictable.
authors.affiliation: Humboldt State University, Department of Mathematics, 1 Harpst Street, Arcata, CA 95521, USA. steven.railsback@humboldt.edu
authors.forename: Steven F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Railsback
authors.forename: Bret C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Harvey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004463:Ecology / Q000639:trends*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D020387:Food Chain; D008954:Models, Biological