PARENT SESSION
Oral Session 11: Predator - Prey Ecology I: Modeling.
Presiding: L Prugh
Monday, August 2, 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, Meeting Room C 124.

Probability-based functional response model incorporating predator experience.

Harmon, Jason^{*,1, 2}, Andow, D², ¹ University of California - Davis, Davis, CA² University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

ABSTRACT- The recent success or failure at capturing and consuming prey can influence natural enemy foraging behavior and consequently the predator's functional response to prey. Yet, the classic equations and prey-density framework of the functional response do not allow for the explicit inclusion of foraging behavior and the potential effects of previous experience. We present a probability-based model of the functional response that explicitly makes the probability of predation a function of recent predation events. These recursion models use different foraging behavior rules to produce functional response curves that are comparable to classic patterns from theoretical and empirical investigations of predation. We find that some rules produce novel functional response curves, while others produce curves similar to those from classic equations but were generated by modeling different behavioral mechanisms. These models present the opportunity to reinterpret functional response patterns, predict potential patterns generated by different biological systems, and in general, better understand the potential role of predator experience in shaping the functional response.

Key words: foraging behavior, functional response, predator experience