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The Consequences of Foraging for Reproductive Success

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Foraging Behavior

Abstract

A central assumption of foraging theory is that foraging success is an appropriate and adequate measure of fitness. This assumption typically takes the form of an implied direct correlation between the net rate of energy intake and reproductive success of a forager (Schoener 1971, Pyke, Pulliam & Charnov 1977, Krebs 1978). However, few studies explicitly test the relationship between foraging success and fitness, and virtually no attention has been paid to the point that foraging success is at best an extremely indirect estimator of fitness. Although a relationship between foraging and reproduction is a reasonable assumption, other aspects of the life history of a species can conceivably modify the benefits of successful foraging.

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© 1987 Plenum Press, New York

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Morse, D.H., Fritz, R.S. (1987). The Consequences of Foraging for Reproductive Success. In: Kamil, A.C., Krebs, J.R., Pulliam, H.R. (eds) Foraging Behavior. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1839-2_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1839-2_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-9027-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-1839-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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