Abstract
The expression of any behavior exhibited by an animal can be conceptualized as being the result of a choice made between alternative modes of action. For example, an animal may choose to search for mates in lieu of foraging, or it may choose to forage in a given patch instead of continuing to search for better patches. The decision may be thought of as a conscious choice (sensu Griffin 1984) or as the expression of a programmed “rule-of-thumb” (Krebs, Stephens & Sutherland 1983), but it will always involve the commitment of time to a particular course of action (Brockmann, Grafen & Dawkins 1979). This commitment may be a costly one if the organism misses a more profitable course of action otherwise available during that period of time (Lucas 1983).
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Lucas, J.R. (1987). Foraging Time Constraints and Diet Choice. 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_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1839-2_7
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