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- Title
Hyper-dispersed cache distributions reduce pilferage: a laboratory study.
- Authors
H. Male, Lucinda; V. Smulders, Tom
- Abstract
Many animals use hoarding as a long-term strategy to ensure a food supply at times of shortage. We suggest that long-term scatter hoarders, whose caches are vulnerable to potentially high pilferage, should hoard in ways to reduce cache loss. This could be achieved by manipulating the density and dispersal patterns of caches to reduce the foraging efficiency of pilferers. This study explores the effect of distribution patterns on cache loss in the laboratory. We recorded the discovery of food items in different dispersal patterns by two bird species: coal tits Periparus ater (a hoarder) and great tits Parus major (a non-hoarder). Hyper-dispersed distributions reduced foraging efficiency because both species used systematic local search patterns. This study shows that hyper-dispersed distributions would be advantageous to hoarding animals to reduce cache loss.
- Subjects
ANIMAL feeding behavior; FOOD supply; GREAT tit; COAL tit; PARUS; FORAGING behavior; ANIMAL species; SURVIVAL behavior (Animals); BIRDS
- Publication
Journal of Avian Biology, 2008, Vol 39, Issue 2, p170
- ISSN
0908-8857
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.2008.0908-8857.04019.x