Scale-free foraging by primates emerges from their interaction with a complex environment


Por: Boyer D., Ramos-Fernández G., Miramontes O., Mateos J.L., Cocho G., Larralde H., Ramos H., Rojas F.

Publicada: 1 ene 2006
Resumen:
Scale-free foraging patterns are widespread among animals. These may be the outcome of an optimal searching strategy to find scarce, randomly distributed resources, but a less explored alternative is that this behaviour may result from the interaction of foraging animals with a particular distribution of resources. We introduce a simple foraging model where individual primates follow mental maps and choose their displacements according to a maximum efficiency criterion, in a spatially disordered environment containing many trees with a heterogeneous size distribution. We show that a particular tree-size frequency distribution induces non-Gaussian movement patterns with multiple spatial scales (Lévy walks). These results are consistent with field observations of tree-size variation and spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) foraging patterns. We discuss the consequences that our results may have for the patterns of seed dispersal by foraging primates. © 2006 The Royal Society.

Filiaciones:
Boyer D.:
 Departamento de Sistemas Complejos, Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 20-364, 01000 México DF, Mexico

Ramos-Fernández G.:
 Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional, Unidad Oaxaca, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Calle Hornos 1003, 71230 Oaxaca, Mexico

Miramontes O.:
 Departamento de Sistemas Complejos, Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 20-364, 01000 México DF, Mexico

Mateos J.L.:
 Departamento de Sistemas Complejos, Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 20-364, 01000 México DF, Mexico

Cocho G.:
 Departamento de Sistemas Complejos, Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 20-364, 01000 México DF, Mexico

Larralde H.:
 Centro de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, 62210 Morelos, Mexico

Ramos H.:
 Departamento de Sistemas Complejos, Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 20-364, 01000 México DF, Mexico

Rojas F.:
 Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Av. S. C. Rio Verde, Col. S. Manuel, 72570 Puebla, Mexico
ISSN: 09628452
Editorial
ROYAL SOC, 6-9 CARLTON HOUSE TERRACE, LONDON SW1Y 5AG, ENGLAND, Reino Unido
Tipo de documento: Article
Volumen: 273 Número: 1595
Páginas: 1743-1750
WOS Id: 000238946100004
ID de PubMed: 16790406
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