Variation in Foraging Behavior Among Workers of the Ant Formica schaufussi: Ecological Correlates of Search Behavior and the Modification of Search Pattern

Author(s):  
James F. A. Traniello
Author(s):  
David Shinar ◽  
Edward D. McDowell ◽  
Nick J. Rackoff ◽  
Thomas H. Rockwell

This paper reports on two studies that examined the relationship between field dependence and on-the-road visual search behavior. In the first study, concerned with eye movements in curve negotiation, it was found that field-dependent subjects have a less effective visual search pattern. In the second study, young and aged drivers were compared on several information processing tasks and on their ability to maintain their eyes closed part of the time while driving. Of the various information processing tasks, only field dependence and visual search time correlated significantly with the mean time the drivers needed to maintain their eyes open while driving, Together the two studies indicate that field dependent subjects require more time to process the available visual information and are less effective in their visual search pattern.


1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene D. Ungar ◽  
Montague W. Demment ◽  
Uri M. Peiper ◽  
Emilio A. Laca ◽  
Mario Gutman

This project addressed the prediction of daily intake in grazing cattle using methodologies, models and experiments that integrate pasture structure and ingestive behavior. The broad objective was to develop concepts of optimal foraging that predicted ingestive behavior and instantaneous intake rate in single and multi-patch environments and extend them to the greater scales of time and space required to predict daily intake. Specific objectives included: to determine how sward structure affects the shape of patch depletion curves, to determine if the basic components of ingestive behavior of animals in groups differs from animals alone, and to evaluate and modify our existing models of foraging behavior and heterogeneity to incorporate larger scales of time and space. Patch depletion was found to be predominantly by horizon, with a significant decline in bite weight during horizon depletion. This decline derives from bite overlap, and is more pronounced on taller swards. These results were successfully predicted by a simple bite placement simulator. At greater spatial scales, patch selection was aimed at maximizing daily digestible intake, with the between patch search pattern being non-random. The processes of selecting a feeding station and foraging at a feeding station are fundamentally different. The marginal value theorem may not be the most appropriate paradigm for predicting residence time at a feeding station. Basic components of ingestive behavior were unaffected by the presence of other animals. Our results contribute to animal production systems by improving our understanding of the foraging process, by identifying the key sward parameters that determine intake rate and by improving existing conceptual and quantitative models of foraging behavior across spatial and temporal scales.


Author(s):  
Anpin ‘Max’ Chin ◽  
Ram. R. Bishu

A simulation task for circuit-board inspection was designed with different image patterns to analyze inspectors' search strategies including the scan-path and the stopping policy. This study focused on how people fixate and locate defects, and the subsequent decision making processes. According to Gestalt laws of organization, a complex searching field would be decomposed in groups for separate scans. The analysis of scan-path shows that subjects had their own respective search pattern for all trials. Although the scan-paths were found different, search behavior within image patterns were similar across subjects. It implies that the visual search is driven by image patterns.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rickesh N. Patel ◽  
Thomas W. Cronin

AbstractMantis shrimp of the species Neogonodactylus oerstedii occupy small burrows in shallow waters throughout the Caribbean. These animals use path integration, a vector-based navigation strategy, to return to their homes while foraging. Here we report that path integration in N. oerstedii is prone to error accumulated during outward foraging paths and we describe the search behavior that N. oerstedii employs after it fails to locate its home following the route provided by its path integrator. This search behavior forms continuously expanding, non-oriented loops that are centered near the point of search initiation. The radius of this search is apparently scaled to the animal’s accumulated error during path integration, improving the effectiveness of the search. The search behaviors exhibited by N. oerstedii bear a striking resemblance to search behaviors in other animals, offering potential avenues for the comparative examination of search behaviors and how they are optimized in disparate taxa.Summary StatementMantis shrimp use path integration, an error-prone navigational strategy, when travelling home. When path integration fails, mantis shrimp employ a stereotyped yet flexible search pattern to locate their homes.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro López-Cruz ◽  
Navin Pokala ◽  
Aylesse Sordillo ◽  
Steven W. Flavell ◽  
Patrick T. McGrath ◽  
...  

SUMMARYForaging strategies that enable animals to locate food efficiently are composed of highly conserved behavioral states with characteristic features. Here, we identify parallel multimodal circuit modules that control an innate foraging state -- local search behavior -- after food removal in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Two parallel groups of chemosensory and mechanosensory glutamatergic neurons that detect food-related cues trigger local search by inhibiting separate integrating neurons through a metabotropic glutamate receptor, MGL-1. The chemosensory and mechanosensory modules are separate and redundant, as glutamate release from either can drive the full behavior. Spontaneous activity in the chemosensory module encodes information about the time since the last food encounter and correlates with the foraging behavior. In addition, the ability of the sensory modules to control local search is gated by the internal nutritional state of the animal. This multimodal circuit configuration provides robust control of an innate adaptive behavior.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 650-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Wu ◽  
Renmin Bi

Purpose This paper discusses the differences in search pattern transitions for mobile phone, tablet and desktop devices by mining the transaction log data of a library online public access catalogue (OPAC). We aimed to analyze the impacts of different devices on user search behavior and provide constructive suggestions for the development of library OPACs on different devices. Design/methodology/approach Based on transaction logs which are 9 GB in size and contain 16,140,509 records of a university library OPAC, statistics and clustering were used to analyze the differences in search pattern transitions on different devices in terms of two aspects: search field transition patterns and query reformulation patterns. Findings Search field transition patterns are influenced by the input function and user interfaces of different devices. As reformulation times increase, the differences between query reformulation patterns among different devices decrease. Practical implications Mobile-side libraries need to optimize user interfaces, for example by setting web page labels and improving input capabilities. Desk-side libraries can add more suggestive content on the interface. Originality/value Unlike previous studies, which have analyzed web search, this paper focuses on library OPAC search. The search function of mobile phones, tablets and desktops were found to be asymptotic, which was a good illustration of how devices have a large impact on user search behavior.


Ecography ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E. Clark ◽  
Thomas G. Wolcott ◽  
Donna L. Wolcott ◽  
Anson H. Hines

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