If you're a student looking for comprehensive notes on optimality theory in evolutionary biology, then this is the perfect resource for you. These notes cover all the essential topics, including the cost-benefit model, the marginal value theorem, and optimal foraging behavior in animals.
With cl...
Optimality theory in evolutionary
biology
Date @February 6, 2023 4:00 PM
Class 🐡 MBIO317 - Behavioural Ecology
Type Lecture
Materials L04 Optimality DLE.pptx
Notes written
Lecture watched
Flashcards
Stuvia
Papers to read
Summary -
Optimality theory in evolutionary biology examines the costs and benefits of behaviour's to
determine the optimal strategy that maximises fitness.
Optimality models generate hypotheses about the factors shaping behaviours evolution and
the link between behaviours like foraging, mating, and offspring number and fitness.
Though optimality theory has been criticised as unrealistic and too mathematically complex,
it provides insights into behaviours evolution and testable predictions.
The theory suggests evolution produces organisms well-adapted but not perfect, and optimal
behaviours depend on assumptions about constraints like travel time and diminishing returns.
Anomus Lizard - sit and wait
optimality modelling - looking at the benefits vs costs
Optimality theory in evolutionary biology - lecture contains:
natural selection and optimality
costs, benefits and optima
optimality models
Optimality theory in evolutionary biology 1
, economics of prey choice
patch residence time
what use is optimality theory?
criticisms of optimality
Why are we interested in optimality?
the whole idea is based around natural selection and adaptation
competition for resources should cause natural selection to select for efficiency
or rather it should eliminate the least efficient
“Optimality is the expects result of natural selection… for ever more efficient
organisms” - Perry & Pianka, 1997
The main currency of evolution is fitness
Optimality models usually assume the maximisation of indirect measures of fitness
e.g., energy intake rate, number of mates, etcs
but, how good is the correlation between these measures and fitness?
those with low intake rate will have low fitness and not be likely to have mates,
giving them low reproductive output
Costs, benefits and optima
cost-benefit model - energy intake
model
the type of model we would see
when an individual is foraging
initial benefit of rate of energy increase
is steep at the beginning but rate starts
to drop and the curve starts to flatten
off
there always becomes a point in which
the initial intake rate declines
Optimality theory in evolutionary biology 2
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller ConsBio23. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.62. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
