Practice question · True or false
If patches move farther apart so travel time rises, the Marginal Value Theorem predicts the forager should leave each patch sooner.
Hints
- Travel is a cost paid between patches.
- Expensive travel makes staying more attractive.
Show the answer
False
Why
False. Longer travel lowers the average rate for the whole habitat, so the forager should stay in each patch longer before the diminishing return falls below that average. The prediction is counterintuitive and it is what makes the theorem testable, and it holds up in the field.
Practise Foraging and Optimal Foraging Theory
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