Locating patches and distant resources

Abstract

When searching for a resource patch an animal attempts to localise an assemblage of resources, whereas when searching within a patch it avoids leaving the assemblage until it becomes unprofitable to remain. Interestingly, the problem of finding an isolated resource is similar to that of finding a distant patch because, even though the patch might be larger, initially in both situations the target represents a relatively small proportion of the total environment. The following section considers a few of the strategies used to locate distant resource units; subsequent sections deal with searching for and utilizing resources within these units.