Information use and resource competition: an integrative framework.

ABSTRACT: Organisms may reduce uncertainty regarding how best to exploit their environment by collecting information about resource distribution. We develop a model to demonstrate how competition can facilitate or constrain an individual's ability to use information when acquiring resources. As resource distribution underpins both selection on information use and the strength and nature of competition between individuals, we demonstrate interdependencies between the two that should be common in nature. Individuals in our model can search for resources either personally or by using social information. We explore selection on social information use across a comprehensive range of ecological conditions, generalizing the producer-scrounger framework to a wide diversity of taxa and resources. We show tha

SUBMITTER: Lee AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4810826 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature