Summary
Successful foraging is essential for the survival and reproduction of an organism. Foraging behavior is affected by so many factors and this likely differs across species. Foraging behavior is a phenotype thus it is determined by the genotype of the individual and its environment (availability of resources and the presence of predators). It is important to understand how foraging behavior fits in the context of an organism's life history and how this in turn affects the foraging decisions organism makes. In times of crisis such as depletion of resources, animals will gain from having foraging innovation abilities to survive. Since there is such a clear link between foraging behavior and fitness it is easy to understand how those behaviors that benefit the organism and help them survive and reproduce will be selected for and passed on. For some organisms this might be the ability to use tools. Without tools the individual might not be able to find the most profitable prey (New Caledonian crows). For others it might be the size of the pollen load an individual collects (Honeybees ). For others it might be creating a way to cooperatively hunt schools of fish in the dark ocean (Spinner Dolphins). Every species and every individual is different but the main aim is to find a way to balance maximizing food intake with other aspects of life.
Read more about this topic: Foraging
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