Raven Johnson Biology Chapter 55 Answers to Review Questions 1.
Behavioral ecology is the study of the adaptive significance of behavior.
Fitness can be estimated from the effect behavior has on survival, or some measure of reproduction such as the number of matings an individual has, the benefits and costs of the behavior, or the number of offspring produced. Optimal foraging theory states that natural selection favors foraging behavior that maximizes the net energy gained from feeding on a given food item. However, this overall standard may be violated by animals in search of specific nutrients or attempting to avoid being eaten themselves. A territory is an area which is used exclusively by one animal or social group and is actively defended against intrusion by others. Animals are territorial when the benefits of exclusive use of resources in a territory outweigh the costs of defense and risk of injury or predation.