Quantitative Biology Colloquium

Modeling stoichiometric foraging behaviors

When

noon, April 2, 2021

Nutritional constraints are common as food resources are rarely optimally suited for grazing species. Elemental mismatches between trophic levels can influence population growth and foraging behaviors. Grazing species, such as Daphnia, utilize optimal foraging techniques, such as compensatory feeding. Mathematical models developed under the framework of Ecological Stoichiometry can help shed light on population dynamics subject to stoichiometric constraints. I will give a brief overview of stoichiometric producer-grazer models (systems of ordinary differential equations) and present model extensions that explore grazer foraging behaviors. I develop a base model that incorporates a fixed energetic foraging cost, as well as an optimal foraging model where energetic foraging costs depend on food nutritional content. A variable energetic foraging cost results in cell quota dependent predation behaviors. Analyzing and comparing these two models allows us to investigate the potential benefits of stoichiometric compensatory foraging behaviors on grazer populations.

Place:   Zoom:  https://asu.zoom.us/j/85049043960