State‐dependent behavioural theory for assessing the fitness consequences of anthropogenic disturbance on capital and income breeders

• DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12701
• Publication Date: 2016-11-08T09:48:47Z
• Authors: Elizabeth A. McHuron; Daniel P. Costa; Lisa Schwarz; Marc Mangel
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; 2. Zero hunger; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences

Summary Anthropogenic disturbance is of increasing concern for wildlife populations, necessitating the development models that link behavioural changes at individual level with biologically meaningful population level. We developed a general framework estimating fitness consequences affects foraging behaviour using state‐dependent theory implemented by Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP). illustrate this generalized examples pinnipeds, group marine carnivores include both capital‐ and income‐breeding species. examined how affected pup recruitment separately each reproductive strategy, impact decisions parameter values on model results. The effect was greater income than capital breeders all scenarios. Disturbance had negligible effects when it occurred within less frequented patches, but moderate to large an important patch. Model results were sensitive patch productivity (the energy gained from successful foraging), probability choices in face disturbance. State‐dependent SDP powerful tool investigating response may be This approach allows us incorporate many factors are known influence physiological responses animals anthropogenic disturbance, places context temporally spatially variable environment. we have can used estimate across broad range