Using information below, determine which diet should be preferred by foragers?

Food items

Energy (j)

Search time (s)

Handling time (s)

A

20

10

10

B

40

20

10

C

60

30

10

Question

Using information below, determine which diet should be preferred by foragers?

Food items

Energy (j)

Search time (s)

Handling time (s)

A

20

10

B

40

20

10

C

60

30

10

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When evaluating which diet for foragers should be preferred, we consider the profitability of each food item, usually calculated as energy gained divided by time spent obtaining it (search time plus handling time). This helps determine which items maximize net energy intake per unit time.
Option A only: Energy 20, with search time 10 and handling time 10. Profitability = 20 / (10 + 10) = 20 / 20 = 1.0. This is the lowest profitability among the three options, so relying solely on A would yield the least energy efficiency over time.
Option B only: Energy 40, search time 20, handling time 10. Profitability = 40 / (20 + 10) = 40 / 30 ≈ 1.33. Higher than A, indicating better energy gain per unit time, but still not as high as C.
Option C only: Energy 60, search time 30, handling time 10. Profitability = 60 / (30 + 10) = 60 / 40 = 1.5. This is the highest single-item profitability, showing strong energy return per time spent.
Option D (Diet including B and C): If a forager combines items B and C, the overall diet includes both with respective profitabilities of about 1.33 and 1.5. Since both items are more profitable than A, including B and C together should yield a higher average energy return per unit time than including A alone or in combination with less profitable options. The pattern here supports a diet composed of the more profitable prey.
In sum, A provides the lowest return, B is better than A but not the best, and C offers the highest single-item profitability. The combination of B and C gives access to both high-profit items, making the diet including B and C the most advantageous overall for a forager seeking to maximize energy intake per unit time.
Therefore, the diet that should be preferred is the one including B and C.

2025SpringC-T-BIO331-12897 Pre-exam Quiz 2

Using information below, determine which diet should be preferred by foragers? Food items Energy (j) Search time (s) Handling time (s) A 20 10 10 B 40 20 10 C 60 30 10

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