We investigate the dynamics of a series of two-prey-one-predator models in which the predator exhibits adaptive diet choice based on the different energy contents and/or handling times of the two prey species. The predator is efficient at exploiting its prey and has a saturating functional response; these two features combine to produce sustained population cycles over a wide range of parameter values. Two types of models of behavioral change are compared. In one class of models ("instantaneous choice"), the probability of acceptance of the poorer prey by the predator instantaneously approximates the optimal choice, given current prey densities. In the second class of models ("dynamic choice"), the probability of acceptance of the poorer prey is a dynamic variable, which begins to change in an adaptive direction when prey densities change but which requires a finite amount of time to approach the new optimal behavior. The two types of models frequently predict qualitatively different population dynamics of the three-species system, with chaotic dynamics and complex cycles being a common outcome only in the dynamic choice models. In dynamic choice models, factors that reduce the rate of behavioral change when the probability of accepting the poorer prey approaches extreme values often produce complex population dynamics. Instantaneous and dynamic models often predict different average population densities and different indirect interactions between prey species. Alternative dynamic models of behavior are analyzed and suggest, first, that instantaneous choice models may be good approximations in some circumstances and, second, that different types of dynamic choice models often lead to significantly different population dynamics. The results suggest possible behavioral mechanisms leading to complex population dynamics and highlight the need for more empirical study of the dynamics of behavioral change.

Foraging models are useful tools for generating predictions on predator-prey interactions, such as habitat or diet choice. However, the majority of studies attempting to explain adaptive behaviour using optimality criteria have assumed that there is no trait (e.g. size) variation among individual consumers or their prey. Hymenopteran parasitoids that attack the free-living stages of their host are an ideal system for studying the influence of body size on host selection because of the wide range of adult parasitoid sizes coupled with the defensive capabilities of their hosts. We report here our application of an experimentally parameterized host selection model to investigate the influence of parasitoid body size on the range of acceptable host instar classes. Using a demographic model, we compared the efficiency of parasitoids using an optimal host selection strategy against parasitoids using an indiscriminate host selection strategy over a range of different parasitoid body sizes. Net fitness accrual of parasitoids and the impact of host instar selection on aphid recruitment were assessed on different stage-structured aphid populations. Our results demonstrate that optimal host selection allows larger parasitoids to utilize a wider range of hosts. However, smaller parasitoids receive the greatest benefits from selecting hosts optimally by utilizing a restricted range of small, poorly defended hosts when they are abundant. We argue that the correlation between flexible host selection behaviour and adult body size may be a general phenomenon that applies to the majority of hymenopteran parasitoids that attack free-living, well-defended hosts. The potential of within-generation behavioural interactions to impact between-generation dynamics in host-parasitoid populations are discussed.

Omnivory is extremely common in animals, yet theory predicts that when given a choice of resources specialization should be favored over being generalist. The evolution of a feeding phenotype involves complex interactions with many factors other than resource choice alone, including environmental heterogeneity, resource quality, availability, and interactions with other organisms. We applied an evolutionary simulation model to examine how ecological conditions shape evolution of feeding phenotypes (e.g., omnivory), by varying the quality and availability (absolute and relative) of plant and animal (prey) resources. Resulting feeding phenotypes were defined by the relative contribution of plants and prey to diets of individuals. We characterized organisms using seven traits that were allowed to evolve freely in different simulated environments, and we asked which traits are important for different feeding phenotypes to evolve among interacting organisms. Carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores all coexisted without any requirement in the model for a synergistic effect of eating plant and animal prey. Omnivores were most prevalent when ratio of plants and animal prey was low, and to a lesser degree, when habitat productivity was high. A key result of the model is that omnivores evolved through many different combinations of trait values and environmental contexts. Specific combinations of traits tended to form emergent trait complexes, and under certain environmental conditions, are expressed as omnivorous feeding phenotypes. The results indicate that relative availabilities of plants and prey (over the quality of resources) determine an individual's feeding class and that feeding phenotypes are often the product of convergent evolution of emergent trait complexes under specific environmental conditions. Foraging outcomes appear to be consequences of degree and type of phenotypic specialization for plant and animal prey, navigation and exploitation of the habitat, reproduction, and interactions with other individuals in a heterogeneous environment. Omnivory should not be treated as a fixed strategy, but instead a pattern of phenotypic expression, emerging from diverse genetic sources and coevolving across a range of ecological contexts.

Modelling the dynamics of small, interconnected populations, or metapopulations, can help pinpoint habitat patches that are critical for population persistence in patchy habitats. For conservation purposes, these patches are typically earmarked for protection, but for invasive species management, these patches could be targeted to hasten the populations' demise. Here, we show how metapopulation modelling, coupled with an understanding of size-dependent dispersal behaviour, can be used to help optimize the distribution of limited resources for culling specific populations of invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish ( Pterois volitans ) in the western Atlantic. Through simulation using fitted model parameters, we derive three insights that can inform management. First, culling lionfish from target patches reduces the probability of lionfish occupancy at surrounding patches. Second, this effect depends on patch size and connectivity, but is strongest at the local scale and decays with distance. Finally, size-dependent dispersal in lionfish means that size-selective culling can change both a population's size distribution and dispersal potential, with cascading effects on network connectivity, population dynamics and management outcomes. By explicitly considering seascape structure and movement behaviour when allocating effort to the management of invasive species, managers can optimize resource use to improve management outcomes. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Linking behaviour to dynamics of populations and communities: application of novel approaches in behavioural ecology to conservation’.

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