Quantifying the energetic returns for pronghorn: a food utility index of meat and marrow

O’Brien, Matthew J.; Liebert, Thaddeus A.

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2014.03.024

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Previous studies of patch residence among foraging societies have implicitly or explicitly assumed diminishing marginal returns and tested an indirect correlate of the marginal value theorem, which states that foragers should occupy more productive patches for longer periods of time (15)(16)(17)(18)(19). The fine-grained foraging data observed camp residence times and those predicted based on the marginal value theorem.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Depleting gain functions have been empirically measured in carcass butchery experiments and applied to the ethnoarchaeological record (16)(17)(18)(19)(20), but gain functions have proven difficult to quantify in ethnographic settings. It is unknown whether Significance Hunter-gatherers are notable for their high levels of mobility, but the ecological and social cues that determine the timing of camp movements (residential mobility) are poorly understood.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Hunter-gatherer residential mobility and the marginal value of rainforest patches

Venkataraman

Kraft

Dominy

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The residential mobility patterns of modern hunter-gatherers broadly reflect local resource availability, but the proximate ecological and social forces that determine the timing of camp movements are poorly known. We tested the hypothesis that the timing of such moves maximizes foraging efficiency as huntergatherers move across the landscape. The marginal value theorem predicts when a group should depart a camp and its associated foraging area and move to another based on declining marginal return rates. This influential model has yet to be directly applied in a population of hunter-gatherers, primarily because the shape of gain curves (cumulative resource acquisition through time) and travel times between patches have been difficult to estimate in ethnographic settings. We tested the predictions of the marginal value theorem in the context of hunter-gatherer residential mobility using historical foraging data from nomadic, socially egalitarian Batek hunter-gatherers (n = 93 d across 11 residential camps) living in the tropical rainforests of Peninsular Malaysia. We characterized the gain functions for all resources acquired by the Batek at daily timescales and examined how patterns of individual foraging related to the emergent property of residential movements. Patterns of camp residence times conformed well with the predictions of the marginal value theorem, indicating that communal perceptions of resource depletion are closely linked to collective movement decisions. Despite (and perhaps because of) a protracted process of deliberation and argument about when to depart camps, Batek residential mobility seems to maximize group-level foraging efficiency.foraging theory | marginal value theorem | hunter-gatherer | residential mobility | ethnoarchaeology H umans have lived as hunter-gatherers for more than 95% of our species history, moving as individuals and groups in response to variation in the distribution of food in time and space. Food availability is, therefore, central to explaining the logistical and residential (i.e., camp) mobility patterns of huntergatherers (1, 2), a relationship that informs prevailing theories of hominin evolution and human uniqueness (3). Given that residential moves are costly, natural selection should minimize these costs within the bounds of local ecological constraints (4). Consistent with this notion, bioenergetic availability dictates the number of residential moves per year and the distance traveled per move, with foragers in warm, high-productivity environments moving shorter distances more frequently compared with foragers in cool, low-productivity environments (1, 4-6).These group-level macroecological patterns necessarily emerge from the foraging behavior of individuals, but the proximate ecological and social factors that influence these collective movement decisions remain poorly understood (1, 5, 6). One prominent yet untested hypothesis is that selection should optimize the time at which hunter-gatherers abandon camps to maximize foraging efficiency. However, as s...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Hunter-gatherer residential mobility and the marginal value of rainforest patches

Venkataraman

Kraft

Dominy

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Our results also have relevance to studies on optimal foraging of humans in various settings. Bone marrow has long been recognised as a valuable source of energy, and its fat and nutrients were exploited by prehistoric and historic peoples in many different environments 24 , 25 . The contribution of optimal foraging studies of humans to the development of foraging theory has been noted by 24 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of the nutritive value of old bones in the diet of Bearded vultures Gypaetus barbatus

Margalida

Mata

2017

Sci Rep

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Vultures are central-place foragers and need to optimize their foraging behaviour to offset travel costs by increasing their energy gain. This process is more obvious in certain vulture species that do not feed their young by regurgitation and so must carry food items back to the nest. The Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus is the only species with a bone-diet based. We analysed the chemical composition of bones and the age-related changes in their nutritive value to assess the differences in energy content between bones of differing age, body part and species. We found differences between specific anatomical parts, species and the age of the bones. Fresh bones contain 108% as much energy as fresh meat and, interestingly, dry bones retain 90% of the protein found in fresh bones. Dry femurs weighing 140 g retain enough protein to be comparable to 111 g of fresh meat, in energy terms. Compared to meat-eating species, the specialized osteophagous diet of the Bearded Vulture seems to have certain advantages. A better understanding of nutrient levels in food remains could help to improve theoretical foraging models, assist in conservation management, and even improve our understanding of the use of bones by early hominids.

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Zooarchaeology

Outram¹

2023

Handbook of Archaeological Sciences

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Quantifying the energetic returns for pronghorn: a food utility index of meat and marrow

Cited by 7 publications

References 47 publications

Hunter-gatherer residential mobility and the marginal value of rainforest patches

Hunter-gatherer residential mobility and the marginal value of rainforest patches

The importance of the nutritive value of old bones in the diet of Bearded vultures Gypaetus barbatus

Zooarchaeology

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