Optimal foraging: food patch depletion by ruddy ducks

I studied the foraging behavior of ruddy ducks ( Oxyura jamaicensis ) feeding on patchily distributed prey in a large (5-m long, 2-m wide, and up to 2-m deep) aquarium. The substrate consisted of a 4x4 array of wooden trays (1.0-m long, 0.5-m wide, and 0.1-m deep) which contained 6 cm of sand. Any tray could be removed from the aquarium and “loaded” with a known number of prey. One bird foraged in the aquarium at a time; thus, by removing a food tray after a trial ended and counting the remaining prey, I calculated the number of prey consumed by the bird. I designed several experiments to determine if ruddy ducks abandoned a food patch in a manner consistent with the predictions of a simple, deterministic, patch depletion model. This model is based on the premise that a predator should maximize its rate of net energy intake while foraging. To accomplish this, a predator should only remain in a food patch as long as its rate of energy intake from that patch exceeds the average rate of intake from the environment. In the majority of comparisons, the number of food items consumed by the ruddy ducks in these experiments was consistent with the predictions of the foraging model. When the birds did not forage as predicted by the model, they stayed in the patch longer and consumed more prey than predicted by the model. An examination of the relation between rate of net energy intake and time spent foraging in the food patch indicated that by staying in a patch longer than predicted, the ruddy ducks experienced only a small deviation from maximum rate of net energy intake. These results provided quantitative support for the prediction that ruddy ducks maximize their rate of net energy intake while foraging.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47772/1/442_2004_Article_BF00379596.pd

Nonequilibrium Phase Transition in the Kinetic Ising model: Critical Slowing Down and Specific-heat Singularity

The nonequilibrium dynamic phase transition, in the kinetic Ising model in presence of an oscillating magnetic field, has been studied both by Monte Carlo simulation and by solving numerically the mean field dynamic equation of motion for the average magnetisation. In both the cases, the Debye 'relaxation' behaviour of the dynamic order parameter has been observed and the 'relaxation time' is found to diverge near the dynamic transition point. The Debye relaxation of the dynamic order parameter and the power law divergence of the relaxation time have been obtained from a very approximate solution of the mean field dynamic equation. The temperature variation of appropiately defined 'specific-heat' is studied by Monte Carlo simulation near the transition point. The specific-heat has been observed to diverge near the dynamic transition point.Comment: Revtex, Five encapsulated postscript files, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Nonequilibrium phase transition in the kinetic Ising model: Is transition point the maximum lossy point ?

The nonequilibrium dynamic phase transition, in the kinetic Ising model in presence of an oscillating magnetic field, has been studied both by Monte Carlo simulation (in two dimension) and by solving the meanfield dynamical equation of motion for the average magnetization. The temperature variations of hysteretic loss (loop area) and the dynamic correlation have been studied near the transition point. The transition point has been identified as the minimum-correlation point. The hysteretic loss becomes maximum above the transition point. An analytical formulation has been developed to analyse the simulation results. A general relationship among hysteresis loop area, dynamic order parameter and dynamic correlation has also been developed.Comment: 8 pages Revtex and 4 Postscript figures; To appear in Phys. Rev.

Mechanical behavior of low carbon steel subjected to strain path changes: Experiments and modeling

The mechanical response of a low carbon steel under complex strain path changes is analyzed here in terms of dislocation storage and annihilation. The mechanical tests performed are cyclic shear and tensile loading followed by shear at different angles with respect to the tensile axis. The material behavior is captured by a dislocation-based hardening model, which is embedded in the Visco-Plastic Self-Consistent (VPSC) polycrystal framework taking into account the accumulation and annihilation of dislocations, as well as back-stress effects. A new and more sophisticated formulation of dislocation reversibility is proposed. The simulated flow stress responses are in good agreement with the experimental data. The effects of the dislocation-related mechanisms on the hardening response during strain path changes are discussed. (C) 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.11158Ysciescopu

Mechanical behavior of Mg subjected to strain path changes: Experiments and modeling

Two-step tension tests with reloads along different directions are performed on rolled Mg alloy sheet at room temperature. The experimental yield stress at reloading is systematically lower than before unloading. Such a behavior is captured by a microstructure-based hardening model accounting for dislocation reversibility and back-stress. This formulation, embedded in the Visco-Plastic Self-Consistent (VPSC) model, links the dislocation density evolution throughout the deformation with hardening. The predicted results agree well with the experimental data in terms of flow stress response and texture evolution. The effects of texture anisotropy and back-stress on the mechanical response during the strain path change are discussed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.112619Ysciescopu