Inter-individual spacing affects the finder’s share in ring-tailed coatis (Nasua nasua)

Social foraging models are often used to explain how group size can affect an individual’s food intake rate and foraging strategies. The proportion of food eaten before the arrival of conspecifics, the finder’s share, is hypothesized to play a major role in shaping group geometry, foraging strategy, and feeding competition. The variables which affect the finder’s share in ring-tailed coatis were tested using a series of food trials. The number of grapes in the food trials had a strong negative effect on the finder’s share and the probability that the finder was joined. The effect of group size on the finder’s share and foraging success was not straightforward, and was mediated by socio-spatial factors. The finder’s share increased when the time to arrival of the next individual was longer, the group was more spread out, and the finder was in the back of the group. Similarly, the total amount of food eaten at a trial was higher when more grapes were placed, arrival time was longer, and n...社会觅食模型（social foraging models）常被用于阐释种群规模如何影响个体的食物摄取速率与觅食策略。同种个体抵达前被取食的食物占比——即发现者份额（finder’s share），被假设在塑造群体空间结构、觅食策略与取食竞争中发挥核心作用。本研究通过一系列食物投喂试验，检验了影响环尾长鼻浣熊（ring-tailed coatis）发现者份额的各类变量。试验中葡萄的投放数量对发现者份额以及发现者被同伴加入的概率存在显著负向影响。种群规模对发现者份额与觅食成功率的影响并非简单直接，而是由社会空间因素介导。当后续个体抵达的时间间隔更长、群体分布更分散，且发现者处于群体后方时，发现者份额会有所提升。类似地，当试验中投放的葡萄数量更多、个体抵达间隔更长，且……