A Brief History of Optimal Foraging Ecology

Abstract

Optimal foraging ecology began in 1966 with the back-to-back publication in American Naturalist of two papers, one by MacArthur and Pianka, the other by Emlen. Although different in detail, the papers were collectively unique in their proposal that prey selectivity could be understood as driven by a tendency, selected through evolution, to maximize net energy gained per unit time feeding. The temporal coincidence of the two papers suggests that the ecological world was as ready to receive this proposal as to invent it. Indeed, in the 20 years since, hundreds of papers mentioning optimal foraging have been published-like other areas of science (Price 1963) and ecology (Schoener 1974a, 1983a), optimal foraging enjoyed an exponential growth phase which is only now beginning to inflect (Pyke 1984, and below). Two decades would ordinarily seem too short a time to merit a history, but the intensity of research activity on optimal foraging perhaps suggests otherwise. Nonetheless, it is appropriate to ask, why a history, long or short, would be of import. I can think of four areas where the kind of history I am attempting may have an effect. First, a history of concepts and ideas can highlight the logical connections between theories and subtheories. As such, a philosophical function is served. There are perhaps surer ways to approach such philosophical questions, but sometimes a history can be heuristic. Second, a history can illustrate the motivations and creative processes of individual scientists. As such, a kind of psychological function is 5 A. C. Kamil et al. (eds.), Foraging Behavior