Meeting Abstract
Most animals experience resources that vary in space and time. When resource variation is pulsed (the resource spikes dramatically and transiently), special strategies can facilitate coping with / exploiting the pulse. We examine several pulse types that vary in spatial and temporal predictability, and identify different strategies used to exploit them. Organisms that maintain reproduction at base resource levels in generally favorable habitats such as savannas and forests, but take advantage of pulses when they occur, are employing a Resource Pulse Opportunist (RPO) strategy. RPO strategists need not move long distances to reach and exploit resource pulses. Organisms that occupy marginal or unfavorable habitats such as deserts and ephemeral saltpan lakes and exploit irregular and widely distributed pulses for reproduction and survival employ either of two other strategies. Those with limited ability or opportunity to move are Obligate Opportunists (OBO), and those with the ability to travel long distances to reach pulses are Rich Patch Exploiters (RPE). RPE species are dependent on widely separated and ephemeral resources (the rich patches) that they can exploit through extraordinary abilities to locate them. RPE species experience low variance in quality and availability of resources in high variance landscapes by averaging over both space and time. We present examples from large birds to small insects that exploit various types of resource pulses, illustrating the differences among OBO, RPO and RPE strategies. We discuss implications of these strategies for migration, conservation, concepts of ecological communities, and behavioral and physiological adaptations to unpredictable conditions.
