Foraging is the process of searching for resources including food, shelter, and mates.
Optimal Foraging Theory models the circumstances in which an organism meets the optimum balance between expending energy to forage and acquiring resources from foraging.
Generally, resources are not spread out evenly in a habitat. Resources are usually contained in “patches” that foragers must move between.
First, foragers should capture more prey in patches with high prey density. Second, foragers should spend more time foraging in high prey density patches. Third, foragers should have a higher prey capture rate in dense environments. Fourth, foragers will spend more time foraging in dense environments. Finally, a forager should leave a patch when the capture rate has declined to the average rate of all patches.
To calculate the GUT, subtract the time that the final prey item was acquired from the time the forager leaves the patch.