OPTIMAL FEEDING VIA CONSTRAINED PROCESSES

An organism's optimal feeding rate is governed by constraints imposed by processes associated with consumption. In this paper a generic repr esentation of feeding rates is derived based upon process constraints, and mechanistic representations of the module processes are illustrat ed for a filter feeder, Daphnia magna, and a pursuit feeder, rainbow t rout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The generic feeding rate models are presen ted in a spectrum of forms as dictated by process constraints and are convenient for application to a wide range of macroheterotrophic organ isms. (C) 1995 Academic Press Limited