| This study explores the relationship between prey availability and predator's diet, using the common murre-capelin interaction as a case study. Data on prey availability and chick's diets were gathered synoptically during the breeding season. They were then integrated into three structurally different models: a standard multi-category logit model, a model derived from functional response theory and a model that is a hybrid between the former two. The impact of spatial variability in prey availability and the non-random searching behavior of the predator on the models' outcomes was assessed by setting scenarios that represent the murre's perception of its prey field. The model chosen as the best descriptor of the prey availability-diet relationship was the one derived from functional response theory. Insights gained from the models, and implications in the context of functional response theory, predator-prey theory and the management of marine systems, and the use of top predators as monitors of the marine environment are discussed. |
