caa a22 4500 445894474 CHVBK 20180317145627.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170323e20110501xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10750-010-0548-5 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10750-010-0548-5 Data-oriented analyses of ciliate foraging behaviors [Elektronische Daten] [Yang-Chi Chang, Jang-Ching Yan, Jiang-Shiou Hwang, Cheng-Han Wu, Meng-Tsung Lee] Optimal foraging theory states that natural selection makes foragers efficient food harvesters and maximizing a colony's energy intake. This study presumed that the ciliates foraging trajectories follow optimal foraging theory, verified the presumption and discover specific rules and patterns hidden in the ciliate's trajectories data using methodologies of statistical, cluster analyses, and decision tree analysis. This study examined the foraging behaviors of ciliates by video recordings and quantitative analyses of movement trajectories under four nourishment conditions (low, medium, high, and highest concentrations). Similar biological studies adopt statistical analyses to certain locomotion indices to determine the responses of plankton to various aquatic environments. In addition to statistical analyses, cluster analysis was used in this study to confirm the observations of the statistical analyses. The statistical analysis and cluster analysis results in this study revealed two distinct groups of trajectories or behaviors, which matched the optimal foraging theory. Decision tree analysis was then applied to acquire objective information regarding foraging behaviors, and further detailed the foraging behaviors with explicit classification rules using locomotion indices. The production rules can play an alternative role to assess the sustainability of an aquatic environment in terms of algae concentration. Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2010 Ciliate nationallicence Statistical analysis nationallicence Locomotion index nationallicence Clustering nationallicence Decision tree analysis nationallicence Optimal foraging theory nationallicence Chang Yang-Chi Department of Marine Environment & Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC aut Yan Jang-Ching Department of Marine Environment & Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC aut Hwang Jiang-Shiou Institute of Marine Biology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan, ROC aut Wu Cheng-Han Institute of Marine Biology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan, ROC aut Lee Meng-Tsung Department of Marine Leisure Management, National Kaohsiung Marine University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC aut Hydrobiologia Springer Netherlands 666/1(2011-05-01), 223-237 0018-8158 666:1<223 2011 666 10750 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0548-5 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0548-5 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Chang Yang-Chi Department of Marine Environment & Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Yan Jang-Ching Department of Marine Environment & Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Hwang Jiang-Shiou Institute of Marine Biology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan, ROC aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Wu Cheng-Han Institute of Marine Biology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan, ROC aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Lee Meng-Tsung Department of Marine Leisure Management, National Kaohsiung Marine University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Hydrobiologia Springer Netherlands 666/1(2011-05-01), 223-237 0018-8158 666:1<223 2011 666 10750 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer