1) Simple energetic models are becoming familiar elements of ecological studies because they allow us to examine patterns across multiple taxa using a common biological currency. (Remember that the Nile perch harvest models used such an approach…) In order to understand which taxa are being compared in this study, please provide the common names for the Carnivora families that Carbone et al. 1999 use in Figure 1
2) Carbone et al. claim that Figure 1a shows “a pronounced shift to larger prey items by carnivores at intermediate masses.” Based on the graph, what is the simplest explanation for why intermediate-sized carnivores do not take comparably sized prey? (<25 words)
3) Figure 2 shows the predicted hunting time per day required for carnivores of different masses. My rhetorical question is: wouldn’t it be nice to know what the empirically observed hunting times for the five species depicted are (that is, what are their activity patterns in real life)? My question for you is—did Carbone et al. sufficiently substantiate the 6-hour upper limit of this graph or is the maximum simply convenient? (<50 words preferred)
4) What kind of carnivory best describes the bat-eared fox’ diet? According to the model, the upper limit to a banded mongoose’s weight is > 3 kg higher than that of the fox—yet, in actuality, the mongoose weighs less than half as much as the fox. How do the differences in intake rates help you interpret this result? (<50 words preferred)
5) The Carbone et al. model does appear to show a general mass threshold over which energetic constraints appear to prohibit large predators from specializing on small prey. However, when faced with an exception to the rule—the sloth bear—the authors simply dismiss it as an “outlier.” McNab (2000) sees the role of outliers in directing scientific inquiry quite differently. How (<25 words)? McNab also demonstrates that there are many large (>20kg) tropical mammals that feed exclusively on invertebrates (especially ants and termites). So, how do animals like pangolins, armadillos, etc. break ‘Carbone’s Rule’ as their body sizes increase? (<25 words) For which paper do you find the “end results” more satisfying, scientifically—and why? (50-75 words preferred)