Feeding Facilitation: A Lesson in Evolution and Sociobiology

This is an outdoor activity designed to demonstrate evolution of feeding behavior in flocking, schooling or herding animals that maximizes allocation of food resources and enhances survival. Learners simulate foraging by searching for and gathering toothpicks. While there are many exercises which utilize toothpicks and other materials to demonstrate food selection made by animals as an illustration of various aspects of Natural Selection, "Feeding Facilitation" is an attempt to show the relationship between energy costs of foraging and predator avoidance (optimum foraging theory) with flocking behavior and their relationship to evolution. Learners with a wide range of abilities can complete this activity successfully because "energy expenditure" relates to the number of food items collected and can be easily seen.