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I am interested how behaviour of an animal influences the population dynamics of other species and in return its own. In my PhD project I focus on foraging behaviour of red knots (Calidris canutus canutus) in their wintering area, Banc d'Arguin in Mauritania. There, red knots feed on molluscs that are buries in the sediment on tidal mudflats. However, not all molluscs are the same and red knots are very picky, resulting in a diverse diet that changes with the bird's condition and availability of prey. Combining an experimental approach with a modelling and field observation approach, we try to find out which factors influence diet choice.
Finally, we hope to determine how subtle foraging behaviours might influence the dynamics of population sizes of red knots and their prey, making use of the existing knowledge on dynamics of red knots and bivalve populations in Banc d'Arguin.
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