植食性哺乳动物功能反应描述了采食和处理食物对摄入率的制约作用，但未能反映小型动物食物选择时间和觅食中断时间对摄入率、能量收益及停留时间的影响。探讨复合因子食物空间异质性、亲缘关系及捕食风险对功能反应格局和能量收益的作用，有助于揭示小型动物觅食行为的适应性策略。本项目拟以东方田鼠为研究对象，在调控食物空间异质性条件下，整合亲缘关系和捕食风险因子，采用焦点取样摄像技术、半微量凯氏法和常规静置法，测定觅食行为参数食物选择时间、采食和处理食物时间、觅食中断时间、觅食回合时间、摄入率、能量收益和停留时间等；建立新的功能反应机制模型和能量收益函数机制模型；分析模型拟合效果；检验食物空间异质性、亲缘关系及捕食风险对东方田鼠觅食行为参数摄入率、能量收益和停留时间及功能反应格局的独立及交互作用；检验和评价功能反应模型和能量收益函数模型的预测性。

One of the classical abstractions in foraging theory, the patch model, predicts that animals would reside in patches as long as their instantaneous food intake rate exceeds the average intake rate across patches available. Therefore, intake rate has been generally recognized as a key indicator of herbivore's energy gains and residence time in food patch. Mammalian herbivores functional responses models that describe the relationship between intake rate and plant availability includ only two behavioral parameters, biting time and handling (chewing and swallowing) time. In small herbivores, however, food selection, vigilance driven by nature and predation risk, and kinship that partly occupy its foraging time, may also affect the functional response and energy gains. Previous studies of large herbivores showed little effect of vigilance on intake rate; they assumed that the handling time is often compatible with vigilance. However, these assumptions are not fit to small herbivore animal's foraging process. Here we have derived two new mechanism models, the model of functional response and the model of gain function, both of them incorporate the food selection time, the foraging interruption time initiated by instinctive vigilance, kinship and vigilance under predation risk, and the handling time that is compatible with vigilance. These models allow for the status that food selection, foraging interruption and handling prove entirely incompatible. To investigate whether food selection, kinship and predation risk would affect the functional response and energy gains in a small mammalian, reed vole (Microtus fortis), we plan to catch voles in the area of Dongting Lake of Hunan province. The wild - caught individuals are brought to the laboratory and breed. Mother and F1 are applied in experiment. The predator siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica) will also be caught there. We plan to measure behavioral parameters of vole foraging in artificial patches of spatial food heterogeneity integrated with kinship and predation risk. Using focus sampling method, we record foraging process of single vole or target individual of a family in patch with a camera. The nitrogen content of the food would be measured with Half a trace KaiShi method, and the fiber content of the food with Conventional stalling method. Thus, we achieve all the foraging behavioral parameters such as foraging time, residence time, intake rate, energy gains, and et al. We design three model tests. First, we examine whether these models are statistically fit to the data. Second, we examine whether these behavioral parameters like intake rates, energy gains and residence time were affected by selecting, cropping, handling, or foraging interruption. Finally, we compare observed parameters with those predicted by the mechanism models.