ABSTRACT
The environment provides myriad cues in the form of physical attributes such as sounds, colors, and distances that an animal can use to its advantage. Kangaroo rats, for example, that do not respond to the weak low-frequency vibrations of owls' wings are more likely to be eaten (Webster, 1962). Male sage grouse that select territories close to the center of a communal mating center achieve more copulations than those on the periphery (Wiley, 1973). Suitable nesting habitat for small woodland birds is probably indicated by the density of leaves at various heights above the ground (Orians, 1971). Such examples oflawful responsiveness to environmental cues can be found throughout the animal kingdom. At one extreme the ocean's simplest animals, zooplankton, rise and descend in daily response to light. At the other extreme, the complicated behaviors of human consumers often depend on combinations of cues such as price and quality.
