Error propagation in energetic carrying capacity models

Conservation objectives derived from carrying capacity models have been used to inform management of
landscapes for wildlife populations. Energetic carrying capacity models are particularly useful in conservation planning
for wildlife; these models use estimates of food abundance and energetic requirements of wildlife to target conservation
actions. We provide a general method for incorporating a foraging threshold (i.e., density of food at which foraging
becomes unprofitable) when estimating food availability with energetic carrying capacity models. We use a hypothetical
example to describe how past methods for adjustment of foraging thresholds biased results of energetic carrying capacity
models in certain instances. Adjusting foraging thresholds at the patch level of the species of interest provides results
consistent with ecological foraging theory. Presentation of two case studies suggest variation in bias which, in certain
instances, created large errors in conservation objectives and may have led to inefficient allocation of limited resources.
Our results also illustrate how small errors or biases in application of input parameters, when extrapolated to large spatial
extents, propagate errors in conservation planning and can have negative implications for target populations.