Ecological trap theory describes the reasons why organisms may actually prefer sink patches over source patches.
The concept stems from the idea that organisms that are actively selecting habitat must rely on environmental cues to help them identify high-quality habitat.
If either the habitat quality or the cue changes so that one does not reliably indicate the other, organisms may be lured into poor-quality habitat.
It thought to occur when the attractiveness of a habitat increases disproportionately in relation to its value for survival and reproduction.
The result is preference of falsely attractive habitat and a general avoidance of high-quality but less-attractive habitats.
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