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Larger Prey (larger + prey)
Selected AbstractsBushmeat Markets on Bioko Island as a Measure of Hunting PressureCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2000John E. Fa Comparisons of the availability and abundance of individual species between years showed that more species and more carcasses appeared in 1996 than in 1991. In biomass terms, the increase was significantly less, only 12.5%, when compared with almost 60% more carcasses entering the market in 1996. A larger number of carcasses of the smaller-bodied species (i.e., rodents and the blue duiker [Cephalophus monticola] ) were recorded in 1996 than in 1991. Although an additional four species of birds and one squirrel were recorded in 1996, these were less important in terms of their contribution to biomass or carcass numbers. Concurrently, there was a dramatic reduction in the larger-bodied species, Ogilby's duiker (C. ogilbyi) and seven diurnal primates. We examined these changes, especially the drop in the number of larger animals. We considered the possible following explanations: (1) the number of hunters dropped either because of enforced legislation or scarcity of larger prey; (2) a shift in the use of hunting techniques occurred ( from shotguns to snares); or (3) consumer demand for primate and duiker meat dropped, which increased demand for smaller game. Our results suggest that the situation in Bioko may be alarmingly close to a catastrophe in which primate populations of international conservation significance are being hunted to dangerously low numbers. Although there is still a need for surveys of actual densities of prey populations throughout the island, working with the human population on Bioko to find alternatives to bushmeat is an urgent priority. Resumen: Realizamos conteos de los cuerpos de animales llevados al mercado de Malabo, en la Isla Bioko, Guinea Ecuatorial, durante dos periodos de estudio de ocho meses cada uno en 1991 y 1996. Las comparaciones realizadas de la disponibilidad y abundancia de especies individuales entre estos años mostró que más especies y más cuerpos aparecieron en 1996 que en 1991. En términos de biomasa, el incremento fue significativamente menor, solo 12.5% cuando se comparó con un incremento de casi un 60% más de cuerpos que llegaron al mercado en 1996. Se observó un mayor número de cuerpos de especies de tamaño pequeño ( por ejemplo roedores, y el duiker azul, Cephalophus monticola) en 1996 que en 1991. A pesar de que hubo una adición de cuatro especies de aves y una especie de ardilla en 1996, estas fueron menos importantes en cuanto a su contribución a la biomasa o el número de cuerpos. Al mismo tiempo, hubo una reducción dramática de especies de cuerpo grande, el duiker de Ogilby (C. ogilbyi) y siete primates diurnos. Examinamos estos cambios, especialmente la caída en el número de animales grandes y consideramos las siguientes posibles explicaciones: (1) hubo una caída significativa en el número de cazadores debido a la posible ejecución de la legislación o debido a una escasez de presas grandes; (2) hubo un cambio en el uso de técnicas de caza ( por ejemplo, el reemplazo de armas de fuego por trampas); o (3) la demanda del consumidor por carne de primates y duikers disminuyó, incrementándose la demanda por animales pequeños. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la situación en Bioko puede estar alarmantemente cerca de una catástrofe en la cual las poblaciones de primates, que son de gran significado para la conservación internacional, han sido reducidas a niveles peligrosamente bajos. A pesar de que aún se necesita llevar a cabo estudios de las densidades existentes de poblaciones de presas a lo largo de la isla, es urgente trabajar con la población humana de Bioko para encontrar alternativas a la venta de carne silvestre. [source] Web building flexibility of an orb-web spider in a heterogeneous agricultural landscapeECOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2008Dries Bonte Intensification of land-use in agricultural landscapes is responsible for a decline of biodiversity which provide important ecosystem services like pest-control. Changes in landscape composition may also induce behavioural changes of predators in response to variation in the biotic or abiotic environment. By controlling for environmentally confounding factors, we here demonstrate that the orb web spider Araneus diadematus alters its web building behaviour in response to changes in the composition of agricultural landscapes. Thereby, the species increases its foraging efficiency (i.e. investments in silk and web asymmetry) with an increase of agricultural land-use at intermediate spatial scales. This intensification is also related to a decrease in the abundance of larger prey. A negative effect of landscape properties at similar spatial scales on spider fitness was recorded when controlling for relative investments in capture thread length. This study consequently documents the web building flexibility in response to changes in landscape composition, possibly due to changes in prey availability. [source] The Diet of the Brown Trout Salmo trutta (L.) during the Reproductive Period: Size-Related and Sexual EffectsINTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF HYDROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2006Albert Montori Abstract We investigated the autumnal diet of the brown trout Salmo trutta, in a Prepyrenean stream (NW Iberian Peninsula) focusing on intraspecific dietary differences related to size and sex. The diet of trout included 18 types of prey, with Plecoptera and Ephemeroptera nymphs and Diptera larvae as the most consumed taxa. Large trout ate larger prey, than did small trout, and also increased the consumption of terrestrial-surface prey with respect to aquatic-benthic prey. As terrestrial-surface preys were larger than aquatic-benthic prey, the size-related differences in the diet of trout were related to gape-limitations. Although male and female trout did not differ in size, we found that males foraged on a more diverse type of prey than females, probably owing to male territoriality during the reproductive period. This study provides new evidence of dietary plasticity in the brown trout and confirms the importance of local dietary studies to better understand factors which drive trophic ecology of predators. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Functional anatomy of the forelimb in Promegantereon* ogygia (Felidae, Machairodontinae, Smilodontini) from the Late Miocene of Spain and the origins of the sabre-toothed felid modelJOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 3 2010Manuel J. Salesa Abstract We examine the functional anatomy of the forelimb in the primitive sabre-toothed cat Promegantereon ogygia in comparison with that of the extant pantherins, other felids and canids. The study reveals that this early machairodontine had already developed strong forelimbs and a short and robust thumb, a combination that probably allowed P. ogygia to exert relatively greater forces than extant pantherins. These features can be clearly related to the evolution of the sabre-toothed cat hunting method, in which the rapid killing of prey was achieved with a precise canine shear-bite to the throat. In this early sabre-toothed cat from the Late Miocene, the strong forelimbs and thumb were adapted to achieve the rapid immobilization of prey, thus decreasing the risk of injury and minimizing energy expenditure. We suggest that these were the major evolutionary pressures that led to the appearance of the sabre-toothed cat model from the primitive forms of the Middle Miocene, rather than the hunting of very large prey, although these adaptations reached their highest development in the more advanced sabre-toothed cats of the Plio-Pleistocene, such as Smilodon and Homotherium. Although having very different body proportions, these later animals developed such extremely powerful forelimbs that they were probably able to capture relatively larger prey than extant pantherins. [source] Predator size, prey size and threshold food densities of diving ducks: does a common prey base support fewer large animals?JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Samantha E. Richman Summary 1. Allometry predicts that a given habitat area or common prey biomass supports fewer numbers of larger than smaller predators; however, birds from related taxa or the same feeding guild often deviate from this pattern. In particular, foraging costs of birds may differ among locomotor modes, while intake rates vary with accessibility, handling times and energy content of different-sized prey. Such mechanisms might affect threshold prey densities needed for energy balance, and thus relative numbers of different-sized predators in habitats with varying prey patches. 2. We compared the foraging profitability (energy gain minus cost) of two diving ducks: smaller lesser scaup (Aythya affinis, 450,1090 g) and larger white-winged scoters (Melanitta fusca, 950,1800 g). Calculations were based on past measurements of dive costs with respirometry, and of intake rates of a common bivalve prey ranging in size, energy content and burial depth in sediments. 3. For scaup feeding on small prey <12 mm long, all clams buried deeper than 5 cm were unprofitable at realistic prey densities. For clams buried in the top 5 cm, the profitability threshold decreased from 216 to 34 clams m,2 as energy content increased from 50 to 300 J clam,1. 4. For larger scoters feeding on larger prey 18,24 mm long, foraging was profitable for clams buried deeper than 5 cm, with a threshold density of 147 m,2 for clams containing 380 J clam,1. For clams <5 cm deep, the threshold density decreased from 86 to 36 clams m,2 as energy content increased from 380 to 850 J clam,1. If scoters decreased dive costs by swimming with wings as well as feet (not an option for scaup), threshold prey densities were 11,12% lower. 5. Our results show that threshold densities of total prey numbers for different-sized ducks depend on prey size structure and depth in the sediments. Thus, heterogeneity in disturbance regimes and prey population dynamics can create a mosaic of patches favouring large or small predators. Whether a given area or total prey biomass will support greater numbers of larger or smaller predators will vary with these effects. [source] Large predators and their prey in a southern African savanna: a predator's size determines its prey size rangeJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Frans G. T. Radloff Summary 1A long-term (13-year) data set, based on > 4000 kills, was used to test whether a sympatric group of large predators adheres to the theoretical predictions that (1) mean prey body size and (2) prey diversity increase as functions of predator body size. 2All kills observed by safari guides are documented routinely in Mala Mala Private Game Reserve, South Africa. We analysed these records for lion (Panthera leo, Linnaeus), leopard (Panthera pardus, Linnaeus), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus, Schreber) and African wild dog (Lycaon pictus, Temminck). Males and females of the sexually dimorphic felid species were treated as functionally distinct predator types. Prey types were classified by species, sex and age class. 3Prey profiles were compared among predator types in terms of richness and evenness to consider how both the range of prey types used and the dominance of particular prey types within each range may be influenced by predator size. No significant size-dependent relationships were found, so factors separate from or additional to body size must explain variation in prey diversity across sympatric predators. 4A statistically strong relationship was found between mean prey mass and predator mass (r2 = 0·86, P= 0·002), although pairwise comparisons showed that most predators killed similar prey despite wide differences in predator size. Also, minimum prey mass was independent of predator mass while maximum prey mass was strongly dependent on predator mass (r2 = 0·71, P= 0·017). The ecological significance is that larger predators do not specialize on larger prey, but exploit a wider range of prey sizes. [source] Size-related shifts in dietary composition of Centropomus parallelus (Perciformes: Centropomidae) in an estuarine ecosystem of the southeastern coast of BrazilJOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY, Issue 3 2009R. Feltrin Contente Summary Size-related and seasonal evaluation of the dietary composition of fat snook (Centropomus parallelus Poey 1860) in the upper sector of an estuary of the southeastern coast of Brazil were carried out based on stomach analyses of specimens ranging from 40 to 170 mm standard length. Results reveal that C. parallelus is a carnivorous species feeding mainly on benthic crustaceans. Relatively high stomach replenishment suggests that this environment is an important feeding ground for fat snook juveniles. Multivariate analyses indicated that predator size effect is significantly more important than seasonal variation in determining dietary composition. Predator length was associated with increased consumption of palaemonid shrimps (Macrobrachium spp.) and grapsid crabs, and decreased foraging on tanaids (Kalliapseudes schubarti), thus showing a preference shift from smaller to larger prey. Predator length was also positively associated with an increase in the stomach repletion index. Additionally, allometric growth of both gape and head were consistently correlated with this ontogenetic dietary transition, suggesting that such changes might be related to an individual's ability to capture and consume larger, more elusive prey. The digestive tube is short and grows isometrically, which is in accordance with the carnivorous habit of this estuarine fish and its maintenance through ontogeny. [source] Prey selection by flounder, Platichthys flesus, in the Douro estuary, PortugalJOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY, Issue 3 2008C. Vinagre Summary Prey selection by the flounder, Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758), in an estuarine nursery was investigated and the major factors influencing food choice by this species were assessed. Diet breadth was narrow, reflecting the low prey diversity observed in the benthos. A gradual ontogenetic shift from small prey such as amphipods to larger prey like polychaetes and bivalves was observed. Amphipods had positive electivity values in the upper estuary and negative values in the lower estuary.Polychaetes showed the inverse pattern. Bivalve electivity values were always positive. Differential selectivity throughout the estuary was mainly related to spatial segregation of flounders according to size, with the smaller individuals concentrating in the upper estuary and larger individuals concentrating in the lower estuary. Amphipods such as Corophium spp. play a crucial role in the flounder diet because of their small size, low mobility and diel activity pattern. As prey, the polychaete value increases throughout flounder ontogeny since the flounder size range is compatible with the larger mouth gapes and detection ability of larger fish. Bivalve electivity values for flounder are mainly related to high calorific values. The absence of Crangon crangon (Linnaeus, 1758) in the diet may be due to low water temperature since the cost,benefit involved in the capture of highly mobile prey is too high at low temperatures. It was concluded that flounder must use several sensory features to detect and capture prey in turbid estuarine waters and that field studies provide important background information on the actual predator preferences under natural conditions. [source] Evolution of bite performance in turtlesJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2002A. Herrel Abstract Among vertebrates, there is often a tight correlation between variation in cranial morphology and diet. Yet, the relationships between morphological characteristics and feeding performance are usually only inferred from biomechanical models. Here, we empirically test whether differences in body dimensions are correlated with bite performance and trophic ecology for a large number of turtle species. A comparative phylogenetic analysis indicates that turtles with carnivorous and durophagous diets are capable of biting harder than species with other diets. This pattern is consistent with the hypothesis that an evolutionary increase in bite performance has allowed certain turtles to consume harder or larger prey. Changes in carapace length tend to be associated with proportional changes in linear head dimensions (no shape change). However, maximum bite force tends to change in proportion to length cubed, rather than length squared, implying that changes in body size are associated with changes in the design of the jaw apparatus. After the effect of body size is accounted for in the analysis, only changes in head height are significantly correlated with changes in bite force. Additionally, our data suggest that the ability to bite hard might trade off with the ability to feed on fast agile prey. Rather than being the direct result of conflicting biomechanical or physiological demands for force and speed, this trade-off may be mediated through the constraints imposed by the need to retract the head into the shell for defensive purposes. [source] Relating the ontogeny of functional morphology and prey selection with larval mortality in Amphiprion frenatusJOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, Issue 6 2010Justin Anto Abstract Survival during the pelagic larval phase of marine fish is highly variable and is subject to numerous factors. A sharp decline in the number of surviving larvae usually occurs during the transition from endogenous to exogenous feeding known as the first feeding stage in fish larvae. The present study was designed to evaluate the link between functional morphology and prey selection in an attempt to understand how the relationship influences mortality of a marine fish larva, Amphiprion frenatus, through ontogeny. Larvae were reared from hatch to 14 days post hatch (DPH) with one of four diets [rotifers and newly hatched Artemia sp. nauplii (RA); rotifers and wild plankton (RP); rotifers, wild plankton, and newly hatched Artemia nauplii (RPA); wild plankton and newly hatched Artemia nauplii (PA)]. Survival did not differ among diets. Larvae from all diets experienced mass mortality from 1 to 5 DPH followed by decreased mortality from 6 to 14 DPH; individuals fed RA were the exception, exhibiting continuous mortality from 6 to 14 DPH. Larvae consumed progressively larger prey with growth and age, likely due to age related increase in gape. During the mass mortality event, larvae selected small prey items and exhibited few ossified elements. Cessation of mass mortality coincided with consumption of large prey and ossification of key elements of the feeding apparatus. Mass mortality did not appear to be solely influenced by inability to establish first feeding. We hypothesize the interaction of reduced feeding capacities (i.e., complexity of the feeding apparatus) and larval physiology such as digestion or absorption efficiency contributed to the mortality event during the first feeding period. J. Morphol., 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Factors affecting the duration of activity by pine martens (Martes martes) in the Bia,owie,a National Park, PolandJOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, Issue 4 2000Andrzej Zalewski Abstract The duration of activity bouts by pine martens Martes martes was studied in the pristine deciduous forests in Bia,owie,a National Park (north-eastern Poland). From 1991 to 1996, 14 martens were monitored by radio-tracking throughout 5823 h. On average, male martens were active for 9 h/day and females for 8.5 h/day. The duration of the martens' diel activity varied greatly among bimonthly periods (from 2.8 h/day in February,March to 12 h/day in June,July). Martens decreased their activity from 13 h/day on warm days to 2.5 h/day on cooler days. In the winter months, when martens curtailed their activity, they often hunted larger prey or scavenged ungulate carcasses. On average, 69% of the martens' active time was during the night. The number of activity bouts per day varied from one to six (mean 2.6) and increased with growing ambient temperature. Activity bouts of males were significantly longer (4 h, on average) than those of females (3 h) and were not related to ambient temperature. The duration of short inactive bouts increased in the cold season and inactivity lasted longer in females than in males. [source] Hen harrier foraging success in relation to land use in ScotlandANIMAL CONSERVATION, Issue 2 2002Steve Redpath In the UK, hen harriers (Circus cyaneus) are illegally killed on moorland that is managed for red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus), and they produce fewer young per female on grouse moorland than on either unmanaged moorland or forestry. However, those breeding attempts on grouse moorland that escape nest destruction produce more young than in other land-use classes. One explanation for this difference is that food is more available to harriers on managed moorland than elsewhere. To examine this hypothesis, we compared the capture rates of hunting male harriers on sites across Scotland. Four of these sites were managed for grouse whilst the remaining three consisted of either unmanaged moorland or a mixture of unmanaged moorland and young forestry plantations. We found a significant difference in capture rates, with harriers on managed grouse moorland capturing prey at a greater rate than elsewhere, supporting the idea that prey were more available on grouse moorland. However, there was no difference in strike rates between the land-use classes, suggesting that prey were not necessarily more abundant on grouse moors. Males on unmanaged moorland tended to catch larger prey, though this was insufficient to compensate fully for the reduced capture rates. The improved hunting success on grouse moorland means that this habitat is likely to be more attractive to breeding harriers, thereby increasing the conflict between those interested in maximizing grouse numbers and those interested in conserving rare raptors. [source] Functional response of Ameca splendens (Family Goodeidae) fed cladocerans during the early larval stageAQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 14 2009Fabiola Peña-Aguado Abstract We studied the functional response of the goodeid Ameca splendens, an endangered species from rivers Ameca and Teuchitlán (Jalisco, Mexico), from birth until 8 weeks old. The cladocerans, Alona glabra adults, Simocephalus vetulus neonates, Ceriodaphnia dubia adults, Daphnia pulex juveniles and Moina macrocopa adults were used as prey. The prey densities, depending on the species, ranged between 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, 16.0 and 32 ind. mL,1, with four replicates at each density. We found that all functional responses were Type II. During the feeding period of 30 min, the fish larvae consumed about 600 individuals of the smallest prey A. glabra (450 ,m). The consumption of larger prey (<1.0 mm) such as S. vetulus, C. dubia, D. pulex and M. macrocopa ranged between 150 and 200 prey larva,1 during the feeding trials. Our study shows that A. splendens reached maximal prey consumption at around 4 weeks of age, after which there was no increase in prey consumption during the feeding period with age until the end of the study period of 8 weeks. Our study indicates that prey digestion rather than handling time determines the functional response in this fish species and that M. macrocopa is most suited as live food for A. splendens. [source] Snake phylogeny based on osteology, soft anatomy and ecologyBIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 3 2002MICHAEL S. Y. LEE ABSTRACT Relationships between the major lineages of snakes are assessed based on a phylogenetic analysis of the most extensive phenotypic data set to date (212 osteological, 48 soft anatomical, and three ecological characters). The marine, limbed Cretaceous snakes Pachyrhachis and Haasiophis emerge as the most primitive snakes: characters proposed to unite them with advanced snakes (macrostomatans) are based on unlikely interpretations of contentious elements or are highly variable within snakes. Other basal snakes include madtsoiids and Dinilysia, both large, presumably non-burrowing forms. The inferred relationships within extant snakes are broadly similar to currently accepted views, with scolecophidians (blindsnakes) being the most basal living forms, followed by anilioids (pipesnakes), booids and booid-like groups, acrochordids (filesnakes), and finally colubroids. Important new conclusions include strong support for the monophyly of large constricting snakes (erycines, boines, pythonines), and moderate support for the non-monophyly of the ,trophidophiids' (dwarf boas). These phylogenetic results are obtained whether varanoid lizards, or amphisbaenians and dibamids, are assumed to be the nearest relatives (outgroups) of snakes, and whether multistate characters are treated as ordered or unordered. Identification of large marine forms, and large surface-active terrestrial forms, as the most primitive snakes contradicts with the widespread view that snakes arose via minute, burrowing ancestors. Furthermore, these basal fossil snakes all have long flexible jaw elements adapted for ingesting large prey (,macrostomy'), suggesting that large gape was primitive for snakes and secondarily reduced in the most basal living foms (scolecophidians and anilioids) in connection with burrowing. This challenges the widespread view that snake evolution has involved progressive, directional elaboration of the jaw apparatus to feed on larger prey. [source] Individual feeding specialisation in shorebirds: population consequences and conservation implicationsBIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 4 2000SARAH E. A. LE V. DIT DURELL ABSTRACT Individual feeding specialisation in shorebirds is reviewed, and the possible mechanisms involved in such specialisations. Any specialisation can be seen as an individual strategy, and the optimum strategy for any given individual will be conditional upon its specific priorities and constraints. Some specialisations are related to social status and some to individual skills. Some are also probably frequency-dependent. However, most shorebird specialisations are constrained to a large extent by individual morphology, particularly bill morphology. For example, larger birds are able to handle larger prey, and birds with longer bills are able to feed on more deeply buried prey. Sex differences in bill length are uncommon in the Charardriidae, which are surface peckers, but are common in the Scolopacidae, which feed by probing in soft substrates. Sex differences in bill morphology are frequently associated with sex differences in feeding specialisation. There is evidence that different feeding specialisations are associated with different payoffs, in which case the probability of failing to reproduce or of dying will not be distributed equally throughout the population. I consider the population consequences of such feeding specialisations, particularly the different risks and benefits associated with different habitats or diets. I also consider the way in which individuals may differ in their response to habitat loss or change. I suggest that population models designed to predict the effect of habitat loss or change on shorebirds should have the ability to investigate the differential response of certain sections of the population, particularly different ages or sexes, that specialise in different diets or feeding methods. [source] Influence of prey size on predation success by Zelus longipes L. (Het., Reduviidae)JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 2-3 2002R. Cogni The effects of prey size on the predatory responses of the reduviid Zelus longipes were studied through laboratory tests using larvae of the noctuid moth Spodoptera frugiperda as preys. In tests with one caterpillar, larvae of three different weight classes were offered individually to the predator. The prey weight was positively correlated with relative weight gain by the predator, mean feeding time and discarded biomass, but not with the relative extraction rate (defined as the relative weight gain by the predator by feeding time). The different sizes of caterpillars were attacked with the same frequency, but the successful attacks were more frequent in small larvae. The median mass of successfully attacked larvae was also less than that of unsuccessfully attacked. In tests with three caterpillars, larvae of three weight classes were offered at the same time; small caterpillars were more often attacked and killed than the medium and large ones. The results showed that even if larger preys resulted in more energy intake, when the choice is possible, smaller caterpillars were more likely to be attacked than medium and large. This is probably related to the fact that successful attacks were more frequent in small larvae, and also reduced the risk of injury to the predator. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||