Foraging ecology and time budgets of non-breeding shorebirds in coastal Cuba

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica Nol ◽  
Kate MacCulloch ◽  
Lisa Pollock ◽  
Laura McKinnon
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Foraging Ecology ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Time Budgets ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Main Determinants ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Average Body ◽  
Foraging Time

Abstract:During the non-breeding season, shorebirds, a large and important group of wetland vertebrates, divide their time between foraging, resting and maintenance activities. We examined factors affecting time budgets, foraging techniques and rates, and spacing patterns of 14 to 92 individuals each of 10 shorebird species spending the non-breeding season in Cayo Guillermo, Cuba. We hypothesized that all species would spend the majority of their time foraging. Time spent foraging ranged from 20–85% of total time and was significantly negatively related to average body size. Apparent aggression (e.g. chasing or being chased) occurred in < 10% of individuals in all species and was not related to maximum counts of conspecifics. Aggression was most common in the black-necked stilt but did not vary in frequency as a function of activity. Vigilance varied in occurrence from 0–53% of individuals, but the frequency was not related to maximum counts. Intraspecific distances were generally greater between foraging than non-foraging birds. For most species interspecific distances were similar to intraspecific distances during foraging but greater than intraspecific differences during non-foraging, suggesting some overlap in foraging habitat and niche partitioning during non-foraging. Shorebirds that used primarily tactile techniques foraged closer together than primarily visual foragers. Low rates of aggression, as an index of potential competition, suggest that species-specific energy requirements rather than competitive interactions are the main determinants of foraging behaviour on these tropical non-breeding grounds.

Public decisions on animal species: does body size matter?

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
EDO KNEGTERING ◽  
HENNY J. VAN DER WINDT ◽  
ANTON J. M. SCHOOT UITERKAMP
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Mollusc Species ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Size Matter ◽  
Average Body

SUMMARYSystematic knowledge about factors affecting the willingness of societies to conserve biodiversity is still scarce. This study investigates the role of body size in national decisions on wild animal species by analysing the average body sizes of the animal species subject to species-specific legislation in the Netherlands over the period 1857–1995. Three legal objectives were distinguished, namely ‘control’, ‘use’ and ‘protection’. For most taxa, average body sizes of species were found to differ significantly between legal objectives within a substantial number of subperiods analysed. Throughout the entire period examined, protected bird, mammal, fish and mollusc species were of smaller average body size than those subject to use legislation and protected bird, mammal and mollusc species were also smaller than those subject to control legislation most of the time. Protected insects were generally larger than those subject to control or use. For vertebrate taxa, average sizes of protected species increased over the time period selected for examination, suggesting that legislation initially excluded larger vertebrates from protection, possibly partly owing to demands to maintain use of these species. The results emphasize that conservation context is important, as other studies suggest that conservation policy generally favours larger species.

Sea-ice and density-dependent factors affecting foraging habitat and behaviour of Adélie penguins throughout the breeding season

2021 ◽  
Vol 168 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuo Kokubun ◽  
Louise Emmerson ◽  
Julie McInnes ◽  
Barbara Wienecke ◽  
Colin Southwell
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Foraging Habitat ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Density Dependent ◽  
Adélie Penguins

Niche partitioning and environmental factors affecting abundance of strepsirrhines in Angola

2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (11) ◽  
pp. 1179-1192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Bersacola ◽  
Magdalena S. Svensson ◽  
Simon K. Bearder
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Factors Affecting

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Zoo Visitors’ Conservation Beliefs and Knowledge of Large Carnivores in 2009 and a Dozen Years Later

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 890
Author(s):  
Vesna Oražem ◽  
Aleksandra Majić Skrbinšek ◽  
Andrej Šorgo ◽  
Iztok Tomažič
Keyword(s):  
Brown Bear ◽  
Eurasian Lynx ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Large Carnivore ◽  
Gender Influence ◽  
Carnivore Species ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Gender Factor ◽  
Learning Institutions

Teaching in a formal learning environment mainly focuses on gaining knowledge, and scarcely on the development of pro-environmental attitudes. Knowledge can also be gained in informal learning institutions, such as zoos, and their potential use in general public education should not be neglected. This paper explores factors influencing the conservation beliefs of zoo visitors about brown bears, grey wolves, and Eurasian lynx. The study undertaken in Zoo Ljubljana (Slovenia) consisted of surveys performed in 2009 (n = 613) and in 2021 (n = 257). The levels of knowledge and education influenced both supporting and opposing beliefs about the three large carnivore species. The gender factor was less uniform: both supporting and opposing beliefs about lynx were demonstrated, but only opposing beliefs about brown bear and wolf. The study indicates that knowledge has the most significant influence on conservation beliefs, thus highlighting the importance of educational and communication activities in management and conservation actions regarding large carnivore species. The varied gender influence suggests that species-specific educational activities should be encouraged.

Evidence for LH-inhibiting activity in ovine peripheral and testicular blood

1990 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Papapdopoulos ◽  
P. Kamtchouing ◽  
N. Boujrad ◽  
C. Pisselet ◽  
C. Perreau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cyclic Amp ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Apparent Molecular Weight ◽  
Rete Testis ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
Inhibiting Factor ◽  
Arterial Plasma ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Venous Plasma

Abstract. Intracellular cyclic AMP and testosterone productions by purified mature rat Leydig cells were stimulated by oLH (25 μg/l) 18- and 12-fold, respectively, after a 5-h incubation period. The replacement of the incubation medium by charcoal-treated testicular venous plasma (40%, v/v) from adult rams in the breeding season induced an inhibition of cyclic AMP and testosterone productions (82 and 66%, respectively, of oLH-stimulated values). Testicular arterial plasma is less effective than testicular venous plasma, even when it originates from non-breeding season rams; in that case, testicular venous and arterial plasma strongly inhibit testosterone productions (84 and 67%, respectively of oLH-stimulated values), which probably indicates that the inhibitory activity is higher in the non-breeding season. The addition of peripheral plasma leads to a testosterone production equal to 35 and 65% of the oLH-stimulated values, respectively, for ram blood collected in non-breeding and breeding seasons. The same concentration of ovine testicular lymph or rete testis fluid is without significant effect on cyclic AMP production; however, testosterone is slightly decreased by lymph but enhanced by rete testis fluid. Increasing amounts of venous or arterial testicular blood induce a dose-related decrease of the specific binding of labelled hCG in both rat and ram testicular membranes. This inhibiting factor is present in peripheral and testicular blood of either control or hypophysectomized or castrated rams, is a protein in nature, heat-sensitive, and has an apparent molecular weight higher than 10 000 daltons. These results suggest the existence of a control of LH-specific binding to its receptors and of Leydig cell cyclic AMP and testosterone outputs; these activities are not species-specific and are more concentrated in testicular venous than in arterial blood. The origin of this inhibiting factor remains to be determined, since it is not confined to the testis and not of pituitary origin.

Contemplating the Five Domains model of animal welfare assessment: UK horse owner perceptions of equine well-being

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-268
Author(s):  
KA Fletcher ◽  
LJ Cameron ◽  
M Freeman
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Equine Welfare ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Sentient Beings ◽  
Horse Owners

Traditionally, assessment of animal welfare generally focused on physiological signs of health with less consideration of psychological well-being. More recently, the Five Domains model highlighted the concept of all aspects of an animal's life influencing their affective state. In equestrianism, however, there is a lack of awareness of the Five Domains model and, specifically, how different factors may affect the mental well-being of horses (Equus caballus). This divide between scientific research and lay horse owners could compromise equine welfare by failing to recognise horses as sentient beings with species-specific needs. The present study therefore aimed to explore how evidence-based information can be effectively communicated to equestrians (n = 259) through an online survey and whether increased knowledge of equine welfare needs has any impact on horse caregivers' assessment of their own horses' quality of life. Results showed that a simple educational infographic based on the Five Domains model had a significant impact on equestrians' assessment of equine welfare, although longitudinal, empirical studies are needed. Scores on a Likert scale for health, behaviour/human interactions and overall welfare were significantly lower following the intervention but scores for emotional well-being were significantly higher. This may suggest that, whilst the infographic increased participant awareness of the importance of emotional state and the factors affecting welfare, there were difficulties or inconsistencies in objectively assessing these emotions. This highlights the need for equine welfare science to be communicated more proactively to horse owners in an accessible, engaging format.

scholarly journals Wing Morphology and Flight Behavior of Some North American Hummingbird Species

The Auk ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 872-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Gary Stiles ◽  
Douglas L. Altshuler ◽  
Robert Dudley
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
North American ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Wing Disc ◽  
Territorial Behavior ◽  
Flight Behavior ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Wing Morphology ◽  
Reversed Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Species Specific

Abstract We explored the relationship between wing morphology and flight behavior with respect to sex and age in five species of North American hummingbirds. We first measured the length, chord or “width,“ and area of entire hummingbird wing planforms. We then calculated additional parameters of wing shape and size, including aspect and shape ratios, degree of taper or “pointedness,“ wing loading, and wing disc loading (WDL). Wings of adult males are not only shorter but also more narrow and tapered than those of adult or immature females; immature males have larger wings and lower WDL, more like those of females. A proposed relationship between WDL and territorial behavior and dominance is not supported, given that adult and immature males show similar feeding territoriality outside the breeding season but females rarely do. The more extreme and divergent wings of adult males probably reflect sexual selection in connection with aerial displays that include species-specific sound effects given during the breeding season. North American species are unusual among hummingbirds in showing reversed sexual size-dimorphism (males smaller, with relatively shorter wings), a feature shared with some other small hummingbirds, notably the “Pygmornis“ hermits. Attempts to explain hummingbird foraging and territorial behavior on the basis of differences in WDL have failed because many aspects of wing morphology, physiology, and flight behavior were not taken into account. Several wing parameters appear more related to other modes of flight than to strategies of nectar exploitation, and the morphology of any given wing represents a compromise between the often conflicting aerodynamic demands of different flight modes. Understanding hummingbird flight will require broad comparative studies of wing morphology and wingbeat kinematics in relation to flight behavior, and new theoretical models and experimental data will be needed to elucidate physiological and aerodynamic mechanisms underlying forward flight and maneuvering. Morfología Alar y Comportamiento de Vuelo de Unas Especies de Colibríes de Norteamérica

Spatial and temporal variation in the migration of Ruddy-headed Goose in southern South America using satellite tagging

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 634-648
Author(s):  
JULIETA PEDRANA ◽  
KLEMENS PÜTZ ◽  
LUCÍA BERNAD ◽  
SEBASTIÁN MUÑOZ ◽  
ANTONELLA GOROSÁBEL ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autumn Migration ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Migration Timing ◽  
Final Destination ◽  
Continental Population ◽  
Southern Patagonia ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Satellite Tagging

SummaryRuddy-headed Goose Chloephaga rubidiceps is the smallest of the five South American sheldgeese and has two separate populations: one sedentary, which resides in the Malvinas/Falkland Islands and one migratory that overwinters mainly in the Pampas region, Argentina and breeds in Southern Patagonia. The Ruddy-headed Goose’s continental population has decreased considerably, and recent estimates indicated that the population size is less than 800 individuals. In Argentina and Chile, this population is categorised as endangered. Understanding migration across vast landscapes is essential for the identification of factors affecting the survival of this endangered population and for the application of effective conservation measures. We aim to provide the first documentation of the complete migration cycle of Ruddy-headed Goose, and to analyse their annual migration in detail, including identification of stop-over, breeding and wintering sites, and to compare migration timing during spring and autumn migration. Adults were captured in the southern Pampas and equipped with solar satellite transmitters in 2015 and 2016. We analysed the influence of season (spring vs autumn migration) on the number and duration of stop-overs, distance travelled and overall migration speed using Generalized Linear Mixed Models. Our results showed that tracked geese used the eastern Patagonian route to reach their breeding grounds and take the same route after breeding. Spring migration was significantly faster than autumn migration, at least based on the number of days spent in their stop-overs. Stop-overs were closer to the final destination, either during spring and autumn migrations, though some of them were not used during subsequent migrations. Our migration cartography for Ruddy-headed Geese, together with the timing and location data, should be used to improve conservation efforts directed at this species and might contribute to the modification of the current status of ‘Least Concern’ under the IUCN criteria.

scholarly journals Arthropod Resource Partitioning Among Omnivorous Tanagers (Tangara SPP.) in Western Ecuador

The Auk ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuya Naoki
Keyword(s):  
Resource Use ◽  
Foraging Ecology ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Fruit Species ◽  
Mixed Species Flocks ◽  
Different Characteristics

Abstract The distribution and abundance of food are primary factors affecting resource-use patterns in birds. Many bird species eat several food types, which may differ in their distribution and overall abundance. I studied foraging ecology of seven sympatric species of Tangara at Mindo, Ecuador, to determine whether the patterns of resource use differed between two food types: arthropods and fruits. Interspecific differences in arthropod-foraging were manifested in the fine segregation of microhabitat preference combined with different habitat use. By contrast, interspecific differences in fruit-foraging were manifested in preferences for different plant genera, often associated with different habitats. No evidence was found for spatial partitioning of the same fruit species. Interspecific overlap in fruit-for- aging was 3× higher than that in arthropod-foraging, and species of Tangara that frequently joined the same mixed-species flocks differed largely in arthropod-foraging but overlapped greatly in fruit-foraging. The differences in patterns between arthropod and fruit-foraging may be explained by the different characteristics of arthropods and fruits as food resources. High sympatry of species of Tangara and other omnivorous tanagers, in general, appears to be maintained not because fruits are abundant, resulting in little competition for them, but because these tanagers specialize on different microhabitats for foraging arthropods. Segregación de Artrópodos como Recurso Alimenticio de Tangaras Omnívoras (Tangara spp.) en el Oeste de Ecuador

Rapid, sensitive two-site ELISA for detection of cows' milk in goats' or ewes' milk using monoclonal antibodies

1994 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Didier Levieux ◽  
Annie Venien
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
Sandwich Elisa ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Assay Performance ◽  
Capture Antibody ◽  
Constant Quality ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Β Lactoglobulin

SummaryA sandwich ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) of the two-site type has been successfully developed for the detection of cows' milk in goats' or ewes' milk. The assay uses two monoclonal antibodies (MAb) raised in mice against cows' β-lactoglobulin (β-lg). These MAb recognize different epitopes of the β-lg, which are sufficiently distinct to allow simultaneous binding of the corresponding antibodies. One of the MAb recognizes a species-specific epitope of the bovine β-lg and was adsorbed to a plastic microtitration plate (capture antibody). The second MAb was labelled with peroxidase and used to detect the captured cows' β-lg. Factors affecting assay performance were investigated. The optimized assay is highly specific, reproducible (intra- and inter-assay CV were 8 and 13% respectively) and sensitive: as little as 5 ng β-lg/ml or 1 part cows' milk per 100000 parts goats' or ewes' milk can be detected. The technique is robust, cheap, rapid, reliable and suitable for high sample throughput, semi-automation and screening surveys. The MAb used guarantee the high specificity of the assay and indefinite reagent supply of constant quality once approved by collaborative national or international trials.

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