Effects of habitat use on food acquisition and food caching during a nonbreeding season in a winter-breeding, food-storing passerine

Habitat use by sexually dimorphic Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica) was examined in an Australian estuary during the midwintering (NovemberDecember) and premigratory (March) periods of a nonbreeding season. In an area with two available habitats, Zostera seagrass beds and unvegetated sand flats, males occurred almost exclusively in seagrass, whereas the females occurred at equal densities in both habitats. Estimates of intake rates seemed greater for individuals foraging in seagrass (0.1140.128 g dry mass (DM)·min1) than on sand (0.0640.087 g DM·min1). Males appeared less well adapted for foraging on sand than in seagrass, and the presence of females could interfere with males' foraging on sand. The reason for the equal distribution of the females between the habitats probably lies in the inability of one particular habitat to support the entire population of females. Little interhabitat movement by individuals was detected. Within a habitat, sexes moved synchronously at the 1-ha scale but showed a degree of segregation at the individual scale, suggesting that some avoidance existed. Three diet types were observed in the godwits in the area: (1) dominated by soldier crabs (Mictyris longicarpus) on sand, (2) dominated by sentinel crabs (Macrophthalmus spp.) in seagrass, and (3) dominated by soft-bodied prey in seagrass.

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Food acquisition modes and habitat use in lizards: questions from an integrative perspective

Lizard Ecology ◽

10.1017/cbo9780511752438.017 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 450-490 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Roger A. Anderson

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Food Acquisition

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Spacing Patterns, Mating Systems, and Winter Philopatry in Harlequin Ducks

The Auk ◽

10.1093/auk/117.2.299 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 117 (2) ◽

pp. 299-307 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Gregory J. Robertson ◽

Fred Cooke ◽

R. Ian Goudie ◽

W. Sean Boyd

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Habitat Use ◽

Mating Systems ◽

General Study ◽

Return Rates ◽

Nonbreeding Season ◽

Pair Bonds ◽

Harlequin Ducks ◽

Breeding Grounds ◽

Number Of Males

Abstract Many species of waterfowl form pair bonds during the nonbreeding season, yet current descriptions of mating systems and patterns of philopatry in waterfowl focus on the breeding grounds. We studied wintering Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) in southwestern British Columbia to examine mating systems and philopatric behavior outside of the breeding season. The number of males at our study area was far more variable than that of females. Males that were unsuccessful in obtaining a mate were observed over a larger area than were paired males. Habitat use overlapped considerably among paired males, and no territorial boundaries were formed. Annual return rates to the nonbreeding grounds were high for both sexes (62% for females, 77% for males). Individuals not only returned to the general study area, but also to specific sections within the study area. Males that did not pair in the previous year returned to the study area in the subsequent year with the same frequency as males that had obtained mates; however, they tended to leave the study area prior to courtship. Therefore, it is possible that males return to the same wintering grounds each year to reunite with a previous mate. High levels of philopatry by both sexes allow pairs to reunite in fall, potentially increasing the benefits of philopatry for both sexes.

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Population organisation in reef sharks: new variations in coastal habitat use by mobile marine predators

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps11545 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 544 ◽

pp. 197-211 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

A Chin ◽

MR Heupel ◽

CA Simpfendorfer ◽

AJ Tobin

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Coastal Habitat ◽

Marine Predators ◽

Reef Sharks

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Habitat use of toothed whales in a marine protected area based on point process models

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps12820 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 609 ◽

pp. 239-256 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

TL Silva ◽

G Fay ◽

TA Mooney ◽

J Robbins ◽

MT Weinrich ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Point Process ◽

Protected Area ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Process Models ◽

Point Process Models

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Modeling cetacean habitat use in an urban coastal area in southeastern Brazil

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps13313 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 642 ◽

pp. 227-240

Author(s):

L Lodi ◽

R Tardin ◽

G Maricato

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Linear Models ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Buffer Zone ◽

Humpback Whales ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Major Influence ◽

Cetacean Species ◽

Few Data

Most studies of cetacean habitat use do not consider the influence of anthropogenic activities. We investigated the influence of environmental and anthropogenic variables on habitat use by humpback Megaptera novaeangliae and Bryde’s whales Balaenoptera brydei off the coast of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Although there are 2 marine protected areas (MPAs) in this area, few data are available on cetacean habitat use or on the overlap of different cetacean species within these MPAs. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the MPAs and propose a buffer zone to better protect the biodiversity of the study area. We conducted systematic surveys and developed spatial eigenvector generalized linear models to characterize habitat use by the species in the study area. Habitat use by humpback whales was influenced only by depth, whereas for Bryde’s whales there was the additional influence of anthropogenic variables. For Bryde’s whales, which use the area for feeding, sea surface temperature and the distance to anchorages had a major influence on habitat use. We also showed that neither of the MPAs in the study area adequately protects the hotspots of either whale species. Most of the humpback whale grid cells with high sighting predictions were located within 2 km of the MPAs, while areas of high sighting prediction of Bryde’s whales were located up to 5 km from the MPAs, closer to beaches. Our findings provide important insights for the delimitation of protected areas and zoning of the MPAs.

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