Group provisioning limits sharing conflict among nestlings in joint-nesting Taiwan yuhinas

Offspring often compete over limited available resources. Such sibling competition may be detrimental to parents both because it entails wasted expenditure and because it allows stronger offspring to obtain a disproportionate share of resources. We studied nestling conflict over food and its resolution in a joint-nesting species of bird, the Taiwan yuhina ( Yuhina brunneiceps ). We show that adult yuhinas coordinate their feeding visits, and that this coordination limits competition among nestlings, leading to a ‘fairer’ division of resources. Transponder identification and video-recording systems were used to observe adult feeding and nestling begging behaviours. We found that: (i) yuhinas feed nestlings more often in large parties than in small parties; (ii) feeding events occurred non-randomly in bouts of very short intervals; and (iii) food distribution among nestlings was more evenly distributed, and fewer nestlings begged, during large-party feeding bouts compared with small-party feeding bouts. To our knowledge, this is the first study in a cooperative breeding species showing that adults can influence food allocation and competition among nestlings by coordinating their feeding visits. Our results confirm the hypothesis that the monopolizability of food affects the intensity of sibling competition, and highlight the importance of understanding the temporal strategies of food delivery.

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Hatching asynchrony and food allocation within broods of Pied-billed Grebes, Podilymbus podiceps

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z87-436 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 65 (12) ◽

pp. 2872-2877 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Mark R. L. Forbes ◽

C. Davison Ankney

Keyword(s):

Prey Size ◽

Apparent Size ◽

Food Delivery ◽

Food Distribution ◽

Hatching Asynchrony ◽

Exact Test ◽

Food Allocation ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Mean ◽

Parental Regulation

Broods of Pied-billed Grebes, Podilymbus podiceps, breeding near Minnedosa, Manitoba (55°16′ N, 99°50′ W), in the summer of 1984, hatched from five to eight eggs over 3–7 days. We found a negative correlation (partial r = −0.56, df = 11, p < 0.05) between the length of the hatching interval and the number of chicks surviving to 35 days of age, after controlling for clutch size. The mean number of sibling aggressions ([Formula: see text], n = 20, 2 SE = 0.4) was higher during foraging bouts with below-average rates of food delivery by parents, as opposed to bouts ([Formula: see text] aggressions, n = 18, 2 SE = 0.2) with above-average rates. Also, larger chicks initiated and won more disputes over positions near adults (Fisher's exact test, p < 0.05, n = 40) than did their smaller sibs. Thus, size hierarchies among siblings influenced food allocation within Pied-billed Grebe broods. Food distribution, however, was nonrandom for 12 of 18 foraging bouts in which there were no apparent size differences between attendant chicks. Signals of hunger status from begging chicks, and parental regulation of which chicks maintained positions near them, also affected food allocation among siblings. Finally, handling times of prey, captured by adults and fed to chicks, depended on brood age (partial r = −0.21, df = 183, p < 0.05) after controlling for prey size. For Pied-billed Grebes, noticeable size hierarchies among chicks remained throughout most of brood development and may have been advantageous during times of low food availability, or may have enabled parents to forage more effectively on a wide range of prey types and sizes.

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Comparative Analysis of Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emission of Diesel and Electric Trucks for Food Distribution in Gowanus District of New York City

Frontiers in Big Data ◽

10.3389/fdata.2021.693820 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

Author(s):

Raghul Elangovan ◽

Ondrea Kanwhen ◽

Ziqian Dong ◽

Ahmed Mohamed ◽

Roberto Rojas-Cessa

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

York City ◽

Distribution System ◽

Food Delivery ◽

Food Distribution ◽

Industrial Zone ◽

Diesel Trucks

New York City’s food distribution system is among the largest in the United States. Food is transported by trucks from twelve major distribution centers to the city’s point-of-sale locations. Trucks consume large amounts of energy and contribute to large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, there is interest to increase the efficiency of New York City’s food distribution system. The Gowanus district in New York City is undergoing rezoning from an industrial zone to a mix residential and industrial zone. It serves as a living lab to test new initiatives, policies, and new infrastructure for electric vehicles. We analyze the impact of electrification of food-distribution trucks on greenhouse gas emissions and electricity demand in this paper. However, such analysis faces the challenges of accessing available and granular data, modeling of demands and deliveries that incorporate logistics and inventory management of different types of food retail stores, delivery route selection, and delivery schedule to optimize food distribution. We propose a framework to estimate truck routes for food delivery at a district level. We model the schedule of food delivery from a distribution center to retail stores as a vehicle routing problem using an optimization solver. Our case study shows that diesel trucks consume 300% more energy than electric trucks and generate 40% more greenhouse gases than diesel trucks for food distribution in the Gowanus district.

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Food limitation in asynchronous bluethroat broods: effects on food distribution, nestling begging, and parental provisioning rules

Behavioral Ecology ◽

10.1093/beheco/arg083 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 793-801 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

P. T. Smiseth

Keyword(s):

Food Limitation ◽

Food Distribution ◽

Parental Provisioning ◽

Nestling Begging ◽

Provisioning Rules

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Food allocation among nestling starlings: sibling competition and the scope of parental choice

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.1995.0038 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 259 (1356) ◽

pp. 259-263 ◽

Cited By ~ 106

Keyword(s):

Parental Choice ◽

Sibling Competition ◽

Food Allocation

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Context-dependent strategies of food allocation among offspring in a facultative cooperative breeder

Behavioral Ecology ◽

10.1093/beheco/arz037 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 975-985 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jianqiang Li ◽

Yong Wang ◽

Lei Lv ◽

Pengcheng Wang ◽

Ben J Hatchwell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural Selection ◽

Brood Size ◽

Competitive Ability ◽

Food Resources ◽

Food Allocation ◽

Context Dependent ◽

Nestling Begging ◽

Parental Strategies ◽

Allocation Decisions

Abstract Natural selection should favor adoption of parental strategies that maximize fitness when allocating investment among offspring. In birds, begging displays often convey information of nestling need and quality, allowing parents to make adaptive food allocation decisions. We investigated how adults utilized cues likely to represent nestling competitive ability (begging position) and need (begging intensity) and a cue independent of nestling control (nestling sex) to distribute food among nestlings in a facultative cooperative breeder, the black-throated tit (Aegithalos concinnus). We found that parents reduced their efforts when helped, suggesting that parents of helped broods would have the potential to satisfy nestling needs more than unhelped parents. This suggestion was supported by the fact that nestling mass increased faster in helped than in unhelped nests. We found no effect of nestling sex on food allocation, but, as predicted, we found that adults responded differently to begging signals in relation to the presence of helpers and brood size. First, helped parents were more responsive to nestling begging intensity than parents without helpers. Second, female parents and helpers had a stronger preference for nestling begging position in large than in small broods. Third, the preference for nestling begging position was greater for unhelped than for helped female parents. These results provide evidence that carers adjust their preference for different offspring begging signals based on availability of food resources.

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Micronutrient-rich food consumption, intra-household food allocation and child stunting in rural Nigeria

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980018003075 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 444-454 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Olusegun Fadare ◽

George Mavrotas ◽

Dare Akerele ◽

Motunrayo Oyeyemi

Keyword(s):

Vitamin A ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Food Distribution ◽

Combined Effect ◽

Vitamin A Supplementation ◽

Child Stunting ◽

Food Allocation ◽

Household Food ◽

Rich Food ◽

Allocation Patterns

AbstractObjectiveChildren from rural households are often deprived of adequate micronutrient intakes either from food or supplementation. The present study examines: (i) the determinants of households’ micronutrient-rich food consumption; and (ii) the combined effect of vitamin A supplementation and micronutrient-rich food consumption on child stunting in households with different food allocation patterns.DesignCross-sectional study. Households’ micronutrient-rich food consumption frequency and vitamin A supplementation were used as a proxy measure for child micronutrient intakes. Intra-household food allocation patterns were assessed from caregivers’ perception of the disparity in food distribution within the household. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were employed in analysing the study’s objectives.SettingRural communities in Kwara State, Nigeria.ParticipantsIncluded 419 children aged 6–59 months and 413 households.ResultsOwning small livestock and a refrigerator, knowledge of micronutrient-rich foods and higher parental education had strong associations with households’ micronutrient-rich food consumption. Children from households that consumed micronutrient-rich foods and received more diverse diets were less likely to experience stunting. The combined effect of micronutrient-rich food consumption and vitamin A supplementation was stronger on the likelihood of stunting reduction than the separate effect of each.ConclusionsAssets ownership, human capital and knowledge of micronutrient-rich foods improve consumption of micronutrient-rich foods among the study population. Micronutrient supplementation to children with poor access to micronutrient-rich foods may not substantially enhance child growth unless reinforced through consumption of micronutrient-rich foods. Fruit and vegetable gardening, livestock holdings and nutrition education to parents should be integral parts of community nutrition programming.

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Food delivery and sibling competition in experimentally even-aged broods of the cattle egret

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology ◽

10.1007/bf00299431 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 67-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Masahiro Fujioka

Keyword(s):

Food Delivery ◽

Sibling Competition ◽

Cattle Egret

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Influence of the nature of dietary fibre on digestive utilization, some metabolite and hormone profiles and the behaviour of pregnant sows

Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1357729800054734 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 70 (2) ◽

pp. 275-286 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Y. Ramonet ◽

S. Robert ◽

A. Aumaître ◽

J.Y. Dourmad ◽

M.C. Meunier-Salaün

Keyword(s):

Wheat Bran ◽

Feeding Activity ◽

Latin Square ◽

Food Delivery ◽

Food Distribution ◽

Metabolizable Energy ◽

Large White ◽

Daily Food ◽

Fibre Diet ◽

Beet Pulp

AbstractThree diets were formulated according to the nature of the fibrous components: a concentrate low fibre diet enriched in starch (diet S, neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) proportionately 0·078 of dry matter (DM)) and two high-fibre diets enriched in either sugar-beet pulp (diet BP, NDF = 0·219 of DM) or wheat bran (diet WB, NDF = 0·187 of DM). In a first experiment, the digestibility of nutrients in these diets were determined using dry sows. In a second experiment, 24 multiparous Large White sows were offered the experimental diets in a 3 x 3 Latin-square design during three 21-day periods over pregnancy in order to evaluate physiological and behavioural effects over the nycthemeral period. On the basis of the first experiment, the daily food supply was adjusted to 2·44, 2·74 and 2-90 kg/day for diets S, BP and WB, respectively, to provide the same amount of metabolizable energy to each treatment. In the hour prior to the meal, the diet effect was nil on plasma levels of glucose, insulin, glucagon and non-esterified fatty acid and limited on cortisol plasma level. After the food delivery, the peak responses of glucose and insulin to the meal were delayed in sows given the BP diet, while their level showed a higher increase for S than for WB and BP diets. Sows offered diet BP spent less time standing than sows offered diet S. The occurrence of non-feeding oral activities over the 45 min following food distribution was significantly reduced with fibrous diets. But no difference appeared during the 45-min period following the end of each meal. It was concluded that the incorporation of beet pulp in the diet was more effective than wheat bran in extending the feeding activity and the absorption of nutrients. The diet effect was limited to the 2 h after the food delivery for these sows given a restricted amount of food.

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