scholarly journals Evaluating the efficacy of a consumer-centric method for ecological sampling: Using bonobo (Pan paniscus) feeding patterns as an instrument for tropical forest characterization

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin G Wessling ◽  
Liran Samuni ◽  
Roger Mundry ◽  
Miguel Adan Pascual ◽  
Stefano Lucchesi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Pan Paniscus ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Behavioral Observation ◽  
Relative Distribution ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Plot Sampling ◽  
Ecological Sampling

1. Characteristics of food availability and distribution are a key component of a species ecology. Objective measurement of food resources, such as vegetation plot sampling, do not consider aspects of selection by the consumer and therefore may produce imprecise measures of availability. Further, in most animal ecology research, traditional ecological surveying often is time-intensive and supplementary to ongoing behavioral observation. We propose a method to integrate ecological sampling of an animal's environment into existing behavioral data collection systems by using the consumer as the surveyor. Here, we introduce the consumer-centric method (CCM) of assessing resource availability for its ability to measure food resource abundance, distribution, and dispersion. This method catalogues feeding locations observed during behavioral observation and uses aggregated data to characterize these ecological metrics. 2. We evaluated the CCM relative to traditional vegetation plot surveying using accumulated feeding locations across three years visited by a tropical frugivore, the bonobo (Pan paniscus), and compared it with data derived from over 200 vegetation plots across their 50km2+ home range. 3. We demonstrate that food species abundance estimates derived from the CCM are comparable to those derived from traditional vegetation plot sampling after approximately 600 observation days or 60 spatially explicit feeding locations. The agreement between the methods further improved when accounting for aspects of consumer selectivity in objective vegetation plot sampling (e.g., size minima). Estimates of density from CCM correlated with plot-derived estimates and were relatively insensitive to home range inclusion and other species characteristics, but were sensitive to sampling frequency (e.g., consumption frequency). Agreement between the methods in relative distribution of resources performed better across species than expected by chance, although measures of dispersion correlated poorly. 4. We demonstrate that while providing a robust measure to quantify local food availability, the CCM has an advantage over traditional sampling methods as it incorporates sampling biases relevant to the consumer. Therefore, as this method can be incorporated into existing observational data collection and does not require additional ecological surveying, it serves as a promising method for behavioral ecological data collection for animal species who re-use space and consume immobile food items.

Determinants of home range size and spatial overlap of Gracilinanus agilis (Mammalia: Didelphidae) in central-western Brazil

Mammalia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 328-337
Author(s):  
Patrícia Sayuri Shibuya ◽  
Geruza Leal Melo ◽  
Nilton Carlos Cáceres
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Convex Polygon ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Territorial Behavior ◽  
Important Predictor ◽  
Minimum Convex Polygon ◽  
Males And Females

Abstract The use of space in mammals may vary according to sexual dimorphism, mating system and territorial behavior in order to ensure optimization of the reproductive success of each sex and the interactions with other species. In the present study, the determinants of home range (HR) size of males and females of Gracilinanus agilis (Burmeister 1854) were evaluated in a savanna remnant in central-western Brazil. We used live traps and capture-mark-recapture to estimate HR size. Using the method of minimum convex polygon, we estimated the HR of 24 individuals. The species showed sexual dimorphism, with males showing larger body size. The HR estimated was 0.38±0.41 ha and the highest estimated HR was for a male, with 2.08 ha. Females’ HR sizes varied according to body mass, food availability and number of captures. The more important predictor for males was the number of females found within their HRs. The overlapping areas between pairs of males were larger than those between pairs of females, suggesting that females have territorial behavior as they had mostly exclusive HRs. Considering that food availability was an important predictor for female HR size, we hypothesize that the territorial behavior in females is related to food resource.

scholarly journals Ecological aspects of black-pincelled marmoset (Callithrix penicillata) in the cerradão and dense cerrado of the Brazilian Central Plateau

2001 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. H. B. de MIRANDA ◽  
D. S. de FARIA
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Botanical Garden ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Central Plateau ◽  
Bird Eggs ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
Gallery Forests

Ecological data about three free-ranging groups of C. penicillata (black-pincelled marmoset) were observed between March and December 1996, in one cerradão patch (in the Ecological Reserve of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, RECOR) and two patches of dense cerrado (one in the Recor and another in the Botanical Garden of Brasília, JBB), situated in the APA (area of environmental protection) of the Gama/Cabeça-de-Veado, Distrito Federal. Each area was visited weekly during three periods of two months -- end of the rainy season (01/04 to 31/05), dry season (16/06 to 15/08) and beginning of the rainy season (14/10 to 15/12) -- and instantaneous scan records at fifteen minute intervals were made for the vertical and horizontal position of each visible individual of the target group. The group size ranged between 4 and 11 elements. In September, the birth of twins in both groups of the Recor was observed. Home-range varied from 8.25 to 18.5 hectares, while density ranged from 0.4 to 0.82 ind/ha. Twenty two species of nine tree families were identified as exudate sources. Qualea grandiflora (Vochysiaceae), Vochysia thyrsoidea (Vochysiaceae), Scheflera macrocarpum (Araliaceae) and Qualea parviflora (Vochysiaceae) were more explored. Fruits (14 species, two of which were exotics), nectar, honey, arthropods (mainly orthopterans) and bird eggs complete their diet. The main sleep-tree species was Emmotum nitens (Icacinaceae). Data from different seasons and studied groups/areas were compared along previous data from this primate species in gallery forests. In the cerradão and dense cerrado areas C. penicillata had a similar group size, however a larger home-range and smaller density than in gallery forests were observed in this study.

scholarly journals Data-based, synthesis-driven: setting the agenda for computational ecology

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothée Poisot ◽  
Richard Labrie ◽  
Erin Larson ◽  
Anastasia Rahlin
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Data Reuse ◽  
Ecological Research ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Field Computation ◽  
Constructive Dialogue ◽  
Credit Data ◽  
Computational Ecology ◽  
The Way

AbstractComputational thinking is the integration of algorithms, software, and data, to solve general questions in a field. Computation ecology has the potential to transform the way ecologists think about the integration of data and models. As the practice is gaining prominence as a way to conduct ecological research, it is important to reflect on what its agenda could be, and how it fits within the broader landscape of ecological research. In this contribution, we suggest areas in which empirical ecologists, modellers, and the emerging community of computational ecologists could engage in a constructive dialogue to build on one another’s expertise; specifically, about the need to make predictions from models actionable, about the best standards to represent ecological data, and about the proper ways to credit data collection and data reuse. We discuss how training can be amended to improve computational literacy.

Manipulation of population density and food availability affects home range sizes of African striped mouse females

2015 ◽  
Vol 99 ◽  
pp. 53-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Schoepf ◽  
Gabriela Schmohl ◽  
Barbara König ◽  
Neville Pillay ◽  
Carsten Schradin
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Food Availability

A Test of Foraging Models Using Dietary Diversity Indices for the Lomako Forest Bonobos

2021 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 211-226
Author(s):  
Alexana J. Hickmott ◽  
Michel T. Waller ◽  
Monica L. Wakefield ◽  
Nicholas Malone ◽  
Colin M. Brand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Availability ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Behavioral Observation ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Optimal Diet ◽  
Foraging Models

Optimal diet and functional response models are used to understand the evolution of primate foraging strategies. The predictions of these models can be tested by examining the geographic and seasonal variation in dietary diversity. Dietary diversity is a useful tool that allows dietary comparisons across differing sampling locations and time periods. Bonobos (<i>Pan paniscus</i>) are considered primarily frugivorous and consume fruits, leaves, insects, vertebrates, terrestrial herbaceous vegetation, and flowers. Frugivores, like bonobos, are valuable for examining dietary diversity and testing foraging models because they eat a variety of species and are subject to seasonal shifts in fruit availability. Frugivorous primate species thus allow for tests of how variation in dietary diversity is correlated with variation in ecological factors. We investigated measures of dietary diversity in bonobos at two research camps across field seasons within the same protected area (N’dele and Iyema) in Lomako Forest, Democratic Republic of the Congo. We compared the results of behavioral observation (1984/1985, 1991, 1995, 2014, and 2017) and fecal washing analysis (2007 and 2009) between seasons and study period using three diversity indices (Shannon’s, Simpson’s, and SW evenness). The average yearly dietary diversity indices at N’dele were Shannon’s <i>Hʹ</i> = 2.04, Simpson’s D = 0.82, and SW evenness = 0.88 while at Iyema, the indices were Shannon’s <i>Hʹ</i> = 2.02, Simpson’s D = 0.82, and SW evenness = 0.88. Behavioral observation data sets yielded significantly higher dietary diversity indices than fecal washing data sets. We found that food item (fruit, leaf, and flower) consumption was not associated with seasonal food availability for the 2017 behavioral observation data set. Shannon’s index was lower during periods when fewer bonobo dietary items were available to consume and higher when fruit was abundant. Finally, we found that optimal diet models best-explained patterns of seasonal food availability and dietary diversity. Dietary diversity is an essential factor to consider when understanding primate diets and can be a tool in understanding variation in primate diets, particularly among frugivores. Dietary diversity varies across populations of the same species and across time, and it is critical in establishing a complete understanding of how primate diets change over time.

scholarly journals Rainy springs linked to poor nestling growth in a declining avian aerial insectivore ( Tachycineta bicolor )

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1898) ◽  
pp. 20190018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia R. Cox ◽  
Raleigh J. Robertson ◽  
Ádám Z. Lendvai ◽  
Kennedy Everitt ◽  
Frances Bonier
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Food Abundance ◽  
Tachycineta Bicolor ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Food Shortages

As species shift their ranges and phenology to cope with climate change, many are left without a ready supply of their preferred food source during critical life stages. Food shortages are often assumed to be driven by reduced total food abundance, but here we propose that climate change may cause short-term food shortages for foraging specialists without affecting overall food availability. We frame this hypothesis around the special case of birds that forage on flying insects for whom effects mediated by their shared food resource have been proposed to cause avian aerial insectivores' decline worldwide. Flying insects are inactive during cold, wet or windy conditions, effectively reducing food availability to zero even if insect abundance remains otherwise unchanged. Using long-term monitoring data from a declining population of tree swallows ( Tachycineta bicolor ), we show that nestlings’ body mass declined substantially from 1977 to 2017. In 2017, nestlings had lower body mass if it rained during the preceding 3 days, though females increased provisioning rates, potentially in an attempt to compensate. Adult body mass, particularly that of the males, has also declined over the long-term study. Mean rainfall during the nestling period has increased by 9.3 ± 0.3 mm decade −1 , potentially explaining declining nestling body mass and population declines. Therefore, we suggest that reduced food availability, distinct from food abundance, may be an important and previously overlooked consequence of climate change, which could be affecting populations of species that specialize on foraging on flying insects.

Home range and diet of feral cats in Hawaii forests

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ty D. Smucker ◽  
Gerald D. Lindsey ◽  
Stephen M. Mosher
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Kernel Method ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Regular Component ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Adaptive Kernel ◽  
Adult Cats

Feral cat Felis catus home range in a Hawaiian montane wet forest and their diet in three habitats - montane wet forest, subalpine dry forest, and lowland dry forest ? were determined to provide baseline ecological data and to assess potential impacts to native terrestrial fauna. Seven cats (three males and four females) were captured in 624 trap nights. Mean weight of adult cats was 2.85 � 0.27 (SE) kg for males and 1.87 � 0.03 kg for females. Mean diurnal home range using the adaptive kernel method was 5.74 � 2.73 km2 for three males and 2.23 � 0.44 km2 for two females. Daytime locations were always within the montane wet forest with the borders on one or more sides of the home ranges of all cats defined by open grassland pastures. Rodents comprised the majority of the cat diets in all three habitats, with the frequencies of occurrence between 0.88 and 0.91. Bird remains were a regular component of the diet of cats, with montane wet forest having the highest frequency of occurrence (0.68), followed by subalpine dry forest (0.53). and lowland dry forest (0.21).

Impoundment led to spatial trophic segregation of three closely related catfish species in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (7) ◽  
pp. 750
Author(s):  
Chuansong Liao ◽  
Sibao Chen ◽  
Sandra Bibiana Correa ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Tanglin Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Availability ◽  
Three Gorges Reservoir ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Diet Breadth ◽  
Three Gorges ◽  
Lower Section ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
The Three Gorges Reservoir ◽  
The Three Gorges

The construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), the largest dam in the world, created novel spatial and seasonal fluctuations in food availability along the Yangtze River. We studied changes in diet and niche overlap of three co-occurring catfish species between the upper and lower sections of the TGR and across four hydrological seasons to investigate whether the diets of native catfish species reflect the fluctuations in food availability. Zoobenthos dominated the diets of the three species in the upper section, but shrimp made the bulk of the diet in the lower section. This was the case in every season except during the rising-water season when all three species increased the consumption of allochthonous foods. Diet breadth was significantly broader in the upper section relative to the lower section, and expanded during the rising-water season in the lower section. Niche overlap was significantly lower in the upper section than in the lower section. A non-significant trend of reduced niche overlap during the rising-water season was observed in both sections. Our results suggest that, in less than a decade, dietary plasticity facilitated the adaptation of these species to novel habitats and a shifted food-resource base formed by the impoundment.

Space use by female agile antechinus: are teat number and home-range size linked?

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliey Beckman ◽  
Alan Lill
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Food Abundance ◽  
Energetic Cost ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Female Population ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Minimal Convex ◽  
Teat Number

Context The number of teats that a female agile antechinus (Antechinus agilis) possesses effectively determines her initial litter size. In the Otway Ranges, south-eastern Australia, numerous separate populations in which all females have either six or 10 teats occur fairly close together in similar, contiguous forest at comparable altitudes and latitudes. Six-teat and 10-teat females have a similar mean mass, but the latter have a 1.7 × greater reproductive potential and so should have a greater nutritional requirement while raising young than do six-teat females. Theoretically, they could meet this requirement by occupying larger and/or more exclusive home ranges during breeding than do six-teat females do (provided that their food-resource abundance is comparable), albeit at a greater energetic cost. Aims The aim of the study was to determine whether 10-teat A. agilis females occupied larger and less overlapping home ranges than did six-teat females. To interpret the findings more meaningfully, it was necessary to compare food abundance and habitat characteristics in areas occupied by the two phenotypes. Methods The investigation was conducted in six-teat and 10-teat A. agilis areas in cool temperate forest over 22 months. Population density was determined by mark–recapture methods and arthropod prey biomass and abundance by pitfall trapping. Vegetation structure and plant-taxa abundance and diversity were determined by standard plant-survey methods. Female home-range estimates determined by radio-tracking were based on 95% minimal convex polygons (MCP) and kernel analysis. Home-range overlap was based on 80% MCP range determinations and core areas were calculated from utilisation plots. Key results Female population density was 2.5 × lower in exclusively 10-teat than in exclusively six-teat populations. Radio-tracked 10-teat females’ home ranges less commonly overlapped those of identified female neighbours and, on average, were 1.5 × larger than ranges of six-teat females. Food abundance and composition was similar in six-teat and 10-teat areas, but ground cover was denser and more complex in the latter areas. Conclusions Food-resource availability was similar in the six-teat and 10-teat phenotype areas, so the larger, and probably more exclusive, home ranges of 10-teat females could reflect greater nutritional requirements resulting from having larger litters, and account for their lower population density. Implications The A. agilis teat-number variation pattern in the Otways may be a rare, visible example of ongoing incipient speciation. This makes it of great scientific and conservation value and it is important to document how the phenomenon operates.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document