The effect of habitat selection on offspring performance in the giant water bug Belostoma bifoveolatum

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Gaston Jara
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Offspring Performance ◽  
Selection Of

The selection of breeding habitat is crucial for many ectotherms inhabiting aquatic environments. Giant water bugs offer an excellent model for analysis of how temperature affects breeding habitat selection and reproductive success. This work focuses on whether wetland temperature influences habitat selection and offspring success in the giant water bug Belostoma bifoveolatum Spinola 1852. To determine B. bifoveolatum breeding habitat characteristics, twenty-one wetlands lying on the environmental gradients of canopy cover and altitude were sampled in spring; water temperature was monitored and the presence or absence of adult belostomatids, incubating males, and nymphs were recorded. Several environmental variables were measured in sites where males incubated eggs, and compared with control sites. Field experiments were also conducted to evaluate the effect of site choice on hatching success. B. bifoveolatum Spinola 1852 was found up to 1545 m a.s.l. but reproduction was observed only in the warmest temporary wetlands, with low forest cover, from 300-1000 m a.s.l. Incubating males were found in the shallowest and warmest sites within the wetlands, where egg incubation time was shortest and hatching success highest. The selection of breeding habitat and incubation site, along with parental care, constitute important adaptations in B. bifoveolatum, and could explain its success in this cold region.

Habitat selection of sympatric Siberian Grouse and Hazel Grouse in natural and exploited forests of the lower Amur region

Ornis Fennica ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 142-161
Author(s):  
Tobias Ludwig ◽  
Ralf Siano ◽  
Alexander V. Andreev
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Russian Far East ◽  
Far East ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Empirical Modelling ◽  
Hazel Grouse ◽  
Pioneer Trees ◽  
Selection Of

The Siberian Grouse (Falcipennis falcipennis), which is endemic to the “dark-needle” taiga of the Russian Far East, is one of the least studied grouse species in the world. We examined post-breeding habitat selection of Siberian Grouse and contrasted it with that of the better examined Hazel Grouse (Tetrastes bonasia) in two areas near Komsomolsk na Amure, Russia. To infer species-specific preferences, we used field sampling, logistic regression, and AIC model selection, and compared late summer habitats of Siberian Grouse and Hazel Grouse in a mountain- and hilly area in the dark needle taiga. Our study is the first to explain Siberian Grouse habitat relationships with an empirical modelling approach. Results indicate proportions of coniferous/ pioneer trees forest and rejuvenation to be the most important covariates separating Siberian and Hazel Grouse observation sites in forests from both areas. Siberian Grouse tended to select sites with low proportions of pioneer trees and rejuvenation but availability of dwarf shrubs. Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) appeared to be of high importance for the presence of Siberian Grouse in both regions. Hazel Grouse were common in places dominated by pioneer trees with high canopy cover, and high proportions of grass/herb cover. Hazel Grouse also occurred more often in forest sites with dense vertical layering and rejuvenation. Modern forestry, which results in increasing amounts of forests at younger successional stages, is likely to favour the Hazel Grouse at the expense of the Siberian Grouse.

scholarly journals Revisiting the functional response in habitat selection for large herbivores: a matter of spatial variation in resource distribution?

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1725-1733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Duparc ◽  
Mathieu Garel ◽  
Pascal Marchand ◽  
Dominique Dubray ◽  
Daniel Maillard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Functional Response ◽  
Resource Distribution ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract Most habitats are distributed heterogeneously in space, forcing animals to move according to both habitat characteristics and their needs for energy and safety. Animal space use should therefore vary according to habitat characteristics, a process known as the “functional response” in habitat selection. This response has often been tested vis-à-vis the proportion of a habitat category within areas available to individuals. Measuring sought-after resources in landscape where they are continuously distributed is a challenge and we posit here that both the mean availability of a resource and its spatial variation should be measured. Accordingly, we tested for a functional response in habitat selection according to these two descriptors of the resource available for a mountain herbivore. We hypothesized that selection should decrease with mean value of resources available and increase with its spatial variation. Based on GPS data from 50 chamois females and data on the actual foodscape (i.e., distribution of edible-only biomass in the landscape), we estimated individual selection ratio (during summer months) for biomass at the home range level, comparing edible biomass in individual home ranges and the mean and standard deviation of edible biomass in their available range. Chamois being a group-living species, available accessible ranges were shared by several individuals that formed socio-spatial groups (clusters) in the population. As expected, selection ratios increased with the standard deviation of edible resources in each cluster, but unlike our prediction, was unrelated to its mean. Selection of areas richer in resources hence did not fade away when more resources were available on average, a result that may be explained by the need for this capital breeder species to accumulate fat-reserve at a high rate during summer months. Low spatial variation could limit the selection of chamois, which highlights the importance of resource distribution in the process of habitat selection.

Moose selection of canopy cover types related to operative temperature, forage, and snow depth

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
pp. 3071-3077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis E. Schwab ◽  
Michael D. Pitt
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Snow Depth ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Early Winter ◽  
Thermal Limit ◽  
Operative Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Heat ◽  
High Forage ◽  
Selection Of

Simple linear and muliple regressions were used to determine the contribution of operative temperature (Te), forage, and snow depth to moose (Alces alces) selection of canopy cover types. The number of degree-hours for which Te exceeded the thermal limit at which panting is required to dissipate metabolic heat contributed significantly to selection during summer (1 June – 15 September) and late winter (16 January – 15 April). Forage explained canopy cover selection in early winter (16 November – 15 January) and contributed significantly to the best equation describing habitat selection during late winter. Snow depth contributed to habitat selection in early winter but was not related to habitat selection during late winter. During summer, moose generally selected against sites where Te exceeded 30 °C, the thermal limit requiring panting to dissipate metabolic heat. During late winter, moose also generally avoided canopy covers where Te commonly exceeded 8 °C, the temperature at which panting is required to dissipate heat. During early winter, moose apparently suffered minimal heat stress, as Te remained below 0 °C; consequently, moose selected canopy cover types that provided comparatively high forage availability.

scholarly journals Breeding Habitat Selection of Reeves's Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) in Dongzhai National Nature Reserve, Henan Province, China

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji-Liang XU ◽  
Xiao-Hui ZHANG ◽  
Zheng-Wang ZHANG ◽  
Guang-Mei ZHENG ◽  
Xiang-Feng RUAN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Henan Province ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
National Nature Reserve ◽  
Syrmaticus Reevesii ◽  
Selection Of

Breeding habitat selection by the endangered Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia (Meliphagidae) at the local and landscape scale

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Oliver ◽  
G. W. Lollback
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
Landscape Models ◽  
Modelling Techniques ◽  
A Site ◽  
Patch Edge ◽  
Selection Of

This is the first Australian study to apply logistical modelling techniques to describe the breeding habitat selection of a widely dispersed, highly mobile, threatened bird species. Landscape and microhabitat structural attributes of breeding habitat occupied by the endangered Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia in the Bundarra-Barraba region of northern NSW were compared to those of unoccupied habitat using logistic regression modelling. Models containing landscape scale variables were best at explaining Regent Honeyeater presence. Regent Honeyeater occupation was negatively associated with the amount of woodland cover surrounding a site (1 km and 2 km radius) and distance to patch edge, and was positively associated with site connectivity and linear remnants. Linear, well-connected woodland patches surrounded by cleared grazing land are typical of the remnant native vegetation occupied by Regent Honeyeaters in the Bundarra-Barraba region. The landscape models developed here can be used to identify potential new sites for protection and rehabilitation, and to assess the suitability of unsurveyed or unoccupied sites for the release of captively bred Regent Honeyeaters, which is identified as one of the priority recovery action for the species.

scholarly journals Prey and habitat distribution are not enough to explain predator habitat selection: addressing intraspecific interactions, behavioural state and time

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Grenier-Potvin ◽  
Jeanne Clermont ◽  
Gilles Gauthier ◽  
Dominique Berteaux
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Nest Density ◽  
Habitat Distribution ◽  
Intraspecific Interactions ◽  
Egg Hatching ◽  
Prey Distribution ◽  
Behavioural State ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract Background Movements and habitat selection of predators shape ecological communities by determining the spatiotemporal distribution of predation risk. Although intraspecific interactions associated to territoriality and parental care are involved in predator habitat selection, few studies have addressed their effects simultaneously with those of prey and habitat distribution. Moreover, individuals require behavioural and temporal flexibility in their movement decisions to meet various motivations in a heterogeneous environment. To untangle the relative importance of ecological determinants of predator fine-scale habitat selection, we studied simultaneously several spatial, temporal, and behavioural predictors of habitat selection in territorial arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) living within a Greater snow goose (Anser caerulescens atlantica) colony during the reproductive season. Methods Using GPS locations collected at 4-min intervals and behavioural state classification (active and resting), we quantified how foxes modulate state-specific habitat selection in response to territory edges, den proximity, prey distribution, and habitats. We also assessed whether foxes varied their habitat selection in response to an important phenological transition marked by decreasing prey availability (goose egg hatching) and decreasing den dependency (emancipation of cubs). Results Multiple factors simultaneously played a key role in driving habitat selection, and their relative strength differed with respect to the behavioural state and study period. Foxes avoided territory edges, and reproductive individuals selected den proximity before the phenological transition. Higher goose nest density was selected when foxes were active but avoided when resting, and was less selected after egg hatching. Selection for tundra habitats also varied through the summer, but effects were not consistent. Conclusions We conclude that constraints imposed by intraspecific interactions can play, relative to prey distribution and habitat characteristics, an important role in the habitat selection of a keystone predator. Our results highlight the benefits of considering behavioural state and seasonal phenology when assessing the flexibility of predator habitat selection. Our findings indicate that considering intraspecific interactions is essential to understand predator space use, and suggest that using predator habitat selection to advance community ecology requires an explicit assessment of the social context in which movements occur.

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