Diet of house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) and the abundance of the invertebrate prey in the dune-ridge forest, Delta Marsh, Manitoba

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 1587-1596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Guinan ◽  
Spencer G. Sealy
Keyword(s):  
Prey Selection ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Troglodytes Aedon ◽  
Delta Marsh ◽  
Invertebrate Prey ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Feeding Habitat ◽  
Dune Ridge ◽  
Sweep Net

The diet of house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) was determined from gut contents of wrens collected on the forested dune ridge, Delta Marsh, Manitoba, in 1981 and 1982. Despite a preponderance of midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) in the food resources that were available to the wrens, the wrens consumed representatives of most of the invertebrate taxa that were sampled by sweep netting in the feeding habitat. The ranked importance of 13 taxa in the wren diet was correlated most closely with the ranks of their biomass available. When larger individuals within a taxa were available they were consumed in greater proportion by wrens. Chironomids were an exception; small individuals were usually eaten in greater proportion than expected from their abundance in sweep-net samples. The percentage of small chironomids eaten, however, decreased as their abundance increased. Prey selection apparently depended on abundance, size, and ease of capture. House wrens apparently were less selective when suitable prey were abundant.

Active prey selection in developing larvae of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in spawning grounds of the Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihiro Shiroza ◽  
Estrella Malca ◽  
John T Lamkin ◽  
Trika Gerard ◽  
Michael R Landry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Larval Rearing ◽  
Thunnus Thynnus ◽  
Small Copepod ◽  
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Larval Stages

Abstract Bluefin tuna spawn in restricted areas of subtropical oligotrophic seas. Here, we investigate the zooplankton prey and feeding selectivity of early larval stages of Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT, Thunnus thynnus) in larval rearing habitat of the Gulf of Mexico. Larvae and zooplankton were collected during two multi-day Lagrangian experiments during peak spawning in May 2017 and 2018. Larvae were categorized by flexion stage and standard length. We identified, enumerated and sized zooplankton from larval gut contents and in the ambient community. Ciliates were quantitatively important (up to 9%) in carbon-based diets of early larvae. As larvae grew, diet composition and prey selection shifted from small copepod nauplii and calanoid copepodites to larger podonid cladocerans, which accounted for up to 70% of ingested carbon. Even when cladoceran abundances were <0.2 m−3, they comprised 23% of postflexion stage diet. Feeding behaviors of larvae at different development stages were more specialized, and prey selection narrowed to appendicularians and primarily cladocerans when these taxa were more abundant. Our findings suggest that ABT larvae have the capacity to switch from passive selection, regulated by physical factors, to active selection of presumably energetically optimal prey.

scholarly journals Changes in Nesting Density of Baltimore Orioles (1976-1995) and Other Species in the Dune- Ridge Forest, Delta Marsh, MB: Response to an Outbreak of Forest Tent Caterpillar?

Blue Jay ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 22-27
Author(s):  
Spencer G. Sealy
Keyword(s):  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Delta Marsh ◽  
Nesting Density ◽  
Dune Ridge ◽  
Tent Caterpillar

Changes in Nesting Density of Baltimore Orioles (1976-1995) and Other Species in the Dune- Ridge Forest, Delta Marsh, MB: Response to an Outbreak of Forest Tent Caterpillar?

Female Attraction To Male Song in House Wrens (Troglodytes Aedon)

Behaviour ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 133 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 357-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Searcy ◽  
L. Scott Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Empty Nest ◽  
Troglodytes Aedon ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Male Song ◽  
Visit Rate ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Female Attraction ◽  
Male House

AbstractThis study tested the hypothesis that the song of male birds can function to attract mates. At 11 different locations on our Wyoming study area, we broadcast the song of male house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) from a loudspeaker mounted next to an empty nest box in an unoccupied wren territory. The number of female wrens attracted to the 'speaker box' was compared to the number visiting a silent, control box on another, unoccupied territory nearby. Females visited speaker boxes at a significantly higher rate than they visited control boxes. Ten females visited speaker boxes in six different trials during periods when no male was associated with either the speaker or control box (total time = 45.5 h; visit rate = 0.22/h). In contrast, only one female visited a control box during these same periods (= 0.02 visits/h), and she did so after first visiting the speaker box. Two females visited the speaker box simultaneously in some trials and chasing or fighting always ensued. Many females showed signs of settling permanently at speaker boxes, remaining at speaker boxes from their arrival to the end of the trial (> 5 h in two cases), and most began constructing nests in boxes, despite the absence of a male. In summary, this study provides strong experimental evidence that the song of male house wrens can function to attract mates for breeding.

Do House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) add spider egg cases to their nests for heterospecific cleaning?

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-56
Author(s):  
C.L. Gable ◽  
T.J. Underwood ◽  
G.P. Setliff
Keyword(s):  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
The Body ◽  
Troglodytes Aedon ◽  
House Wren ◽  
Late Season ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Significant Difference

House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon Vieillot, 1809) regularly add spider egg cases (Arachnida: Araneae) to their nests, which may be an example of heterospecific cleaning. This behavior involves one animal employing another to remove parasites from their nests. In House Wren nests, juvenile spiders hatching from egg cases may facilitate the reduction of mites that feed on nestlings. We tested this ectoparasite reduction hypothesis by monitoring House Wren nests for spider egg cases and by collecting completed nests to compare the number of spider egg cases and Dermanyssus hirundinis (Hermann, 1804) mites. No significant relationship was found between the number of spider egg cases and number of D. hirundinis mites in nests. We also found no significant relationship between the number of D. hirundinis mites in nests and the body condition of nestlings. Finally, no significant difference was found between the number of D. hirundinis mites in early versus late season nests, but significantly more spider egg cases were added to late season nests. Of a subsample of spider egg cases dissected, we found that 28% contained spider eggs or embryos. We also identified three species of juvenile spiders from House Wren nests using DNA barcoding. Overall, we found no evidence that spider egg cases reduce the number of D. hirundinis mites or engender better quality offspring in House Wren nests.

Fitness benefits to intrasexual aggression in female house wrens, Troglodytes aedon

2020 ◽  
Vol 160 ◽  
pp. 79-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara A. Krieg ◽  
Thomas Getty
Keyword(s):  
Troglodytes Aedon ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Intrasexual Aggression ◽  
Fitness Benefits

Conventional and network analyses of song organization and complexity in northern House Wrens ( Troglodytes aedon parkmanii )

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-392
Author(s):  
Chinthaka Kaluthota ◽  
David Logue ◽  
Drew Rendall
Keyword(s):  
Troglodytes Aedon ◽  
Network Analyses ◽  
House Wrens

Song organization and variability in Northern House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon parkmanii) in western Canada

The Auk ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 130 (4) ◽  
pp. 617-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Rendall ◽  
C. D. Kaluthota
Keyword(s):  
Western Canada ◽  
Troglodytes Aedon ◽  
House Wrens

Natal and Breeding Dispersal in House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon)

The Auk ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 480-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy E. Drilling ◽  
Charles F. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Natal Dispersal ◽  
Breeding Dispersal ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Troglodytes Aedon ◽  
Grid Pattern ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Previous Season ◽  
Central Illinois

Abstract We studied the natal and breeding dispersal of yearling and adult House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) for 7 yr in central Illinois. The forested study areas contained 910 identical nest boxes placed in a grid pattern. On average 38.1% (n = 643) of the adult males and 23.3% (n = 1,468) of the adult females present in one year returned the next; 2.8% (n = 6,299) of the nestlings that survived to leave the nest returned each year. Adult male (median distance = 67 m) and adult female (median = 134 m) breeding dispersal was less than yearling male (median = 607.5 m) and yearling female (median = 674 m) natal dispersal. Females that returned had produced more offspring the previous season than had nonreturning females, and females that successfully produced at least one chick in their last nesting attempt of the previous season moved shorter distances than did unsuccessful females. There were, however, no consistent differences between returning and nonreturning females in two other measures of reproductive success. Females that were unsuccessful in their last breeding attempt of the previous year were more likely to be successful in their next attempt if they moved two or more territories than if they did not move. Reproductive success did not affect the likelihood that a male would return nor the distance that he moved. The success of subsequent nesting attempts by males was also not related to the distance moved. Inbreeding avoidance may explain differences between breeding and natal dispersal, but it does not explain the lack of difference in dispersal of yearling females and males. Differences between adult and yearling dispersal are best explained by advantages accruing to adults that remain near former breeding sites and by the necessity for yearlings to move farther because of their late return from the wintering grounds. The advantages for adults to reoccupy previous breeding sites are counterbalanced, especially in females, by advantages associated with moving after breeding failure.

Female house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) increase the size, but not immunocompetence, of their offspring through extra-pair mating

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (16) ◽  
pp. 3697-3706 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANNA M.  FORSMAN ◽  
LAURA A.  VOGEL ◽  
SCOTT K.  SAKALUK ◽  
BONNIE G.  JOHNSON ◽  
BRIAN S.  MASTERS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Troglodytes Aedon ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Pair Mating ◽  
Extra Pair Mating

Size Selective Predation by Juvenile Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) on Epibenthic Prey in Puget Sound

1975 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 1419-1429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Feller ◽  
Victor W. Kaczynski
Keyword(s):  
Chum Salmon ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Puget Sound ◽  
Harpacticoid Copepod ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Oncorhynchus Keta ◽  
Size Spectrum ◽  
Natural Diet ◽  
Chum Salmon Oncorhynchus Keta ◽  
Juvenile Chum Salmon

Analysis of gut contents shows that juvenile (30–50 mm) chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in Puget Sound select epibenthic organisms as their primary prey. Harpacticoid copepods numerically comprised over 80% of their natural diet in two areas studied, while terrestrial insects and cladocerans were most important in a third area. Calculation of Ivlev (1961) electivity coefficients indicated high selectivity factors for harpacticoids at one site (+0.59 to +0.94). Comparison of fish gut contents with quantitative epibenthic pump samples of available prey shows that prey selection was size related, but opposite that currently reported in the literature (e.g. Brooks and Dodson 1965); that is, the smaller of the available prey was preferred. This was true for both the total available prey size spectrum and the harpacticoid copepod fraction of the prey spectrum. Large numbers of prey eaten per fish suggest that juvenile chum salmon may exert high predation pressure on nearshore epibenthic organisms in Puget Sound during spring.

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