Old habits die hard: Mouse handling by a pitviper species on a rodent-free island

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Sazima ◽  
Otavio Marques
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Immediate Release ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Phylogenetic Conservatism ◽  
Specialized Diet

AbstractThe golden lancehead (Bothrops insularis) is endemic to Queimada Grande Island off the coast of southeastern Brazil. This pitviper feeds mainly on migratory birds, whereas mainland pitvipers in the genus Bothrops usually feed on rodents. Rodents are regarded as a dangerous prey type, and the habitual handling of rodents by pitvipers include its immediate release after the initial bite. However, bird prey is usually held within jaws after the initial bite. Presently there are no rodents in Queimada Grande Island, which is thought to have isolated from the mainland 11 000 yr ago. We staged encounters between B. insularis and house mice in the field to evaluate how the snake will behave when introduced to a supposedly unknown prey type. Mice were readily accepted as prey and the predatory behaviour of B. insularis was similar to that displayed by mainland pitvipers (strike-release). Although B. insularis has several morphological and ecological particularities that likely developed during its isolation on an island (some of these related to a specialized diet and/or arboreal habits), the handling behaviour of potentially dangerous prey such as rodents was retained – an indication of phylogenetic conservatism.

Larval sand lance (Ammodytes sp.) in the diet of small juvenile wolffish (Anarhichas spp.): predatory interactions in frontal water masses off western Greenland

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (11) ◽  
pp. 1759-1767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Munk
Keyword(s):  
Fish Larvae ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Ontogenetic Changes ◽  
Sand Lance ◽  
Larval Size ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Dietary Shift ◽  
Abundance Estimates ◽  
Anarhichas Lupus

The predatory behaviour of two species of juvenile wolffish (Anarhichas lupus and Anarhichas minor) was studied during a field campaign across a frontal area off western Greenland. The study focused on ontogenetic changes in prey-type and -size preference of the wolffish and their predatory impact on a cohabiting population of larval sand lance (Ammodytes sp.). Sampling took place along a cross-shelf transect at latitude 66°20' N, and the analysis is based on stomach contents of assembled wolffish (2–5 cm in length) and abundance estimates of plankton and fish. An ontogenetic change in wolffish prey preference was evident as a dietary shift from copepods and smaller amphipods to larger amphipods and fish larvae. The inclusion of fish larvae in the wolffish diet led to a marked increase in prey biomass, and fish larvae constituted up to 77% of diet biomass in the largest juveniles caught. Wolffish selectively targeted the smaller-sized part of the larval sand lance population; hence, larval vulnerability increased with decreasing size. Comparison between estimated predation rates and abundances of predator and prey indicated larval predation mortalities of up to 5% per day, with mortality peaking in the vicinity of a hydrographic front. Hence, findings suggest substantial predation pressure on larvae, primarily related to larval size and distribution.

Observations of mice predation on dark-mantled sooty albatross and Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross chicks at Gough Island

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 763-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Cuthbert ◽  
H. Louw ◽  
G. Parker ◽  
K. Rexer-Huber ◽  
P. Visser
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Mus Musculus ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Marion Island ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Gough Island ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Breeding Seasons ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ongoing Monitoring

AbstractIntroduced house miceMus musculusL. have been discovered to be major predators of chicks of the Tristan albatrossDiomedea dabbenenaL. and Atlantic petrelPterodroma incertaSchlegel and to also predate great shearwaterPuffinus gravisO'Reilly chicks at Gough Island, and similar predatory behaviour has been reported for house mice on Marion Island. Observations on Gough Island over three breeding seasons of nesting Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrossesThalassarche chlororhynchosGmelin and dark-mantled sooty albatrossPhoebetria fuscaHilsenberg indicate that house mice are also preying on these two species: the first records of mice preying upon summer-breeding albatross species on Gough Island. Predation on these two albatross species appears to be relatively rare (∼2% for the Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrosses) and ongoing monitoring is required to ascertain if the impact of mice is increasing. Conservation actions to eradicate mice from Gough Island will be of benefit to these species and other species that are being impacted by this invasive species.

Do snakes exhibit shifts in feeding ecology associated with the presence or absence of potential competitors? A case study from tropical Africa

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Luiselli
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Swamp Forest ◽  
Southeastern Nigeria ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Predator Size ◽  
Potential Competitor

Two species of rain-forest snakes, the colubrids Natriciteres fuliginoides and Natriciteres variegata, are potential competitors, because they attain, on average, the same body size (20–30 cm long), have similar habits and ecological requirements (they are both diurnal and nocturnal, often semi-aquatic), and have similar dietary spectra ( including both small vertebrates and invertebrates). I studied prey type and predator size – prey size relationships of these snakes in four swamp-forest areas of southeastern Nigeria (West Africa): only N. fuliginoides was found in two of these areas, whereas both species were common in the other two areas. The feeding ecology of N. fuliginoides shifted greatly in the presence of its potential competitor, N. variegata, in terms of prey-type preferences and predatory behaviour as well as in terms of predator size – prey size relationships. In particular, the effects of the potential competitor on the feeding ecology of N. fuliginoides were (i) a shift toward eating many invertebrates from a diet based on many small vertebrates, (ii) a shift toward eating many terrestrial organisms from a diet based on many aquatic organisms, and (iii) a shift in mean prey size for females toward relatively larger prey from a diet based on smaller prey. The resulting effect was a clear partitioning of food resources between the two predator species in both the areas where they are sympatric, whereas N. fuliginoides had a wider dietary spectrum (covering that of the two species together) in the areas where its competitor is not found. The role of intraspecific competition seems less strong, as no apparent resource partitioning in prey type or prey size was observed between males and females of either species or in any study area. However, mean prey size was significantly greater for females than for males of both species and in all study areas, but depended on the significant reverse sexual size dimorphism observed in both species.

scholarly journals Breeding of Cory's shearwater Calonectris borealis on Selvagem Grande and beneficial effects of removal of invasive mammals

Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
F. Zino ◽  
M. Biscoito ◽  
A. Buckle
Keyword(s):  
Oceanic Islands ◽  
European Rabbit ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Annual Fluctuation ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Cory’S Shearwater ◽  
Invasive Mammals ◽  
Calonectris Borealis

Abstract The largest colony of Cory's shearwater Calonectris borealis nests on the island of Selvagem Grande in the north-eastern Atlantic. In 2002, a programme of eradication was conducted to remove two alien invasive mammals, the house mouse Mus musculus and European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus. Preliminary studies recorded beneficial effects of the eradications for a variety of plant and animal species, including Cory's shearwater. We recorded fledging rates of shearwaters for 1982–2001, prior to the eradication, and for 2002–2020, after the eradication, from two quadrats, each containing 134–329 nest sites. Although there was annual fluctuation in fledging rates in the quadrats, the mean rate of 40.74 ±SD 3.92 fledglings per 100 nest sites for the two quadrats combined prior to the eradication of mammals increased significantly, to 52.88 ± SD 5.03 per 100 nest sites, after the eradications. Because the two mammals were removed synchronously it is difficult to know which factors depressed fledging of Cory's shearwaters on Selvagem Grande. However, the predatory behaviour of house mice on other oceanic islands, and the fact that increased fledging was seen soon after the eradications occurred, suggest predation by house mice on shearwater hatchlings was the main cause of losses.

scholarly journals The birds at Ilha Comprida beach (São Paulo State, Brazil): a multivariate approach

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 41-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edison Barbieri ◽  
Eduardo Tavares Paes
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Data Matrix ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Larus Dominicanus ◽  
Charadrius Semipalmatus ◽  
The Impact

Birds were censused weekly from January 1999 to January 2001 along Ilha Comprida beach, a barrier island off São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. To evaluate the similarity in the bird's species composition among the weekly surveys, species counts data were arranged on a data matrix with 144 weekly surveys, analyzed following a multivariate analysis protocol. We counted a total of 205,399 individuals and 52 species. Migratory birds were an important component of the avifauna (maximum N = 21,294 individuals and 14 species). The largest numbers of birds were observed during summer, when Nearctic migrants arrive. All 14 of the most common species were migrants, including Calidris alba, Sterna maxima, Charadrius semipalmatus, Sterna hirundo, Thalasseus maximus, Pluvialis dominica and Calidris fuscicollis. The most common residents were Thalasseus s. eurrygnathus, Larus dominicanus, Coragyps atratus, Fregata magnificens and Sterna hirundinacea. Recently, most of the peripheral area adjacent to the beach has been urbanized and rapid habitat change is progressing. In this paper, we establish a reference that will allow future comparisons to assess the impact of such urbanization on the composition of bird populations on Ilha Comprida.

Predatory plasticity in nephilengys cruentata (araneae: tetragnathidae): relevance for phylogeny reconstruction

Behaviour ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 139 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Viera ◽  
Hilton Ferreira Japyassú
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Phylogeny Reconstruction ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Cluster Analysis Method

AbstractThe plasticity of behavioural expression has been used as an argument against the use of behavioural characters in the reconstruction of phylogenetic patterns. Nevertheless, plasticity itself may vary strongly among taxa, so that phylogenetic considerations about behavioural data must be complemented by an analysis of behavioural plasticity. Plasticity may also vary among distinct behavioural domains in a single species. We have studied the foraging repertoire in N. cruentata using a cluster analysis method, in order to identify the behavioural sequences employed by the spider when preying upon either distinct prey types or distinct prey sizes. Foraging behaviour varies less with prey size than with prey type. Variation in predatory sequences is obtained through (1) repetitions of one same sequence of categories, (2) the use of one same sequence at distinct phases of the predatory behaviour, or (3) the arrangement of behavioural categories in new sequences. Despite this plasticity in spider responses to prey, almost 40% of the predatory repertoire is common to both large and small prey items; this percentage lowers to 20% when we compare the predation of distinct prey types. These results suggest that phylogenetic analysis of predatory behaviour should focus on building ethograms for one single prey type. Small variations in prey/predator size among the predator species selected for a behavioural phylogenetic analysis are preferred to variations of prey type among predator taxa. We discuss the implications of this 'single prey-type' approach to the phylogenetic analysis of behaviour.

Do ship rats display predatory behaviour towards house mice?

2013 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.J. Bridgman ◽  
J. Innes ◽  
C. Gillies ◽  
N.B. Fitzgerald ◽  
S. Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
House Mice ◽  
Predatory Behaviour

scholarly journals Diet of bromeliad-frog Phyllodytes luteolus (Anura, Hylidae) in Atlantic Forest environments: what have the frogs been eating outside sandy coastal plains?

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. e20195929
Author(s):  
Marcio Marques Mageski ◽  
Elaine Costa Campinhos ◽  
Charles Duca ◽  
Maria Carolina Stein ◽  
Melissa Peron de Oliveira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Coastal Plains ◽  
Lowland Forest ◽  
Prey Composition ◽  
Lowland Forests ◽  
Specialized Diet ◽  
Tank Bromeliads

Knowledge about the diet of anurans in different environments is essential to understanding important aspects of their trophic ecology. The bromeliad-frog Phyllodytes luteolus inhabits tank bromeliads in sandy coastal plains and lowland forests on the mainland, as well as a continental island in southeastern Brazil. In this work, we describe and analyze the diet of P. luteolus in three environments. We obtained the consumed prey items of 92 frogs (32 from sandy coastal plain, 32 from lowland forest and 28 from the island) via a stomach-flushing procedure. We found some variations in consumed prey composition and prey volume across populations, but ants represented the most important consumed prey in all environments. Only ants had a relative importance greater than 50%, which may suggest a specialized diet that transcends the sandy coastal plain environment.

scholarly journals Seasonal and ontogenetic variations in the diet of Cichla kelberi Kullander and Ferreira, 2006 introduced in an artificial lake in southeastern Brazil

2010 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 1033-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
LM Gomiero ◽  
GA Villares Junior ◽  
F Naous
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Oreochromis Niloticus ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Artificial Lake ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Peacock Bass

The diet of Cichla kelberi introduced in an artificial lake in Leme-SP was predominantly composed of common fish species (Oreochromis niloticus and C. kelberi). In the spring and summer, the most consumed item was O. niloticus. However, cannibalism was very common for this species. The high frequencies of O. niloticus and C. kelberi reveal that this species is adapted to a seasonal cycle, feeding on the most common prey in each period of the year, with a reduction of foraging activity during the winter. The diets were different among the immature and mature individuals suggesting that there are ontogenetic differences, mainly related to prey type, such as: Ephemeroptera consumed by the immature peacock bass and fish by the mature ones, besides the size of the prey.

scholarly journals Low burrow occupancy and breeding success of burrowing petrels at Gough Island: a consequence of mouse predation

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICHARD J. CUTHBERT ◽  
HENK LOUW ◽  
JEROEN LURLING ◽  
GRAHAM PARKER ◽  
KALINKA REXER-HUBER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mus Musculus ◽  
Breeding Success ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Breeding Parameters ◽  
Gough Island ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Detrimental Impact ◽  
Winter Breeding

SummaryThe predatory behaviour of introduced house mice Mus musculus at Gough Island is known to impact on albatross and petrels, resulting in the Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena and Atlantic Petrel Pterodroma incerta being listed as “Critically Endangered” and “Endangered”, respectively. Although predation has been documented for two burrowing petrels and one albatross species, the impact of house mice on other burrowing petrels on Gough Island is unknown. We report burrow occupancy and breeding success of Atlantic Petrels, Soft-plumaged Petrels Pterodroma mollis, Broad-billed Prions Pachyptila vittata, Grey Petrels Procellaria cinerea and Great Shearwaters Puffinus gravis. With the exception of the Great Shearwater, breeding parameters of burrowing petrels at Gough Island were very poor, with low burrow occupancy (range 4–42%) and low breeding success (0–44%) for four species, and high rates of chick mortality in Atlantic Petrel burrows. Breeding success decreased with mass, suggesting that smaller species are hardest hit, and winter-breeding species had lower breeding success than summer breeders. The results indicate that introduced house mice are having a detrimental impact on a wider range of species than previously recorded and are likely to be causing population declines among most burrowing petrels on Gough Island. The very low values of burrow occupancy recorded for Soft-plumaged Petrels and Broad-billed Prions and greatly reduced abundance of burrowing petrels in comparison to earlier decades indicate that Gough Island’s formerly abundant petrel populations are greatly threatened by the impact of predatory house mice which can only be halted by the eradication of this species from the island.

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