scholarly journals Short-term consequences of nutritional depression on foraging behaviour of dark bush-crickets Pholidoptera griseoaptera (Orthoptera: Ensifera)

2006 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 249-253
Author(s):  
Steffen HAHN ◽  
Grit KUNERT
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Bush Crickets

scholarly journals Individual-level specialisation and interspecific resource partitioning in bees revealed by pollen DNA metabarcoding

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Klečka ◽  
Michael Mikát ◽  
Pavla Koloušková ◽  
Jiří Hadrava ◽  
Jakub Straka
Keyword(s):  
Resource Partitioning ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Plant Reproduction ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Foraging Preferences ◽  
Dna Metabarcoding ◽  
Flower Visiting

It is increasingly recognised that intraspecific variation in traits, such as morphology, behaviour, or diet is both ubiquitous and ecologically important. While many species of predators and herbivores are known to display high levels of between-individual diet variation, there is a lack of studies on pollinators. It is important to fill in this gap because individual-level specialisation of flower-visiting insects is expected to affect their efficiency as pollinators with consequences for plant reproduction. Accordingly, the aim of our study was to quantify the level of individual-level specialisation and foraging preferences, as well as interspecific resource partitioning, across different temporal scales in three co-occurring species of bees of the genus Ceratina (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Xylocopinae), C. chalybea, C. nigrolabiata, and C. cucurbitina. We conducted a field experiment where we provided artificial nesting opportunities for the bees and combined a short-term mark-recapture study with the dissection of the bees' nests to obtain repeated samples from individual foraging females and complete pollen provisions from their nests. Hence, we could study variation of the composition of pollen collected by the bees at different temporal scales. We used DNA metabarcoding based on the ITS2 locus to identify the composition of the pollen samples. We found that the composition of pollen carried on the bodies of female bees and stored in the brood provisions in their nests significantly differed among the three co-occurring species. At the intraspecific level, individual females consistently differed in their level of specialisation and in the composition of pollen carried on their bodies and stored in their nests. Our study thus provides evidence of consistent individual-level specialisation in pollinators across multiple temporal scales. We also demonstrate that higher generalisation at the species level stemmed from larger among-individual variation in diets as observed in other types of consumers, such as predators. Our study thus reveals how specialisation and foraging preferences of bees change from the scale of individual foraging bouts to complete pollen provisions accumulated in their nests over their lifetime. Such multi-scale view of foraging behaviour is necessary to improve our understanding of the functioning of plant-flower visitor communities.

Habitat-conditioned feeding behaviour in Barbitistes constrictus (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Kaňuch ◽  
Anna Sliacka ◽  
Anton Krištín
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Plant Defence ◽  
Chemical Compounds ◽  
Beech Forest ◽  
Plant Chemical ◽  
Feeding Adaptations ◽  
Forest Habitats ◽  
Bush Crickets ◽  
Bush Cricket

AbstractSome insect herbivores can regulate their nourishment intake by different feeding behaviour. This mechanism allows them to persist with utilising different food resources according to the composition of the vegetation within their habitats. Using a two-choice experiment, we analysed foraging behaviour in females of the tree-dwelling bush-cricket Barbitistes constrictus (Orthoptera), which originated from two different forest habitats, spruce and beech forest. We found that individuals from the spruce forest mainly foraged on needle tips, and thus they nibbled more needles per day than individuals from the beech forest (medians 106.0 vs. 42.5; p < 0.0001). However, when the contents of droppings were dissected, the volume of consumed spruce was similar in both groups of bush-crickets (median > 90%), which is explained by the different feeding techniques of bush-crickets from different habitats. We propose possible scenarios for bush-cricket feeding adaptations to the deleterious effects of the host plant chemical compounds serving as a plant defence against herbivores.

scholarly journals Foraging behaviour and the risk of predation in the black house spider, Badumna insignis (Desidae)

1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robbie J. Henderson ◽  
Mark A. Elgar
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Foraging Success ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Risk Of Predation ◽  
House Spider ◽  
The Web ◽  
Model Predator

Many animals adjust their behaviour according to the presence or threat of predators. However, the foraging behaviour of sit-and-wait predators is typically thought to be inflexible to short-term changes in the environment. Here we investigate the foraging behaviour of the nocturnally active black house spider, Badumna insignis. Experiments in which different kinds of prey were introduced into the web during either the day or night indicated that the foraging success of Badumna is compromised by behaviours that reduce the risk of predation. During the day, spiders generally remain within the retreat and take longer to reach the prey, which may reduce their foraging success. In contrast, spiders sat exposed at the edge of the retreat at night, and from here could usually reach the prey before it escaped. The spiders were able to escape from a model predator more rapidly if they were at the edge of the retreat than if they were out on the web. These data suggest that the costs to Badumna of reduced fecundity through poor foraging efficiency may be outweighed by the benefits of reducing the risk of predation

Effects of reproduction on activity and foraging behaviour of adult female Columbian ground squirrels

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 2209-2216 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Bruce MacWhirter
Keyword(s):  
Adult Female ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Absolute Amount ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Active Season ◽  
Spermophilus Columbianus ◽  
Time Of Breeding ◽  
Columbian Ground Squirrels

In this study I evaluated six ways in which adult female Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus) potentially alter their overall activity and foraging behaviour to satisfy the increased energetic needs of reproduction, all of which may involve a trade-off with predation risk. A sample of nonparous females was obtained by administering a short-term chemosterilant at the time of breeding. Relative to nonparous females, parous females spent more time above ground, more time foraging, and less time vigilant, particularly during lactation, and had a longer active season. Thus, in absolute terms, parous females spent more time exposed to aboveground predators than did nonparous females. Parous females spent less time at burrow entrances and, during lactation, were active farther from escape burrows than were nonparous females. Parous and nonparous females did not differ in the percentage of time spent vigilant during foraging bouts. These results indicate that females respond to the energetic demands of reproduction by increasing the absolute amount of time spent foraging, which entails an acceptance of an increase in exposure to predators, and not by modifying their behaviour during foraging bouts.

The effect of relative abundance on diet choice in fallow deer

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 ◽  
pp. OC9-OC9
Author(s):  
U. Alm ◽  
B. Birgersson ◽  
O. Leimar
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Secondary Compounds ◽  
Fallow Deer ◽  
Diet Choice ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Generalist Herbivore ◽  
Novel Foods

The fallow deer is a generalist herbivore that eats different plants containing secondary compounds in various amounts. From observations of foraging behaviour it is known that large herbivores tend to eat from a variety of locations and, over the short term, typically ingest small quantities of a variety of foods and sample novel foods rather than making an immediate decision to either eat large amounts or to reject the food (Freeland and Janzen 1974). The diet choice of large herbivores is influenced by the presence of nutrients and toxins (Provenza 1995), but another factor that could influence the diet choice is the relative abundance of different plants and plant types. In order to study these effects we have performed experiments on the effect of the relative abundance of different food types on diet choice in fallow deer.

The effect of providing a high fibre diet on foraging behaviour of outdoor sows and consequent pasture damage

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 ◽  
pp. 32-32
Author(s):  
J P Braund ◽  
S A Edwards ◽  
I Riddoch ◽  
L Buckner ◽  
J Roden
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Food Level ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Past ◽  
Fibre Diet ◽  
High Fibre ◽  
Welfare Implications ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Fibrous Diet

Food restricted sows under extensive conditions forage for considerable periods of time and this can give rise to serious pasture damage. This pasture damage can be diminished by the reduction of rooting behaviours. In the past this has been achieved by nose ringing but, due to welfare implications, the emphasis has now been shifted onto alternative methods such as nutritional modification. This rooting behaviour is, in part, caused by hunger (feed motivation) and it has been demonstrated that this feed motivation can be manipulated by short-term changes in food level and type (Brouns et al 1994; Edwards et al, 1993; Ewbank, 1974).The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of feeding a fibrous diet (containing 600 g/kg unmolassed sugarbeet pulp) either at a restricted or ad libitum level, on foraging behaviour and the consequences of this for pasture damage.

Multiple forages as a behavioural enrichment for individually stabled horses

2007 ◽  
Vol 2007 ◽  
pp. 175-175
Author(s):  
L.C. Dumbell ◽  
A. Tackley
Keyword(s):  
Current Literature ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Short Term Trial ◽  
Term Trial ◽  
Domestic Horses ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Time Eating ◽  
Selection Of

Many domestic horses are kept in an environment very different from that of free-living horses, consuming a varied ad libitum forage based diet for up to 18 hours of the day (Harris, 1999). Cuddeford (1999) suggested that stabled horses may spend as little as 7 hours eating in a 24 hour period, with an increase in the time spent standing. Encouraging foraging behaviour, defined by Goodwin et al., (2002) to include sniffing, manipulating, biting, chewing or ingesting food, is thought to allow domesticated horses to spend more time eating, approaching the time spent on this activity in free-living horses. The diet of the free-living horse includes a selection of grasses and herbs (Putman et al., 1987) whereas most domestic horses are provided with a single forage diet (Goodwin et al., 2002). In a short term trial Goodwin et al., (2002) found that offering more than one source of forage to stabled horses resulted in them spending significantly more time foraging compared to a horse on a single forage diet. This effect was found to continue for longer periods by Thorne et al., (2005), however there appears to be no current literature on how many forages to feed within a multiple forage diet. The present study aimed to establish how many different forages to include in a multiple forage diet to maximise the time spent in foraging behaviour and minimise standing behaviour.

Short term fasting as a tool to design effective grazing strategies for lactating dairy cattle: a review

2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 1075 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Chilibroste ◽  
P. Soca ◽  
D. A. Mattiauda ◽  
O. Bentancur ◽  
P. H. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Eating Patterns ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Rumen Ph ◽  
Grazing Strategies ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Grazing Dairy Cows

Varying the time since the last meal (i.e. fasting) is a means of manipulating foraging behaviour. Management practices that restrict grazing time, and/or change the timing of the grazing session, may be analogous to changes introduced with different fasting regimes, suggesting that the same pattern of responses on foraging behaviour could be expected. Concepts related to eating patterns of grazing dairy cows are briefly reviewed, and impacts of short-term (i.e. within day) fasts on ingestive behaviours are discussed. Finally, several experiments that examined impacts of short-term fasts on eating patterns, ingestive behaviours and performance of lactating dairy cows are reviewed. Management practices that create shorter grazing sessions (i.e. longer fasting periods before grazing), and/or involve afternoon grazing, result in longer initial grazing bouts, higher intake rates, reductions in rumination time during the grazing session, as well as more pronounced changes in rumen pH, concentrations of rumen fermentation metabolites and rumen load. All of these changes have been associated with improvements in performance of grazing dairy cattle. These concepts and findings have implications in defining optimal grazing strategies, as well as allowing cattle performance, sward conditions and nutrient balances to be predicted and analysed in an integrated manner.

scholarly journals Neonicotinoid pesticides exert metabolic effects on avian pollinators

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon G. English ◽  
Natalia I. Sandoval-Herrera ◽  
Christine A. Bishop ◽  
Melissa Cartwright ◽  
France Maisonneuve ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Metabolic Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Elimination Half ◽  
Significant Depression ◽  
Neonicotinoid Pesticides ◽  
Breeding Seasons

AbstractNeonicotinoids are neurotoxic systemic insecticides applied extensively worldwide. The impacts of common neonicotinoids like imidacloprid on non-target invertebrate pollinators have been widely studied, however effects on vertebrate pollinators have received little attention. Here, we describe the first study evaluating the effects of short-term (3 d) exposure to a range of environmentally relevant concentrations ($${0.2}\,\upmu \hbox {g g}^{-1}$$ 0.2 μ g g - 1 to $${2.5}\,\upmu \hbox {g g}^{-1}\cdot$$ 2.5 μ g g - 1 · Body Weight) of imidacloprid on wild-caught ruby-throated hummingbirds. Within 2 h of exposure, hummingbirds exhibited a significant depression in energy expenditure (up to $$25\% \pm 11\%$$ 25 % ± 11 % ). We did not observe significant effects on foraging behaviour measured in the subsequent 2 h to 4 h, although the effect size estimate was large (0.29). We also analyzed tissues collected 24 h after the final dose and did not observe significant effects on immune response or cholinesterase activity, although this may be related to our small sample size. We determined that hummingbirds excrete imidacloprid quickly (elimination half-life of $$2.1\hbox { h} \pm 0.1\hbox { h}$$ 2.1 h ± 0.1 h ) relative to other bird species. Hummingbirds have high energetic demands and store relatively little energy, especially during migration and breeding seasons. Therefore, changes in their metabolism following exposures to imidacloprid observed herein could bear important survivorship consequences for hummingbirds.

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