Feeding resource partitioning between two understorey insectivorous birds in a fragment of Neotropical cloud forest

Abstract The food habits and niche overlap based on diet composition and prey size of two species of understorey insectivorous birds were investigated in an area of montane rain forest in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. A total of 43 birds were captured: 33 individuals of Conopophaga lineata (Conopophagidae) with 13 recaptures, and 10 individuals of Myiothlypis leucoblephara (Parulidae) with 12 recaptures, from which were obtained respectively 33 and 10 fecal samples. Fragments of 16 groups of arthropods, plus insect eggs, were identified in these samples. Conopophaga lineata predominantly consumed Formicidae (32%) and Isoptera (23.6%). However, the index of alimentary importance (AI) of Isoptera (3.53) was lower than other groups such as Formicidae (AI = 61.88), Coleoptera (AI = 16.17), insect larvae (AI = 6.95) and Araneae (AI = 6.6). Myiothlypis leucoblephara predominantly consumed Formicidae (28.2%) and Coleoptera (24.4%), although Coleoptera and Hymenoptera non-Formicidae had the highest values of AI (38.71 and 22.98 respectively). Differences in the proportions of the types of arthropods consumed by birds were not enough to reveal their separation into feeding niches (overlap = 0.618, p observed ≤ expected = 0.934), whereas differences in the use of resources was mainly due to the size of the prey (p<0.001), where C lineata, the species with the highest body mass (p<0.001) consumed larger prey. It is plausible that prey size is an axis of niche dimension that allows the coexistence of these species.

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Comparative feeding ecology of four syntopic Hypostomus species in a Brazilian southeastern river

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/1519-6984.00915 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 76 (3) ◽

pp. 692-699 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

G. A. Villares-Junior ◽

I. B. Cardone ◽

R. Goitein

Keyword(s):

Niche Overlap ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Ecological Interactions ◽

Insect Larvae ◽

Anatomical Features ◽

Food Items ◽

Feeding Niche ◽

Morphological Aspects ◽

Trophic Morphology ◽

Local Abundance

Abstract Though their broad distribution in most Brazilian rivers, scarce studies concerning ecological interactions on Hypostomus species are available. This study observes the diet, the trophic interactions and some morphological aspects of four syntopic species of Hypostomus. These fishes were studied at the superior part of the Corumbataí river, at São Paulo state, southeastern Brazil. Analyses focused feeding patterns, their amplitude and whether there happens some food items overlap among the species. Fish were caught using cast nets at some points of the river. Species were chosen according to their local abundance and, so there were four main species: H. albopunctatus, H. ancistroides, H. regani and H. strigaticeps. Nine food items were found: sediments, fungi, diatoms, green algae, Tecamoeba, vegetal debris and invertebrates. There were not significant differences for the feeding pattern among the four Hypostomus species. The feeding niche amplitude has been larger for H. albopunctatus influenced by a larger amount of vegetal debris and invertebrates. Elevated niche overlap was found to happen among the species and also for their trophic morphology. Results may suggest that there is a similar pattern in food taken between four species of Hypostomus analyzed since all consume similar environmental resources and have similar anatomical features. However, a different intake insect larvae and plant material in H. albopunctatus diet indicate differences in local and how this species may be exploring their food compared to the others.

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Testing the competitive exclusion principle using various niche parameters in a native (Natrix maura) and an introduced (N. tessellata) colubrid

Amphibia-Reptilia ◽

10.1163/156853809789647031 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 523-531 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Sylvain Ursenbacher ◽

Philippe Christe ◽

César Metzger

Keyword(s):

Diet Composition ◽

Competitive Exclusion ◽

Prey Size ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Exclusion Principle ◽

Competitive Exclusion Principle ◽

Plant Introductions ◽

Natrix Maura ◽

Trophic Competition

AbstractDespite the increase of animal and plant introductions worldwide and the strong augmentation of the reptile trade, few invasive snake populations have been studied. Dice snakes (Natrix tessellata) were introduced to the shores of Lake Geneva (Switzerland) in the early 1920s, and are now well established. This region of introduction was previously inhabited by Viperine snakes (N. maura). Ever since these two species have been under monitoring (which began in 1996) the Viperine snake population has shown drastic decline. We examine here the possibility of trophic competition by analysing diet composition, prey size and trophic niche overlap. Spatial distribution is also assessed in order to address the question of spatial competitive exclusion. We found very similar diets, and thus a high trophic niche overlap, indicating no partitioning of the trophic resource. No arguments in favour of spatial competitive exclusion were found. Our study suggests that trophic competition may occur between the two natricines and that it may give an explanation for the drastic decline of the Viperine snake in this area. Other pathways potentially playing a role in the exclusion of the Viperine snake are discussed.

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Spatial dynamics of understorey insectivorous birds and arthropods in a southeastern Brazilian Atlantic woodlot

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/s1519-69842011000100003 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 71 (1) ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

MA. Manhães ◽

MM. Dias

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Spatial Dynamics ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Bird Species ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Insectivorous Birds ◽

Montane Rain Forest ◽

Minas Gerais State ◽

Arthropod Fauna ◽

Capture Rates

Spatial distribution and spatial relationships in capture rates of understorey insectivorous birds and density of arthropods were investigated in a patch of upper montane rain forest in Minas Gerais state, southeastern Brazil, from January to December 2004. The composition of the arthropod fauna collected was similar to that reported for other tropical forests, with predominance of Araneae, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Hemiptera non-Heteroptera. A total of 26 bird species were captured, among which the more common were Dysithamnus mentalis, Conopophaga lineata, Platyrinchus mystaceus, Basileuterus culicivorus and Sclerurus scansor. Variation in the bird capture rates among sampling net lines were not correlated with arthropod density. Rather, individual analyses of some bird species suggest that spatial distribution of understorey insectivorous birds is better explained by habitat type.

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Feeding ecology of a nocturnal invasive alien lizard species, Hemidactylus mabouia Moreau de Jonnès, 1818 (Gekkonidae), living in an outcrop rocky area in southeastern Brazil

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/s1519-69842007000300013 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 67 (3) ◽

pp. 485-491 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

CFD. Rocha ◽

LA. Anjos

Keyword(s):

Feeding Ecology ◽

Diet Composition ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Lizard Species ◽

Lower Volume ◽

Energetic Balance ◽

One Year ◽

Hemidactylus Mabouia ◽

Food Niche

We studied in fieldwork, the feeding ecology of a Hemidactylus mabouia population from southeastern Brazil throughout one year in a region with marked climatic seasonality. A sampling of availability of arthropods in the environment was carried out, which evidenced that the availability of food resources influenced the composition of the diet of H. mabouia. There were no seasonal differences on diet composition, which may be due to the relatively constant availability on prey throughout the year. In general, this population can be classified as generalist and opportunistic regarding diet. There was a high food niche overlap among juveniles and adults, although juvenile lizards tend to eat higer number of prey (but in lower volume) when compared to adult lizards. The ability to exploit a wide array of prey in an efficient way, maintaining a positive energetic balance, may be a factor determining the efficiency of this exotic species to occupy invaded areas.

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FOOD RESOURCE SHARING AMONG BENTHIC AND NEKTONIC STREAM FISH SPECIES

Boletim do Instituto de Pesca ◽

10.20950/1678-2305/bip.2021.47.e634 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. e634

Author(s):

Guilherme Raphael Camargo Arcanjo SILVA ◽

Maurício CETRA

Keyword(s):

Fish Species ◽

Resource Sharing ◽

Diet Composition ◽

Food Resource ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

High Concentration ◽

Insect Larvae ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Food Content ◽

Water Ecosystems

Several tropical freshwater fish species are generally generalistic feeders, sometimes followed by a diet reduction during the period of decreased resource availability. This study aimed to analyze the dietary overlap between nektonic and benthic fish species. The stomachs of 82 obligatory nektonics and 52 benthic were removed. The diet composition for each individual was determined based on the analysis of the stomach content, and the contents were grouped into 11 categories. For the analysis of food items, the method of degree of food preference was used. To verify the niche overlap between benthic and nectonic, the Pianka index was applied. Benthic species consumed items across all 11 food categories and nektonic species consumed nine. The diet composition of species with nektonic and benthic habits showed a significant difference. Dietary overlapping suggests a supply of the same resources, as they are shared by both groups. The high concentration of water insect larvae in the food content of all sampled fish species, regardless of the position in the water column, shows the importance of insects in the water ecosystems. The composition of ecosystem diets is helpful towards understanding the community structure and can explain the coexistence between different fish’s groups where live in different micro-habitats and how tactics used to capture food which may minimize the effects of overlapping and competitive exclusion.

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Diet composition and feeding habits of the eyespot skate, Atlantoraja cyclophora (Elasmobranchii: Arhynchobatidae), off Uruguay and northern Argentina

Neotropical Ichthyology ◽

10.1590/1982-0224-20160032 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Santiago A. Barbini ◽

Luis O. Lucifora

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Diet Composition ◽

Prey Size ◽

Prey Availability ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Warm Season ◽

Cold Season ◽

The North ◽

Multiple Hypothesis ◽

Modelling Approach

ABSTRACT The eyespot skate, Atlantoraja cyclophora, is an endemic species from the southwestern Atlantic, occurring from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to northern Patagonia, Argentina. The feeding habits of this species, from off Uruguay and north Argentina, were evaluated using a multiple hypothesis modelling approach. In general, the diet was composed mainly of decapod crustaceans, followed by teleost fishes. Molluscs, mysidaceans, amphipods, isopods, lancelets and elasmobranchs were consumed in lower proportion. The consumption of shrimps drecreased with increasing body size of A. cyclophora. On the other hand, the consumption of teleosts increased with body size. Mature individuals preyed more heavily on crabs than immature individuals. Teleosts were consumed more in the south region (34º - 38ºS) and crabs in the north region (38º - 41ºS). Shrimps were eaten more in the warm season than in the cold season. Prey size increased with increasing body size of A. cyclophora , but large individuals also consumed small teleosts and crabs. Atlantoraja cyclophora has demersal-benthic feeding habits, shifts its diet with increasing body size and in response to seasonal and regional changes in prey availability and distribution.

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Melastomataceae in a continental Atlantic Forest island from southeastern Brazil

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.183.2.1 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 183 (2) ◽

pp. 61 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kelly Cristina Silva-Gonçalves ◽

José Fernando Andrade Baumgratz ◽

André Felippe Nunes-Freitas

Keyword(s):

Coastal Plain ◽

Rain Forest ◽

New Records ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Montane Rain Forest ◽

Phenological Data ◽

Forest Plant Species ◽

Ombrophilous Forest ◽

Forest Island ◽

Insular Region

The Marambaia is an important natural refuge for preserving the genetic heritage of several rain forest plant species. In this insular region, where the vegetation types are Lower Montane Rain Forest and restingas (sandy coastal plain habitat), the impressive diversity of Melastomataceae consists of seven genera and 25 species of which 13 represent new records for the area. Miconia is best represented with 10 species, followed by Tibouchina (6 spp.), Leandra (4 spp.), Clidemia (2 spp.) and Huberia, Marcetia and Ossaea (1 sp. each). Most of the species are shrubs or trees and occur in Dense Submontane Ombrophilous Forest. Huberia ovalifolia DC., Leandra acutiflora (Naudin) Cogn. and Leandra melastomoides Raddi are cited in the list of endangered species for the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. An identification key is provided as well as descriptions, illustrations, comments on morphological peculiarities of species, and geographical and phenological data.

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Interactions between frugivorous bats (Phyllostomidae) and Piper tuberculatum (Piperaceae) in a tropical dry forest remnant in Valle del Cauca, Colombia

Revista de Biología Tropical ◽

10.15517/rbt.v64i2.20689 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 64 (2) ◽

pp. 701 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sebastián Montoya-Bustamante ◽

Vladimir Rojas-Díaz ◽

Alba Marina Torres-González

Keyword(s):

Niche Overlap ◽

Dry Forest ◽

The Other ◽

Leg Length ◽

Wing Area ◽

Use Of Resources ◽

Forest Remnant ◽

Valle Del Cauca ◽

Artibeus Lituratus ◽

The Village

Coexistence of species from a trophic guild depends on the division and use of resources. In any ecosystem, fruits are resources that vary in time and space as well as in nutritional content. Therefore, the organisms that depend on them as a food source tend to show a certain degree of specialization. Understanding the factors that influence the dynamics of seed dispersal is important for the regeneration and conservation of tropical ecosystems. Our aim was to determine variation in consumption of Piper tuberculatum (pipilongo) by the fruit bat assemblages in the village of Robles (Jamundí, Valle del Cauca, Colombia). Pipilongo is a resource used not only by wildlife but also by people in the village of Robles. Bats were captured in mist nets between June and November 2014, their feces were collected, and the length of the forearm, wing area, leg length and weight were recorded. At the Universidad del Valle seed laboratory, fecal samples were washed, and their content determined. Of the 14 species captured, Sturnira lilium, Carollia brevicauda, Carollia perspicillata and Artibeus lituratus showed signs of having consumed P. tuberculatum. Sturnira lilium was the main consumer of P. tuberculatum fruits, with the greatest number of consumption events of fruit from this plant species, whereas the other bats showed more diversified consumption events. The greatest niche overlap was recorded between C. brevicauda and C. perspicillata, species that showed similar sizes (i.e., wing area and forearm length) followed by S. lilium and C. perspicillata. In contrast, A. lituratus showed the least niche overlap with the other three fruit bats captured. In conclusion, Sturnira lilium showed an interaction Sturnira-Piper, which is the result of low Solanum availability, and this bat species was the largest consumer of pipilongo in the region.

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Natural history of the lizard Enyalius brasiliensis (Lesson, 1828) (Leiosauridae) from an Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/s1519-69842004000200021 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 64 (2) ◽

pp. 353-356 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

M. Van Sluys ◽

V. M. Ferreira ◽

C. F. D. Rocha

Keyword(s):

Natural History ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

The Other ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Important Food ◽

Insect Larvae ◽

Lizard Species ◽

Food Items ◽

History Of ◽

Forest Leaf Litter

Information on the ecology of lizard species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest is scarce and almost nothing is known about the ecology of lizards of the genus Enyalius. In this study, we provide information about some aspects of the natural history of E. brasiliensis from an area of Atlantic Forest in Ilha Grande, RJ. Enyalius brasiliensis (N = 15) feeds mainly on arthropods. The most frequent food items were insect larvae, orthopterans, and ants; in terms of volume, larvae and termites were the most important food items; ants and termites were the most numerous prey categories. Two females were reproductive (one had 10 and the other, five vitellogenic follicles); the smallest measured 92.4 mm in SVL. Seven lizards were found on forest leaf litter. The other microhabitats used were vines, fallen logs, branches, and a crevice on a slope.

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Diet and nematode infection in Proceratoprhys boiei (Anura: Cycloramphidae) from two Atlantic rainforest remnants in Southeastern Brazil

Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências ◽

10.1590/s0001-37652011000400017 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 83 (4) ◽

pp. 1303-1312 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Thaís Klaion ◽

Mauricio Almeida-gomes ◽

Luiz E. R. Tavares ◽

Carlos F. D. Rocha ◽

Monique Van Sluys

Keyword(s):

Digestive Tract ◽

Leaf Litter ◽

Larval Stage ◽

Diet Composition ◽

Infection Intensity ◽

Nematode Species ◽

Helminth Fauna ◽

Atlantic Rainforest ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Food Items

Proceratophrys boiei is an endemic cycloramphid anuran inhabiting the leaf litter of Atlantic rainforests in Southeastern Brazil. We analyzed the whole digestive tract of 38 individuals of Proceratophrys boiei collected in two Atlantic Rainforest areas in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to study the diet composition and the helminth fauna associated with this species. The main food items in P. boiei's diet were Coleoptera, Orthoptera and Blattaria. Five nematode species were found: Aplectana delirae, Cosmocerca parva, Oxyascaris oxyascaris, Physaloptera sp. (larval stage only) and an unidentified nematode. Overall prevalence was 71% and mean infection intensity was 7.3 ± 5.8 neatodes per individual.

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