Foraging Efficiency and Body Size: A Study of Optimal Diet and Habitat Use by Bluegills

Ecology ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1370-1386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary G. Mittelbach
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Optimal Diet

Prey Body Size and Ranking in Zooarchaeology: Theory, Empirical Evidence, and Applications from the Northern Great Basin

2011 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack M. Broughton ◽  
Michael D. Cannon ◽  
Frank E. Bayham ◽  
David A. Byers
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Diet Breadth ◽  
Foraging Theory ◽  
Return Rate ◽  
The Body ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Large Prey ◽  
Abundance Indices ◽  
Game Hunting

The use of body size as an index of prey rank in zooarchaeology has fostered a widely applied approach to understanding variability in foraging efficiency. This approach has, however, been critiqued—most recently by the suggestion that large prey have high probabilities of failed pursuits. Here, we clarify the logic and history of using body size as a measure of prey rank and summarize empirical data on the body size-return rate relationship. With few exceptions, these data document strong positive relationships between prey size and return rate. We then illustrate, with studies from the Great Basin, the utility of body size-based abundance indices (e.g., the Artiodactyl Index) when used as one component of multidimensional analyses of prehistoric diet breadth. We use foraging theory to derive predictions about Holocene variability in diet breadth and test those predictions using the Artiodactyl Index and over a dozen other archaeological indices. The results indicate close fits between the predictions and the data and thus support the use of body size-based abundance indices as measures of foraging efficiency. These conclusions have implications for reconstructions of Holocene trends in large game hunting in western North America and for zooarchaeological applications of foraging theory in general.

Overwinter thermal habitat use in lakes by anadromous Arctic char

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (12) ◽  
pp. 2343-2353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingeborg M. Mulder ◽  
Corey J. Morris ◽  
J. Brian Dempson ◽  
Ian A. Fleming ◽  
Michael Power
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Thermal Habitat ◽  
Metabolic Costs ◽  
Seaward Migration

Anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) migrate back to fresh water in late summer to spawn and (or) overwinter. Upon freshwater entry, feeding is reduced or absent, and movement activity is restricted. While the physiological responses to low temperatures (e.g., growth, metabolism) are understood, specifics of the use of thermal habitat for overwintering remains poorly characterized. This study used acoustic and archival telemetry data from two lakes in southern Labrador, Canada, to study thermal habitat use during the ice-covered period. Results showed that lake-dwelling anadromous Arctic char predominantly occupied a narrow range of temperatures (0.5–2 °C) and used cooler temperatures available within the middle and upper water column. Use of the selected temperatures is likely a strategy that lowers metabolic costs and minimizes energy expenditure, preserving stored lipids for overwinter survival and the energetic costs of preparation for seaward migration. As Arctic char are visual feeders, use of the upper water column is also thought to aid foraging efficiency by increasing the likelihood of prey capture.

Intra-population variability of the non-breeding distribution of southern giant petrels Macronectes giganteus is mediated by individual body size

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 271-277
Author(s):  
Lucas Krüger ◽  
Vitor H. Paiva ◽  
Julia V.G. Finger ◽  
Elisa Petersen ◽  
José C. Xavier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Total Body Length ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
Latitudinal Distribution ◽  
The North ◽  
Wing Load ◽  
Breeding Distribution ◽  
Individual Body

AbstractLiterature reports that body size can be associated with latitudinal distribution, for instance larger animals inhabit higher latitudes and colder habitats. This rule can be applied for species and populations within a species. The potential influence of body size on non-breeding distribution and habitat use at the intra-population level was investigated for southern giant petrels Macronectes giganteus (Gmelin) from Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands. The non-breeding distribution of 23 individuals was tracked, and total body length, culmen length, wing length, wing load and body mass were measured. Positions of core areas were used to estimate the latitudinal distribution of each individual. Smaller individuals were found to be associated more with lower latitudes, where warmer conditions and more coastal and productive waters prevail, whereas large males were associated more with higher latitudes, with colder conditions near sea ice caps, presumably feeding on carrion or preying on penguins. This association reflects a latitudinal gradient, with smaller individuals positioning themselves towards the north, and larger individuals towards the south. In this case, body size, individual distribution and habitat use were found to be associated, highlighting the importance of studying potential effects of individual body size on the ecology of seabirds.

Habitat use by crayfish in stream pools: influence of predators, depth and body size

2000 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Göran Englund ◽  
James J. Krupa
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Habitat Use

scholarly journals Effects of Body Size and Sex on Foraging Territoriality of the Little Egret (Egretta Garzetta) in Japan

The Auk ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 791-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukiko Nota
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Type I ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Foraging Area ◽  
Feeding Efficiency ◽  
Strong Attachment ◽  
Little Egret ◽  
Egretta Garzetta

Abstract I studied the characteristics of foraging territoriality in the Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) and effects of body size and sex on territoriality. Sixty-eight birds were captured and sexed, and foraging behavior (usage of area, defense rate, and foraging efficiency) of 26 birds identified by color bands was observed in detail for 3 years. I categorized territoriality within the foraging area into three types according to the birds' exclusiveness and attachment to the area: high exclusiveness and strong attachment to the same area for a long period, moderate exclusiveness and attachment, and minimal exclusiveness and attachment. Body size was largest and feeding efficiency was highest in the first type. I propose a model that predicts a relationship between body size and defense rate to explain the behavior of egrets.

The Ecology of Rattus lutreolus III*. The Rise and Fall of a Commensal Population

1980 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 199 ◽  
Author(s):  
RW Braithwaite
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Mark Recapture

A free-living population of R. lutreolus living in and around the zoo enclosures of the Sir Colin MacKenzie Fauna Park at Healesville was studied for 27 months by use of mark-recapture trapping techniques. The demography of this population is compared with that of a natural heathland population. The breeding season was 2-3 months longer, growth of juveniles was more rapid, sexual maturity earlier, minimum survival shorter, body size larger, and habitat use less restricted in the commensal population. The evolution of the population and its decline are discussed.

Sexual difference in habitat use of Texas map turtles (Emydidae: Graptemys versa) and its relationship to size dimorphism and diet

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (7) ◽  
pp. 1185-1191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter V Lindeman
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Sexual Difference ◽  
Young Female ◽  
Sexual Differences ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Size Dimorphism ◽  
Young Females ◽  
Alternative Hypotheses ◽  
Map Turtles

Sexual differences in habitat use of map turtles (Graptemys spp.) have been attributed to differences in swimming ability as influenced by body size, because females are much larger than males, or to sexual differences in diet. Captures of young female Graptemys versa, which had body sizes similar to those of adult males but diet and trophic morphology more similar to those of larger females, allowed testing of these alternative hypotheses. A variety of single habitat variables measured at the sites of capture performed poorly in separating the three groups of turtles, but multivariate analysis and variables relating to position within the stream produced greater separation, indicating that complex combinations of factors probably influence habitat use. Young females were more similar in their habitat use to large females than to males, and their diet was also more similar to that of larger females, due primarily to the quantities of mollusks consumed. The data supported the hypothesis that habitat separation was the result of dietary rather than body size differences. While dietary differences are probably facilitated by sexual size dimorphism, they may not be the ultimate selective force that produced the size dimorphism.

Effects of body size and sex ofDrymarchon couperi(eastern indigo snake) on habitat use, movements, and home range size in Georgia

2013 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie L. Hyslop ◽  
J. Michael Meyers ◽  
Robert J. Cooper ◽  
Dirk J. Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Eastern Indigo Snake

scholarly journals Large male proboscis monkeys have larger noses but smaller canines

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ikki Matsuda ◽  
Danica J. Stark ◽  
Diana A. Ramirez Saldivar ◽  
Augustine Tuuga ◽  
Senthilvel K. S. S. Nathan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Large Male ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Unique Case ◽  
Male Trait ◽  
Ecological Cost ◽  
Canine Size ◽  
Proboscis Monkeys

AbstractThe uniquely enlarged noses of male proboscis monkeys are prominent adornments, and a sexually selected male trait. A recent study showed significant correlations among nose, body, and testis sizes and clear associations between nose size and the number of females in a male’s harem. However, to date, the analyses of other common male traits, i.e., canines, are lacking. Whereas male nose size had a positive correlation with body size, we unexpectedly found a negative correlation between body and canine sizes. We explain this by an interaction between sexual and natural selection. Larger noses in males may interfere with the use of canines, thereby reducing their effectiveness as weapons. Additionally, longer canines are opposed by natural selection because the larger gape it imposes upon its bearer reduces foraging efficiency, particularly in folivores. This unique case of decoupling of body and canine size reveals that large canines carry an ecological cost.

scholarly journals Larval ecomorphology of 13 Libellulidae (Anisoptera, Odonata) of the Middle Rio Doce Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
HC. Giacomini ◽  
P. De Marco Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Aquatic Macrophytes ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Morphological Divergence ◽  
Bottom Substrate ◽  
Morphological Distinction ◽  
Morphological Variables

In the lakes of the Middle Rio Doce, Minas Gerais (MG), two groups of larval Libellulidae are distinguished by preferences of habitat use: one uses mainly aquatic macrophytes and the other uses the bottom substrate. The goal of this work was to verify if there is a morphological distinction between the two groups of species. Thirteen body measures were taken from the larvae and analyzed. No difference was found between the two groups of species regarding the body size, but shape differences were observed for two morphological variables. The species that use mainly macrophytes tend to have larger relative measures of the labium and smaller measures of the abdomen width. Advantages in resource obtainment and in vulnerability to predation are probably the explanations for the morphological divergence among these larval groups.

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