Year-round niche segregation of three sympatric Hydrobates storm-petrels from Baja California Peninsula, Mexico, Eastern Pacific

2021 ◽  
Vol 664 ◽  
pp. 207-225
Author(s):  
Y Bedolla-Guzmán ◽  
JF Masello ◽  
A Aguirre-Muñoz ◽  
BE Lavaniegos ◽  
CC Voigt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baja California ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Baja California Peninsula ◽  
Feeding Strategies ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Niche Segregation ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Prey Items

Ecologically similar species partition their use of resources and habitats and thus coexist due to ecological segregation in space, time, or diet. In seabirds, this segregation may differ over the annual cycle or vary inter-annually. We evaluated niche segregation in 3 sympatric storm-petrel species (Hydrobates melania, H. leucorhous, and H. microsoma) from the San Benito Islands, Mexico, during 2012 and 2013. We used diet samples and carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic values obtained from egg membranes, blood, feathers, and prey. We used krill samples to delineate marine δ13C and δ15N isoscapes for the Baja California Peninsula. During the breeding season, storm-petrels segregated regarding diet composition, stable isotope values, and isotopic niches. H. melania consumed higher trophic-position prey from neritic waters, while H. leucorhous and H. microsoma foraged on lower-trophic position prey from oceanic waters. Isotopic niches among species did not overlap in 2013, whereas those of H. microsoma and H. leucorhous overlapped in 2012. The feeding strategies of H. melania varied among breeding phases, and adults consumed different prey items from different areas compared to those of their offspring. H. microsoma adults and their chicks consumed the same prey items but from different habitats. During the non-breeding period, niche segregation between species persisted, except for H. microsoma and H. leucorhous during the molt of primary (P1) and undertail cover feathers. These 3 sympatric species coexist through niche segregation based on prey items and foraging areas that vary seasonally and year-round, probably due to changes in oceanographic conditions and the distribution and availability of prey.

scholarly journals Stage-Dependent Niche Segregation: Insights From a Multi-Dimensional Approach of Two Sympatric Sibling Seabirds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aymeric Fromant ◽  
John P.Y. Arnould ◽  
Karine Delord ◽  
Grace J Sutton ◽  
Alice Carravieri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Diving Behavior ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Niche Segregation ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Niche Competition ◽  
Species Specific

Abstract Niche theory predicts that to reduce competition for the same resource, sympatric ecologically similar species should exploit divergent niches and segregate in one or more dimensions. Seasonal variations in environmental conditions and energy requirements can influence the mechanisms and the degree of niche segregation. However, studies have overlooked the multi-dimensional aspect of niche segregation over the whole annual cycle, and key facets of species co-existence still remain ambiguous. The present study provides insights into the niche use and partitioning of two morphologically and ecologically similar seabirds, the common (CDP, Pelecanoides urinatrix) and the South Georgian diving petrels (SGDP, P. georgicus). Using phenology, at-sea distribution, diving behavior and isotopic data (during the incubation, chick-rearing and non-breeding periods), we show that the degree of partitioning was highly stage-dependent. During the breeding season, the greater niche segregation during chick-rearing than incubation supported the hypothesis that resource partitioning increases during energetically demanding periods. During the post breeding period, while the observed species-specific latitudinal differences were expected, CDP and SGDP also migrated in very divergent directions. This may indicate the implication of processes other than inter-species niche competition. Our results demonstrate the importance of integrative approaches combining concepts and techniques from different fields to better understand the co-existence of ecologically similar species. The stage-dependent and context-dependent niche segregation highlights the need for whole-year and multiple-site studies of niche partitioning of sympatric species. This is particularly relevant in order to fully understand the short and long-term effects of ongoing environmental changes on species distributions and communities.

Two new species of nopal (Opuntia, Cactaceae) from the Baja California Peninsula (Mexico)

Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 508 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
FERMÍN MERCADO MUÑOZ ◽  
JOSÉ LUIS LEÓN DE LA LUZ ◽  
JON P. REBMAN ◽  
ALFONSO MEDEL NARVÁEZ ◽  
RAFAEL CAMPOS RAMOS
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Baja California ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Baja California Peninsula ◽  
Tropical Deciduous Forest ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Opuntia Species ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
Prickly Pears

Two new species of prickly-pear/nopal (Opuntia sierralagunensis and O. caboensis, Cactaceae) are described and illustrated here; both occur in the tropical deciduous forest plant community found in the Cape region of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. Previously, these two species had been overlooked and were considered extreme forms of species described from the Sierra de La Giganta (e.g., O. comonduensis, O tapona), located hundreds of kilometers away. However, with an improved collection of specimens and field knowledge of the Opuntia species in the region, we have determined that these prickly-pears are new to science and are restricted to the Cape region. We provide justification to separate them from sympatric congeners and other similar species in the southern peninsula.

scholarly journals Diet of Crotalus enyo (Serpentes: viperidae) from the Baja California Cape Region, Mexico

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rubén A. Carbajal-Márquez, ◽  
Gustavo Arnaud ◽  
Marcio Martins ◽  
Gustavo E. Quintero-Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Diet Composition ◽  
Baja California ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Baja California Peninsula ◽  
Specialist Predator ◽  
History Of ◽  
Prey Items

Crotalus enyo is a rattlesnake endemic to Baja California peninsula, Mexico. The natural history of this species is poorly known, so the goal of this study was to determine the diet of C. enyo in the Cape Region, an area with different conditions than the rest of the peninsula. We analyzed the stomach contents of 24 specimens obtained during 2010-2013, and identified the ingested prey. The diet of C. enyo consists of rodents (83.34%) and lizards (16.66%), although presents a diverse diet, the data suggest C. enyo is a specialist predator at Cape Region. We didn’t find differences in diet composition between sexes, site of capture, or season. This study documents three new prey items in the diet of C. enyo: the Orange-Throated Whiptail (Aspidocelis hyperythra), the Cape Spiny-Tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura hemilopha) and Hunsaker’s Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus hunsakerii).

Feeding Habits Variability and Trophic Position of Dolphinfish in Waters South of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico

2014 ◽  
Vol 143 (2) ◽  
pp. 528-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. E. Torres-Rojas ◽  
A. Hernández-Herrera ◽  
S. Ortega-García ◽  
M. F. Soto-Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Baja California ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Baja California Peninsula

Rehabilitation and Movement of a Blind California Sea Lion from the Southern Gulf of California to the Western Baja California Peninsula, Mexico

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-298
Author(s):  
Fernando R. Elorriaga-Verplancken ◽  
Patricia Meneses ◽  
Abraham Cárdenas-Llerenas ◽  
Wayne Phillips ◽  
Abel de la Torre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Baja California ◽  
Baja California Peninsula ◽  
Sea Lion ◽  
California Sea Lion

THE INFLUENCE OF MIOCENE TO RECENT TECTONICS AND LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION ON GENETIC DIVERSITY ALONG THE CENTRAL BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott E.K. Bennett ◽  
◽  
Michael H. Darin ◽  
Rebecca J. Dorsey ◽  
Brian P. Hausback ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Baja California ◽  
Landscape Evolution ◽  
Baja California Peninsula ◽  
Recent Tectonics

scholarly journals The isotopic niche of Atlantic, biting marine mammals and its relationship to skull morphology and body size

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Drago ◽  
Marco Signaroli ◽  
Meica Valdivia ◽  
Enrique M. González ◽  
Asunción Borrell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Isotopic Niche ◽  
Apex Predators ◽  
Skull Morphology ◽  
Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management

AbstractUnderstanding the trophic niches of marine apex predators is necessary to understand interactions between species and to achieve sustainable, ecosystem-based fisheries management. Here, we review the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios for biting marine mammals inhabiting the Atlantic Ocean to test the hypothesis that the relative position of each species within the isospace is rather invariant and that common and predictable patterns of resource partitioning exists because of constrains imposed by body size and skull morphology. Furthermore, we analyze in detail two species-rich communities to test the hypotheses that marine mammals are gape limited and that trophic position increases with gape size. The isotopic niches of species were highly consistent across regions and the topology of the community within the isospace was well conserved across the Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, pinnipeds exhibited a much lower diversity of isotopic niches than odontocetes. Results also revealed body size as a poor predictor of the isotopic niche, a modest role of skull morphology in determining it, no evidence of gape limitation and little overlap in the isotopic niche of sympatric species. The overall evidence suggests limited trophic flexibility for most species and low ecological redundancy, which should be considered for ecosystem-based fisheries management.

scholarly journals Foraging niche partitioning in sympatric seabird populations

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Petalas ◽  
Thomas Lazarus ◽  
Raphael A. Lavoie ◽  
Kyle H. Elliott ◽  
Mélanie F. Guigueno
Keyword(s):  
Interspecific Competition ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Niche Differentiation ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Gps Tracking ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Foraging Range ◽  
Common Murre ◽  
Prey Items

AbstractSympatric species must sufficiently differentiate aspects of their ecological niche to alleviate complete interspecific competition and stably coexist within the same area. Seabirds provide a unique opportunity to understand patterns of niche segregation among coexisting species because they form large multi-species colonies of breeding aggregations with seemingly overlapping diets and foraging areas. Recent biologging tools have revealed that colonial seabirds can differentiate components of their foraging strategies. Specifically, small, diving birds with high wing-loading may have small foraging radii compared with larger or non-diving birds. In the Gulf of St-Lawrence in Canada, we investigated whether and how niche differentiation occurs in four incubating seabird species breeding sympatrically using GPS-tracking and direct field observations of prey items carried by adults to chicks: the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica), razorbill (Alca torda), common murre (Uria aalge), and black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla). Although there was overlap at foraging hotspots, all species differentiated in either diet (prey species, size and number) or foraging range. Whereas puffins and razorbills consumed multiple smaller prey items that were readily available closer to the colony, murres selected larger more diverse prey that were accessible due to their deeper diving capability. Kittiwakes compensated for their surface foraging by having a large foraging range, including foraging largely at a specific distant hotspot. These foraging habitat specialisations may alleviate high interspecific competition allowing for their coexistence, providing insight on multispecies colonial living.

Mesozoic paleomagnetism and northward translation of the Baja California Peninsula

1985 ◽  
Vol 96 (8) ◽  
pp. 1077 ◽  
Author(s):  
JONATHAN T. HAGSTRUM ◽  
MICHAEL McWILLIAMS ◽  
DAVID G. HOWELL ◽  
SHERMAN GROMMÉ
Keyword(s):  
Baja California ◽  
Baja California Peninsula

Fishers' Reasons for Poaching Abalone (Haliotidae): A Study in the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 237-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Bórquez Reyes ◽  
Oscar Alberto Pombo ◽  
Germán Ponce Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Baja California ◽  
Baja California Peninsula
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