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Webster SC, Hinton JW, Chamberlain MJ, Murphy JJ, Beasley JC. Land cover and space use influence coyote carnivory: evidence from stable-isotope analysis. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17457. [PMID: 38854793 PMCID: PMC11160434 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
For many species, the relationship between space use and diet composition is complex, with individuals adopting varying space use strategies such as territoriality to facilitate resource acquisition. Coyotes (Canis latrans) exhibit two disparate types of space use; defending mutually exclusive territories (residents) or moving nomadically across landscapes (transients). Resident coyotes have increased access to familiar food resources, thus improved foraging opportunities to compensate for the energetic costs of defending territories. Conversely, transients do not defend territories and are able to redirect energetic costs of territorial defense towards extensive movements in search of mates and breeding opportunities. These differences in space use attributed to different behavioral strategies likely influence foraging and ultimately diet composition, but these relationships have not been well studied. We investigated diet composition of resident and transient coyotes in the southeastern United States by pairing individual space use patterns with analysis of stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values to assess diet. During 2016-2017, we monitored 41 coyotes (26 residents, 15 transients) with GPS radio-collars along the Savannah River area in the southeastern United States. We observed a canopy effect on δ13C values and little anthropogenic food in coyote diets, suggesting 13C enrichment is likely more influenced by reduced canopy cover than consumption of human foods. We also observed other land cover effects, such as agricultural cover and road density, on δ15N values as well as reduced space used by coyotes, suggesting that cover types and localized, resident-like space use can influence the degree of carnivory in coyotes. Finally, diets and niche space did not differ between resident and transient coyotes despite differences observed in the proportional contribution of potential food sources to their diets. Although our stable isotope mixing models detected differences between the diets of resident and transient coyotes, both relied mostly on mammalian prey (52.8%, SD = 15.9 for residents, 42.0%, SD = 15.6 for transients). Resident coyotes consumed more game birds (21.3%, SD = 11.6 vs 13.7%, SD = 8.8) and less fruit (10.5%, SD = 6.9 vs 21.3%, SD = 10.7) and insects (7.2%, SD = 4.7 vs 14.3%, SD = 8.5) than did transients. Our findings indicate that coyote populations fall on a feeding continuum of omnivory to carnivory in which variability in feeding strategies is influenced by land cover characteristics and space use behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C. Webster
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina, United States
| | | | - Michael J. Chamberlain
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States
| | | | - James C. Beasley
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina, United States
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Yayota M, Hotokebuchi M, Kawata R, Tani Y, Ohtani S. Differences in ingestive behavior between grazing goats and sheep at the bite scale. Anim Sci J 2023; 94:e13811. [PMID: 36717081 DOI: 10.1111/asj.13811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to clarify the differences in ingestive behavior between goats and sheep at the bite scale. Animals were allowed to graze a feeding station of bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flügge) with two sward heights (short and tall) to two levels of bite depletion (20 and 40 bites). Ingestive behavior variables, which represent the rate and mass of bites and chews, intake rate, bite dimensions, and bite placement characteristics, were quantified. The interspecies difference in ingestive behavior became obvious at the short sward. Goats reduced the inter-bite distance and maintained bite overlapping but took deeper bites than sheep at the short sward, resulting in slightly greater bite mass. These behavioral changes with efficient chewing may be helpful to maintain the intake rate at the short sward. Sheep maintained their inter-bite distance regardless of the sward height and decreased overlapping bites at the short sward. These behavioral characteristics in sheep in response to sward height may partly compensate for the decrease in the bite mass at the short sward, although it may not always maintain the intake rate. Thus, the present study suggests that goats and sheep implement different bite scale ingestive behaviors, including bite placement, when they eat short swards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masato Yayota
- Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan.,Education and Research Center for Food Animal Health (GeFAH), Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Mai Hotokebuchi
- Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Rie Kawata
- Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Yukinori Tani
- Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Shigeru Ohtani
- Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas D. Gorné
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CONICET, IMBiV Córdoba Argentina
- Univ. Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales Córdoba Argentina
| | - Sandra Díaz
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CONICET, IMBiV Córdoba Argentina
- Univ. Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales Córdoba Argentina
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Weterings MJ, Meister N, Fey K, Jansen PA, van Langevelde F, Kuipers HJ. Context-dependent responses of naïve ungulates to wolf-sound playback in a human-dominated landscape. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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5
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Larue B, Pelletier F, Festa-Bianchet M. A multivariate perspective of resource acquisition behaviours in bighorn sheep. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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6
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Denryter K, Cook RC, Cook JG, Parker KL. Animal‐defined resources reveal nutritional inadequacies for woodland caribou during summer–autumn. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Denryter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies University of Northern British Columbia 3333 University Way Prince George V2N 4Z9 BC Canada
| | - Rachel C. Cook
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory 1401 Gekeler Lane La Grande 97850 OR USA
| | - John G. Cook
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory 1401 Gekeler Lane La Grande 97850 OR USA
| | - Katherine L. Parker
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies University of Northern British Columbia 3333 University Way Prince George V2N 4Z9 BC Canada
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7
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OUP accepted manuscript. J Mammal 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyac007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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8
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Hall SJG, Arney DR, Bunce RGH, Vollmer E. Video recording and vegetation classification elucidate sheep foraging ecology in species-rich grassland. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:14873-14887. [PMID: 34765147 PMCID: PMC8571568 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Factors influencing grazing behavior in species-rich grasslands have been little studied. Methodologies have mostly had a primary focus on grasslands with lower floristic diversity.We test the hypothesis that grazing behavior is influenced by both animal and plant factors and investigate the relative importance of these factors, using a novel combination of video technology and vegetation classification to analyze bite and step rates.In a semi-natural, partially wooded grassland in northern Estonia, images of the vegetation being grazed and records of steps and bites were obtained from four video cameras, each mounted on the sternum of a sheep, during 41 animal-hours of observation over five days. Plant species lists for the immediate field of view were compiled. Images were partnered by direct observation of the nearest-neighbor relationships of the sheep. TWINSPAN, a standard vegetation classification technique allocating species lists to objectively defined classes by a principal components procedure, was applied to the species lists and 25 vegetation classes (15 open pasture and 10 woodland) were identified from the images.Taking bite and step rates as dependent variables, relative importance of animal factors (sheep identity), relative importance of day, and relative importance of plant factors (vegetation class) were investigated. The strongest effect on bite rates was of vegetation class. Sheep identity was less influential. When the data from woodland were excluded, sheep identity was more important than vegetation class as a source of variability in bite rate on open pasture.The original hypothesis is therefore supported, and we further propose that, at least with sheep in species-rich open pastures, animal factors will be more important in determining grazing behavior than plant factors. We predict quantifiable within-breed and between-breed differences, which could be exploited to optimize conservation grazing practices and contribute to the sustainability of extensive grazing systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Elis Vollmer
- Estonian University of Life SciencesTartuEstonia
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Cook JG, Kelly AP, Cook RC, Culling B, Culling D, McLaren A, Larter NC, Watters M. Seasonal patterns in nutritional condition of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in the southern Northwest Territories and northeastern British Columbia, Canada. CAN J ZOOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2021-0057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Evaluating nutritional condition provides insights of nutritional influences on wildlife populations. We sampled three measures of condition — body fat, body mass, and loin thickness — of adult female caribou (Rangifer tarandus (Linnaeus, 1758)) in boreal settings in the Northwest Territories (NT), Canada, in December and March, 2016–2018, and in mountain and boreal settings in British Columbia (BC), Canada, in December and February, 2014–2015. We evaluated the effect of calf-rearing on condition in December, compared influences of summer–autumn versus winter on condition over winter, and developed an annual profile of nutritional condition with estimates from caribou dying in summer. Mean December body fat was 8.4% in females with calves and 11.4% in females without calves, demonstrating the influence of lactation on condition. Over winter, nutritional condition did not decline in northeastern BC and it declined slightly in NT: body fat by 0.55 percentage points, mass by 2.8 kg, and loin thickness did not change. Body fat peaked in December, changed little over winter, but declined to a minimum by early summer, temporally coinciding with elevated rates of adult female mortality. Consistent with those of other ungulate studies worldwide, our findings suggest a need to focus on nutritional limitations operating in late spring through early autumn.
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Affiliation(s)
- John G. Cook
- Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory, National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, 1401 Gekeler Lane, La Grande, OR 1401 Gekeler Lane, USA
| | - Allicia P. Kelly
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, Box 900, Fort Smith, NT X0E 0P0, Canada
| | - Rachel C. Cook
- Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory, National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, 1401 Gekeler Lane, La Grande, OR 1401 Gekeler Lane, USA
| | - Brad Culling
- Diversified Environmental, Box 6263, Fort St. John, BC V1J 4X7, Canada
| | - Diane Culling
- Diversified Environmental, Box 6263, Fort St. John, BC V1J 4X7, Canada
| | - Ashley McLaren
- Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Peterborough, ON K9L 1Z8, Canada
| | - Nicholas C. Larter
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, Fort Simpson, NT X0E 0N0, Canada
| | - Megan Watters
- British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Fort St. John, BC V1J 6M7, Canada
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Parikh GL, Webster CR, Vucetich JA. A Microhistological Investigation of Winter Diets of White-Tailed Deer in Relict Eastern Hemlock Stands, Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2021. [DOI: 10.1656/045.028.0305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Grace L. Parikh
- Ecosystem Science Center, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931
| | - Christopher R. Webster
- Ecosystem Science Center, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931
| | - John A. Vucetich
- Ecosystem Science Center, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931
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Soares Bolzan AM, Szymczak LS, Nadin L, Bonnet OJF, Wallau MO, de Moraes A, Moraes RF, Monteiro ALG, Carvalho PCF. What, how, and how much do herbivores eat? The Continuous Bite Monitoring method for assessing forage intake of grazing animals. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9217-9226. [PMID: 34306618 PMCID: PMC8293712 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Determining herbage intake is pivotal for studies on grazing ecology. Direct observation of animals allows describing the interactions of animals with the pastoral environment along the complex grazing process. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the reliability of the continuous bite monitoring (CBM) method in determining herbage intake in grazing sheep compared to the standard double-weighing technique method during 45-min feeding bouts; evaluate the degree of agreement between the two techniques; and to test the effect of different potential sources of variation on the reliability of the CBM. The CBM method has been used to describe the intake behavior of grazing herbivores. In this study, we evaluated a new approach to this method, that is, whether it is a good proxy for determining the intake of grazing animals. Three experiments with grazing sheep were carried out in which we tested for different sources of variations, such as the number of observers, level of detail of bite coding grid, forage species, forage allowance, sward surface height heterogeneity, experiment site, and animal weight, to determine the short-term intake rate (45 min). Observer (Pexp1 = 0.018, Pexp2 = 0.078, and Pexp3 = 0.006), sward surface height (Pexp2 < 0.001), total number of bites observed per grazing session (Pexp2 < 0.001 and Pexp3 < 0.001), and sward depletion (Pexp3 < 0.001) were found to affect the absolute error of intake estimation. The results showed a high correlation and agreement between the two methods in the three experiments, although intake was overestimation by CBM on experiments 2 and 3 (181.38 and 214.24 units, respectively). This outcome indicates the potential of CBM to determining forage intake with the benefit of a greater level of detail on foraging patterns and components of the diet. Furthermore, direct observation is not invasive nor disrupts natural animal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leonardo S. Szymczak
- Department of Forage Plants and AgrometeorologyFederal University of Rio Grande do SulPorto AlegreRSBrazil
- Department of Crop Production and ProtectionFederal University of ParanáCuritibaPRBrazil
| | - Laura Nadin
- Faculty of Veterinary SciencesNational University of the Centre of the Buenos Aires ProvinceTandilArgentina
| | - Olivier Jean F. Bonnet
- Department of Forage Plants and AgrometeorologyFederal University of Rio Grande do SulPorto AlegreRSBrazil
- Centre d'Études et de Réalisations Pastorales Alpes‐MéditerranéeDigne les BainsFrance
| | | | - Anibal de Moraes
- Department of Crop Production and ProtectionFederal University of ParanáCuritibaPRBrazil
| | - Renata F. Moraes
- Department of Crop Production and ProtectionFederal University of ParanáCuritibaPRBrazil
| | | | - Paulo C. F. Carvalho
- Department of Forage Plants and AgrometeorologyFederal University of Rio Grande do SulPorto AlegreRSBrazil
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Szymczak LS, de Moraes A, Sulc RM, Monteiro ALG, Lang CR, Moraes RF, da Silva DFF, Bremm C, de Faccio Carvalho PC. Tall fescue sward structure affects the grazing process of sheep. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11786. [PMID: 32678270 PMCID: PMC7366922 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68827-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of factors influencing animal intake can provide a better understanding of the dynamics of the pasture ecosystem and serve as a basis for managing livestock in a more efficient way. We measured different sward surface heights of tall fescue in the process of short-term intake rate of sheep. There was a significant effect of sward surface height on herbage mass (P < 0.001), leaf lamina mass (P < 0.001), other species mass (P = 0.02), bite mass (P = 0.01) and short-term intake rate (P = 0.03) of sheep. There was a quadratic fit between time per bite and bite mass (P = 0.006). Multivariate analysis showed that the short-term intake rate and bite mass were positively correlated (r = 0.97), bite rate and total jaw movement rate were positively correlated but both were negatively correlated with time per bite. The sward surface height of tall fescue corresponding to the maximum short-term herbage intake rate was 22.3 cm. The underlying processes were driven by the bite mass, which was influenced by the leaf lamina bulk density and its consequences upon time per bite. This sward surface height can be adopted as a pre-grazing target for rotational stocking systems to optimize sheep nutrition on pastures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Silvestri Szymczak
- Department of Crop Production and Protection, Federal University of Paraná, Rua dos Funcionários 1540, Curitiba, Paraná, 80035-050, Brazil.
| | - Anibal de Moraes
- Department of Crop Production and Protection, Federal University of Paraná, Rua dos Funcionários 1540, Curitiba, Paraná, 80035-050, Brazil
| | - Reuben Mark Sulc
- Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH, 43210-1086, USA
| | - Alda Lucia Gomes Monteiro
- Departament of Animal Science, Federal University of Paraná, Rua dos Funcionários 1540, Curitiba, Paraná, 80035-050, Brazil
| | - Claudete R Lang
- Department of Crop Production and Protection, Federal University of Paraná, Rua dos Funcionários 1540, Curitiba, Paraná, 80035-050, Brazil
| | - Renata Francieli Moraes
- Department of Crop Production and Protection, Federal University of Paraná, Rua dos Funcionários 1540, Curitiba, Paraná, 80035-050, Brazil
| | - Delma Fabiola Ferreira da Silva
- Department of Crop Production and Protection, Federal University of Paraná, Rua dos Funcionários 1540, Curitiba, Paraná, 80035-050, Brazil
| | - Carolina Bremm
- Department of Agricultural Diagnosis and Research, Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation of Rio Grande Do Sul, Rua Gonçalves Dias 570, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, 90130060, Brazil
| | - Paulo César de Faccio Carvalho
- Department of Forage Plants and Agrometeorology, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves 7712, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, 91540-000, Brazil
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Denryter K, Cook RC, Cook JG, Parker KL, Gillingham MP. State-dependent foraging by caribou with different nutritional requirements. J Mammal 2020; 101:544-557. [PMID: 32454534 PMCID: PMC7236907 DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyaa003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Foraging by animals is hypothesized to be state-dependent, that is, varying with physiological condition of individuals. State often is defined by energy reserves, but state also can reflect differences in nutritional requirements (e.g., for reproduction, lactation, growth, etc.). Testing hypotheses about state-dependent foraging in ungulates is difficult because fine-scale data needed to evaluate these hypotheses generally are lacking. To evaluate whether foraging by caribou (Rangifer tarandus) was state-dependent, we compared bite and intake rates, travel rates, dietary quality, forage selection, daily foraging time, and foraging strategies of caribou with three levels of nutritional requirements (lactating adults, nonlactating adults, subadults 1-2 years old). Only daily foraging times and daily nutrient intakes differed among nutritional classes of caribou. Lactating caribou foraged longer per day than nonlactating caribou-a difference that was greatest at the highest rates of intake, but which persisted even when intake was below requirements. Further, at sites where caribou achieved high rates of intake, caribou in each nutritional class continued foraging even after satisfying daily nutritional requirements, which was consistent with a foraging strategy to maximize energy intake. Foraging time by caribou was partially state-dependent, highlighting the importance of accounting for physiological state in studies of animal behavior. Fine-scale foraging behaviors may influence larger-scale behavioral strategies, with potential implications for conservation and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Denryter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
- Wildlife Branch—Elk and Pronghorn Antelope Program, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Rachel C Cook
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory, La Grande, OR, USA
| | - John G Cook
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory, La Grande, OR, USA
| | - Katherine L Parker
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael P Gillingham
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
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14
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The summer spatial distribution of Japanese serows (Capricornis crispus) in an area without predation risk. Mamm Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-019-00005-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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15
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Armani M, Charles-Dominique T, Barton KE, Tomlinson KW. Developmental constraints and resource environment shape early emergence and investment in spines in saplings. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2020; 124:1133-1142. [PMID: 31560757 PMCID: PMC6943690 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcz152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Herbivory by large mammals imposes a critical recruitment bottleneck on plants in many systems. Spines defend plants against large herbivores, and how early they emerge in saplings may be one of the strongest predictors of sapling survival in herbivore-rich environments. Yet little effort has been directed at understanding the variability in spine emergence across saplings. METHODS We present a multispecies study examining whether and how sapling size, spine type and species' environmental niche (light and precipitation environment) influence early emergence and biomass investment in spines. A phylogenetically diverse pool of 45 species possessing different spine types (spines, prickles and thorns; that are derived from distinct plant organs: leaf, epidermis or cortex, and branch, respectively), were grown under common-garden conditions, and patterns of spine emergence and biomass allocation to spines at 5 and 15 weeks after transplanting were characterized. KEY RESULTS Spine type and species' resource niche were the main factors driving early emergence and investment patterns. Spines emerged earliest in leaf spine-bearing species, and latest in thorn-bearing species. The probability of early spine emergence increased with decreasing precipitation, and was greater in species from open than from closed habitats. Sapling investment in spines changed with plant mass but was contingent on spine type and habitat type. CONCLUSIONS Different spine types have strikingly different timing of expression, suggesting that developmental origins of spines play a critical role in sapling defences. Furthermore, species from different precipitation and light environments (open vs. closed habitats) showed contrasting patterns of early spine expression, suggesting that resource limitation in their native range may have driven divergent evolution of early defence expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Armani
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
| | - Tristan Charles-Dominique
- CNRS UMR7618; Sorbonne University, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Paris, Paris, France
| | - Kasey E Barton
- Department of Botany, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Kyle W Tomlinson
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, China
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16
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Response of Anatidae Abundance to Environmental Factors in the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Floodplain, China. SUSTAINABILITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/su11236814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Understanding and predicting animal distribution is one of the most elementary objectives in ecology and conservation biology. Various environmental factors, such as habitat area, habitat quality, and climatic factors, play important roles in shaping animal distribution. However, the mechanism underlying animal distribution remains unclear. Using generalized additive mixed models, we analyzed the effects of environmental factors and years on the population of five Anatidae species: Tundra swan, swan goose, bean goose, greater and lesser white-fronted goose, across their wintering grounds along the Middle and Lower Yangtze River floodplain (MLYRF) during 2001–2016. We found that: (1) All populations decreased except for that of the bean goose. (2) The patch area was not included in any of the best models. (3) NDVI was the most important factor in determining the abundance of grazing geese. (4) Climatic factors had no significant effect on the species in question. Our results suggest that, when compared to habitat area, habitat quality is better in predicting Anatidae distribution on the basin scale. Thus, to better conserve wintering Anatidae, we should keep a sufficiently large area at the single lake, as well as high quality habitat over the whole basin. This might be achieved by developing a more strategic water plan for the MLYRF.
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Bravo C, Bautista LM, Ponce C, Alonso JC. Feeding functional responses in a sexually size-dimorphic bird. ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2019.103487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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18
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Hoy SR, Vucetich JA, Liu R, DeAngelis DL, Peterson RO, Vucetich LM, Henderson JJ. Negative frequency-dependent foraging behaviour in a generalist herbivore (Alces alces) and its stabilizing influence on food web dynamics. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:1291-1304. [PMID: 31131882 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Resource selection is widely appreciated to be context-dependent and shaped by both biological and abiotic factors. However, few studies have empirically assessed the extent to which selective foraging behaviour is dynamic and varies in response to environmental conditions for free-ranging animal populations. Here, we assessed the extent that forage selection fluctuated in response to different environmental conditions for a free-ranging herbivore, moose (Alces alces), in Isle Royale National Park, over a 10-year period. More precisely, we assessed how moose selection for coniferous versus deciduous forage in winter varied between geographic regions and in relation to (a) the relative frequency of forage types in the environment (e.g. frequency-dependent foraging behaviour), (b) moose abundance, (c) predation rate (by grey wolves) and (d) snow depth. These factors are potentially important for their influence on the energetics of foraging. We also built a series of food-chain models to assess the influence of dynamic foraging strategies on the stability of food webs. Our analysis indicates that moose exhibited negative frequency dependence, by selectively exploiting rare resources. Frequency-dependent foraging was further mediated by density-dependent processes, which are likely to be predation, moose abundance or some combination of both. In particular, frequency dependence was weaker in years when predation risk was high (i.e. when the ratio of moose to wolves was relatively low). Selection for conifers was also slightly weaker during deep snow years. The food-chain analysis indicates that the type of frequency-dependent foraging strategy exhibited by herbivores had important consequences for the stability of ecological communities. In particular, the dynamic foraging strategy that we observed in the empirical analysis (i.e. negative frequency dependence being mediated by density-dependent processes) was associated with more stable food web dynamics compared to fixed foraging strategies. The results of this study indicated that forage selection is a complex ecological process, varying in response to both biological (predation and moose density) and abiotic factors (snow depth) and over relatively small spatial scales (between regions). This study also provides a useful framework for assessing the influence of other aspects of foraging behaviour on the stability of food web dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R Hoy
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
| | - John A Vucetich
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
| | - Rongsong Liu
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | - Don L DeAngelis
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Rolf O Peterson
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
| | - Leah M Vucetich
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
| | - John J Henderson
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
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Boval M, Sauvant D. Ingestive behaviour of grazing ruminants: meta-analysis of the components of bite mass. Anim Feed Sci Technol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Weterings MJA, Ewert SP, Peereboom JN, Kuipers HJ, Kuijper DPJ, Prins HHT, Jansen PA, van Langevelde F, van Wieren SE. Implications of shared predation for space use in two sympatric leporids. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:3457-3469. [PMID: 30962905 PMCID: PMC6434570 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 11/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial variation in habitat riskiness has a major influence on the predator-prey space race. However, the outcome of this race can be modulated if prey shares enemies with fellow prey (i.e., another prey species). Sharing of natural enemies may result in apparent competition, and its implications for prey space use remain poorly studied. Our objective was to test how prey species spend time among habitats that differ in riskiness, and how shared predation modulates the space use by prey species. We studied a one-predator, two-prey system in a coastal dune landscape in the Netherlands with the European hare (Lepus europaeus) and European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as sympatric prey species and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) as their main predator. The fine-scale space use by each species was quantified using camera traps. We quantified residence time as an index of space use. Hares and rabbits spent time differently among habitats that differ in riskiness. Space use by predators and habitat riskiness affected space use by hares more strongly than space use by rabbits. Residence time of hare was shorter in habitats in which the predator was efficient in searching or capturing prey species. However, hares spent more time in edge habitat when foxes were present, even though foxes are considered ambush predators. Shared predation affected the predator-prey space race for hares positively, and more strongly than the predator-prey space race for rabbits, which were not affected. Shared predation reversed the predator-prey space race between foxes and hares, whereas shared predation possibly also released a negative association and promoted a positive association between our two sympatric prey species. Habitat riskiness, species presence, and prey species' escape mode and foraging mode (i.e., central-place vs. noncentral-place forager) affected the prey space race under shared predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martijn J. A. Weterings
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
- Department of Animal Management, Wildlife ManagementVan Hall Larenstein University of Applied SciencesLeeuwardenThe Netherlands
| | - Sophie P. Ewert
- Department of Animal Management, Wildlife ManagementVan Hall Larenstein University of Applied SciencesLeeuwardenThe Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey N. Peereboom
- Department of Animal Management, Wildlife ManagementVan Hall Larenstein University of Applied SciencesLeeuwardenThe Netherlands
| | - Henry J. Kuipers
- Department of Animal Management, Wildlife ManagementVan Hall Larenstein University of Applied SciencesLeeuwardenThe Netherlands
| | | | | | - Patrick A. Jansen
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
- Smithsonian Tropical Research InstituteBalboaPanamá
| | - Frank van Langevelde
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of KwaZulu‐NatalDurbanSouth Africa
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21
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Weterings MJA, Moonen S, Prins HHT, van Wieren SE, van Langevelde F. Food quality and quantity are more important in explaining foraging of an intermediate-sized mammalian herbivore than predation risk or competition. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:8419-8432. [PMID: 30250712 PMCID: PMC6144975 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Revised: 04/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
During times of high activity by predators and competitors, herbivores may be forced to forage in patches of low-quality food. However, the relative importance in determining where and what herbivores forage still remains unclear, especially for small- and intermediate-sized herbivores. Our objective was to test the relative importance of predator and competitor activity, and forage quality and quantity on the proportion of time spent in a vegetation type and the proportion of time spent foraging by the intermediate-sized herbivore European hare (Lepus europaeus). We studied red fox (Vulpes vulpes) as a predator species and European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as a competitor. We investigated the time spent at a location and foraging time of hare using GPS with accelerometers. Forage quality and quantity were analyzed based on hand-plucked samples of a selection of the locally most important plant species in the diet of hare. Predator activity and competitor activity were investigated using a network of camera traps. Hares spent a higher proportion of time in vegetation types that contained a higher percentage of fibers (i.e., NDF). Besides, hares spent a higher proportion of time in vegetation types that contained relatively low food quantity and quality of forage (i.e., high percentage of fibers) during days that foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were more active. Also during days that rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were more active, hares spent a higher proportion of time foraging in vegetation types that contained a relatively low quality of forage. Although predation risk affected space use and foraging behavior, and competition affected foraging behavior, our study shows that food quality and quantity more strongly affected space use and foraging behavior than predation risk or competition. It seems that we need to reconsider the relative importance of the landscape of food in a world of fear and competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martijn J. A. Weterings
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
- Wildlife ManagementDepartment of Animal ManagementVan Hall Larenstein University of Applied SciencesLeeuwardenThe Netherlands
| | - Sander Moonen
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
- Institute of Avian ResearchWilhelmshavenGermany
| | | | | | - Frank van Langevelde
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of KwaZulu‐NatalDurbanSouth Africa
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22
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Schmitt MH, Shuttleworth A, Ward D, Shrader AM. African elephants use plant odours to make foraging decisions across multiple spatial scales. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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23
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Roberts CP, Cain JW, Cox RD. Identifying ecologically relevant scales of habitat selection: diel habitat selection in elk. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Caleb P. Roberts
- Department of Natural Resources Management Texas Tech University Goddard Building, Box 42125 Lubbock Texas 79409 USA
| | - James W. Cain
- U.S. Geological Survey New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology New Mexico State University P.O. Box 30003, MSC 4901 Las Cruces New Mexico 88003 USA
| | - Robert D. Cox
- Department of Natural Resources Management Texas Tech University Goddard Building, Box 42125 Lubbock Texas 79409 USA
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Charles‐Dominique T, Barczi J, Le Roux E, Chamaillé‐Jammes S. The architectural design of trees protects them against large herbivores. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tristan Charles‐Dominique
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Centre for Integrated Conservation, Community Ecology and Conservation Menglun 666303 Yunnan China
| | | | - Elizabeth Le Roux
- Department of Zoology Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Port Elizabeth Province of Eastern Cape South Africa
| | - Simon Chamaillé‐Jammes
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive UMR 5175 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Université de Montpellier Université Paul Valéry Montpellier Ecole Pratiques des Hautes Etudes (EPHE) 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5 France
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25
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Cook JG, Cook RC, Davis RW, Irwin LL. Nutritional ecology of elk during summer and autumn in the Pacific Northwest. WILDLIFE MONOGRAPHS 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/wmon.1020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John G. Cook
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement; Forestry and Range Science Laboratory; 1401 Gekeler Lane La Grande OR 97850 USA
| | - Rachel C. Cook
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement; Forestry and Range Science Laboratory; 1401 Gekeler Lane La Grande OR 97850 USA
| | - Ronald W. Davis
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Urbana IL 61820 USA
| | - Larry L. Irwin
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement; P.O. Box 68 Stevensville MT 59870 USA
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26
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Clegg BW, O'Connor TG. Harvesting and chewing as constraints to forage consumption by the African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana). PeerJ 2016; 4:e2469. [PMID: 27688971 PMCID: PMC5036105 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
As a foundation for understanding the diet of African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana), adult bulls and cows were observed over an annual cycle to determine whether harvesting (Pt), chewing (Ct) and handling times (Ht) differed across food types and harvesting methods (handling time is defined as the time to harvest, chew and swallow a trunkload of food). Bulls and cows were observed 105 and 26 times, respectively (94 and 26 individuals), with a total of 64 h of feeding recorded across 32 vegetation types. Some food types took longer to harvest and chew than others, which may influence intake rate and affect choice of diet. The method used to gather a trunkload of food had a significant effect on harvesting time, with simple foraging actions being comparatively rapid and more difficult tasks taking longer. Handling time was constrained by chewing for bulls, except for the processing of roots from woody plants, which was limited by harvesting. Time to gather a trunkload had a greater influence on handling time for cows compared to bulls. Harvesting and handling times were longer for bulls than cows, with the sexes adopting foraging behaviors that best suited their energy requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce W Clegg
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; The Malilangwe Trust, Chiredzi, Zimbabwe
| | - Timothy G O'Connor
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), Pretoria, South Africa
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27
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Abstract
Savannas first began to spread across Africa during the Miocene. A major hypothesis for explaining this vegetation change is the increase in C4 grasses, promoting fire. We investigated whether mammals could also have contributed to savanna expansion by using spinescence as a marker of mammal herbivory. Looking at the present distribution of 1,852 tree species, we established that spinescence is mainly associated with two functional types of mammals: large browsers and medium-sized mixed feeders. Using a dated phylogeny for the same tree species, we found that spinescence evolved at least 55 times. The diversification of spiny plants occurred long after the evolution of Afrotherian proboscideans and hyracoids. However, it is remarkably congruent with diversification of bovids, the lineage including the antelope that predominantly browse these plants today. Our findings suggest that herbivore-adapted savannas evolved several million years before fire-maintained savannas and probably, in different environmental conditions. Spiny savannas with abundant mammal herbivores occur in drier climates and on nutrient-rich soils, whereas fire-maintained savannas occur in wetter climates on nutrient-poor soils.
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28
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Mahenya O, Ndjamba JK, Mathisen KM, Skarpe C. Giraffe browsing in response to plant traits. ACTA OECOLOGICA 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2016.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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29
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Parikh GL, Forbey JS, Robb B, Peterson RO, Vucetich LM, Vucetich JA. The influence of plant defensive chemicals, diet composition, and winter severity on the nutritional condition of a free-ranging, generalist herbivore. OIKOS 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.03359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Grace L. Parikh
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science; Michigan Technological University; Houghton MI 49931 USA
| | | | - Brecken Robb
- Dept of Biological Sciences; Boise State University; Boise ID USA
| | - Rolf O. Peterson
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science; Michigan Technological University; Houghton MI 49931 USA
| | - Leah M. Vucetich
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science; Michigan Technological University; Houghton MI 49931 USA
| | - John A. Vucetich
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science; Michigan Technological University; Houghton MI 49931 USA
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30
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Zhang Y, Jia Q, Prins HHT, Cao L, de Boer WF. Effect of conservation efforts and ecological variables on waterbird population sizes in wetlands of the Yangtze River. Sci Rep 2015; 5:17136. [PMID: 26601785 PMCID: PMC4658538 DOI: 10.1038/srep17136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2015] [Accepted: 10/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Forage quality and availability, climatic factors, and a wetland’s conservation status are expected to affect the densities of wetland birds. However, the conservation effectiveness is often poorly studied. Here, using twelve years’ census data collected from 78 wetlands in the Yangtze River floodplain, we aimed to understand the effect of these variables on five Anatidae species, and evaluate the effectiveness of the conservation measures by comparing population trends of these species among wetlands that differ in conservations status. We showed that the slope angle of a wetland and the variation thereof best explain the differences in densities of four species. We also found that the population abundances of the Anatidae species generally declined in wetlands along the Yangtze River floodplain over time, with a steeper decline in wetlands with a lower protection status, indicating that current conservation policies might deliver benefits for wintering Anatidae species in China, as population sizes of the species were buffered to some extent against decline in numbers in wetlands with a higher level protection status. We recommend several protection measures to stop the decline of these Anatidae species in wetlands along the Yangtze River floodplain, which are of great importance for the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Zhang
- Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Qiang Jia
- School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Herbert H T Prins
- Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lei Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Science, Chinese Academic of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Willem Frederik de Boer
- Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Individual-area relationship best explains goose species density in wetlands. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0124972. [PMID: 25996502 PMCID: PMC4440642 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Explaining and predicting animal distributions is one of the fundamental objectives in ecology and conservation biology. Animal habitat selection can be regulated by top-down and bottom-up processes, and is mediated by species interactions. Species varying in body size respond differently to top-down and bottom-up determinants, and hence understanding these allometric responses to those determinants is important for conservation. In this study, using two differently sized goose species wintering in the Yangtze floodplain, we tested the predictions derived from three different hypotheses (individual-area relationship, food resource and disturbance hypothesis) to explain the spatial and temporal variation in densities of two goose species. Using Generalized Linear Mixed Models with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique, we demonstrated that goose density was positive correlated with patch area size, suggesting that the individual area-relationship best predicts differences in goose densities. Moreover, the other predictions, related to food availability and disturbance, were not significant. Buffalo grazing probably facilitated greater white-fronted geese, as the number of buffalos was positively correlated to the density of this species. We concluded that patch area size is the most important factor determining the density of goose species in our study area. Patch area size is directly determined by water levels in the Yangtze floodplain, and hence modifying the hydrological regimes can enlarge the capacity of these wetlands for migratory birds.
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Pretorius Y, de Boer WF, Kortekaas K, van Wijngaarden M, Grant RC, Kohi EM, Mwakiwa E, Slotow R, Prins HHT. Why elephant have trunks and giraffe long tongues: how plants shape large herbivore mouth morphology. ACTA ZOOL-STOCKHOLM 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/azo.12121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda Pretorius
- Centre for Wildlife Management; University of Pretoria; Private bag X20, Hatfield Pretoria 0028 South Africa
- Resource Ecology Group; Wageningen University; Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Willem F. de Boer
- Resource Ecology Group; Wageningen University; Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Kim Kortekaas
- Resource Ecology Group; Wageningen University; Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Machiel van Wijngaarden
- Resource Ecology Group; Wageningen University; Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Rina C. Grant
- Scientific Services; Kruger National Park; Private Bag X402 Skukuza 1350 South Africa
| | - Edward M. Kohi
- Resource Ecology Group; Wageningen University; Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Emmanuel Mwakiwa
- Resource Ecology Group; Wageningen University; Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Rob Slotow
- Biological and Conservation Sciences; Westville Campus; University of KwaZulu-Natal; Private Bag X54001 Durban 4000 South Africa
| | - Herbert H. T. Prins
- Resource Ecology Group; Wageningen University; Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen The Netherlands
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Carvalho PCF, Bremm C, Mezzalira JC, Fonseca L, da Trindade JK, Bonnet OJF, Tischler M, Genro TCM, Nabinger C, Laca EA. Can animal performance be predicted from short-term grazing processes? ANIMAL PRODUCTION SCIENCE 2015. [DOI: 10.1071/an14546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Despite all the biotic and abiotic factors affecting foraging by ruminants, there is a common and fundamental process, which is bite gathering. We hypothesised that because the mechanics of bite formation dominate the foraging process, changes in short-term bite mass are reflected in longer-term animal performance across a wide range of sward conditions. We focus at the meal level of foraging, using experiments in which the effect of abiotic factors and digestive constrains are minimised, making intake rate the main currency. We estimated bite mass across a wide range of structural challenges to large-herbivore foraging in a long-term experiment with heterogeneous native grasslands. A conceptual model was developed for average daily gain, where energy gain and energy costs were proximate causal variables. Energy gain was a function of diet quality and components of daily intake rate, where bite mass was the main component estimated. In turn, components of intake rate were determined by sward structure and bodyweight. Energy costs were a function of bodyweight and abiotic conditions. Finally, sward structure, bodyweight and abiotic conditions were determined by experimental treatments, seasons and years. Then, the conceptual model was translated into statistical models that included variables measured or estimated, and coefficients representing all links in the conceptual model. Weight gain was a function of bite mass, forage characteristics, and animal and abiotic conditions. Models were set up to test whether forage and stocking conditions affected monthly gain beyond the effects through bite mass, after correcting for abiotic factors. Forage mass, height and disappearance did help predict monthly gain after bite mass was included in the model, which supported our hypothesis. However, stocking treatments and season had significant effects not incorporated in bite mass. Although the model explained 77.9% of liveweight gain variation, only 35.2% was due to fixed effects, with 10.8% accounted by bite mass and its interactions. Concomitant experiments showed that sward structure (first with sward height and the second with tussock cover) does determine bite mass and short-term intake rate in the complex native grasslands we studied. Yet, other temporal varying components of monthly gain not correlated with bite mass, temperature or wind, added most of the observed variation in monthly animal performance. Part of the model failure to account for variation in performance may be related to a significant and temporally variable grazing of tussocks. We used a bite mass model that assumed no tussock grazing. In light of these results and a parallel experiment, we conclude that tussock grazing must be incorporated in future versions of the model.
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Nichols RV, Cromsigt JPGM, Spong G. DNA left on browsed twigs uncovers bite-scale resource use patterns in European ungulates. Oecologia 2014; 178:275-84. [PMID: 25543852 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-3196-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2014] [Accepted: 12/12/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Fine-scale resource use by large herbivores is often difficult to quantify directly. This is particularly true for browsing ungulates due to the challenges in observing shy subjects in forested environments of low visibility. As a consequence we know relatively little about resource use by diverse browsing ungulates. When browsing, ungulates leave behind saliva on the browsed twig that includes their DNA, which can be used to identify the species that was responsible for browsing the twig. We used this method, which we term "biteDNA", to study bite-scale browsing patterns in a temperate ungulate community. This approach provides a level of detail in browsing patterns across species that was previously very hard to attain. We found that all deer species largely overlapped in terms of the tree species they used. Moose browsed larger diameters than red deer and roe deer, but these latter two species did not differ. Moose browsed at higher heights than red deer, and red deer higher than roe deer. Although the deer species differed in mean browsing height, species were comparable in terms of their minimum browsing height of ~20 cm. This means that height and diameter ranges of the smaller species were found to be completely inside the ranges of the larger species. Hence, while moose may access exclusive food resources in terms of browse height and diameter, red and roe deer cannot.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth V Nichols
- Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, 90183, Umeå, Sweden,
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35
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Hempson GP, Archibald S, Bond WJ, Ellis RP, Grant CC, Kruger FJ, Kruger LM, Moxley C, Owen-Smith N, Peel MJS, Smit IPJ, Vickers KJ. Ecology of grazing lawns in Africa. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2014; 90:979-94. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2014] [Revised: 08/21/2014] [Accepted: 08/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gareth P. Hempson
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Cape Town; Private Bag X1 Rondebosch 7701 South Africa
- Organization for Tropical Studies; PO Box 33 Skukuza 1350 South Africa
| | - Sally Archibald
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3 Wits 2050 South Africa
- Natural Resources and the Environment, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research; PO Box 395 Pretoria 0001 South Africa
| | - William J. Bond
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Cape Town; Private Bag X1 Rondebosch 7701 South Africa
- South African Environmental Observation Network, National Research Foundation; Private Bag X7 Claremont 7735 South Africa
| | - Roger P. Ellis
- Organization for Tropical Studies; PO Box 33 Skukuza 1350 South Africa
| | - Cornelia C. Grant
- Scientific Services, SANParks; Private Bag X402 Skukuza 1350 South Africa
- Department of Zoology; Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University; PO Box 77000 Port Elizabeth 6031 South Africa
| | - Fred J. Kruger
- Organization for Tropical Studies; PO Box 33 Skukuza 1350 South Africa
- Centre for Environmental Management; Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of the Free State; PO Box 339 Bloemfontein 9300 South Africa
| | - Laurence M. Kruger
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Cape Town; Private Bag X1 Rondebosch 7701 South Africa
- Organization for Tropical Studies; PO Box 33 Skukuza 1350 South Africa
| | - Courtney Moxley
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Cape Town; Private Bag X1 Rondebosch 7701 South Africa
| | - Norman Owen-Smith
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3 Wits 2050 South Africa
| | - Mike J. S. Peel
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3 Wits 2050 South Africa
- Rangeland Ecology; Agricultural Research Council, Animal Production Institute; PO Box 7063 Nelspruit 1200 South Africa
| | - Izak P. J. Smit
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3 Wits 2050 South Africa
- Scientific Services, SANParks; Private Bag X402 Skukuza 1350 South Africa
| | - Karen J. Vickers
- Organization for Tropical Studies; PO Box 33 Skukuza 1350 South Africa
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36
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Burns KC. Are there general patterns in plant defence against megaherbivores? Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- K. C. Burns
- School of Biological Sciences; Victoria University of Wellington; PO Box 600 Wellington 6140 New Zealand
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37
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Landman M, Kerley GI. Elephant both Increase and Decrease Availability of Browse Resources for Black Rhinoceros. Biotropica 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marietjie Landman
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology; Department of Zoology; Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University; PO Box 77000 Port Elizabeth 6031 South Africa
| | - Graham I. Kerley
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology; Department of Zoology; Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University; PO Box 77000 Port Elizabeth 6031 South Africa
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38
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Fonseca L, Carvalho PCF, Mezzalira JC, Bremm C, Galli JR, Gregorini P. Effect of sward surface height and level of herbage depletion on bite features of cattle grazing Sorghum bicolor swards1. J Anim Sci 2013; 91:4357-65. [DOI: 10.2527/jas.2012-5602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- L. Fonseca
- Grazing Ecology Research Group, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 91540-000, Brazil
| | - P. C. F. Carvalho
- Grazing Ecology Research Group, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 91540-000, Brazil
| | - J. C. Mezzalira
- Grazing Ecology Research Group, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 91540-000, Brazil
| | - C. Bremm
- Grazing Ecology Research Group, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 91540-000, Brazil
| | - J. R. Galli
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Departamento de Produccion Animal, Zavalla, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - P. Gregorini
- DairyNZ Ltd. Corner of Ruakura and Morrinsville Roads, 3240, Hamilton, New Zealand
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39
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Diet selection and seasonal dietary switch of a large sexually dimorphic herbivore. ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2012.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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40
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Foraging behaviour of beef heifers and ewes in natural grasslands with distinct proportions of tussocks. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2012.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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41
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Müller DWH, Codron D, Meloro C, Munn A, Schwarm A, Hummel J, Clauss M. Assessing the Jarman-Bell Principle: Scaling of intake, digestibility, retention time and gut fill with body mass in mammalian herbivores. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2012; 164:129-40. [PMID: 23047052 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2012.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2012] [Revised: 09/26/2012] [Accepted: 09/28/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Differences in allometric scaling of physiological characters have the appeal to explain species diversification and niche differentiation along a body mass (BM) gradient - because they lead to different combinations of physiological properties, and thus may facilitate different adaptive strategies. An important argument in physiological ecology is built on the allometries of gut fill (assumed to scale to BM(1.0)) and energy requirements/intake (assumed to scale to BM(0.75)) in mammalian herbivores. From the difference in exponents, it has been postulated that the mean retention time (MRT) of digesta should scale to BM(1.0-0.75)=BM(0.25). This has been used to argue that larger animals have an advantage in digestive efficiency and hence can tolerate lower-quality diets. However, empirical data does not support the BM(0.25) scaling of MRT, and the deduction of MRT scaling implies, according to physical principles, no scaling of digestibility; basing assumptions on digestive efficiency on the thus-derived MRT scaling amounts to circular reasoning. An alternative explanation considers a higher scaling exponent for food intake than for metabolism, allowing larger animals to eat more of a lower quality food without having to increase digestive efficiency; to date, this concept has only been explored in ruminants. Here, using data for 77 species in which intake, digestibility and MRT were measured (allowing the calculation of the dry matter gut contents (DMC)), we show that the unexpected shallow scaling of MRT is common in herbivores and may result from deviations of other scaling exponents from expectations. Notably, DMC have a lower scaling exponent than 1.0, and the 95% confidence intervals of the scaling exponents for intake and DMC generally overlap. Differences in the scaling of wet gut contents and dry matter gut contents confirm a previous finding that the dry matter concentration of gut contents decreases with body mass, possibly compensating for the less favorable volume-surface ratio in the guts of larger organisms. These findings suggest that traditional explanations for herbivore niche differentiation along a BM gradient should not be based on allometries of digestive physiology. In contrast, they support the recent interpretation that larger species can tolerate lower-quality diets because their intake has a higher allometric scaling than their basal metabolism, allowing them to eat relatively more of a lower quality food without having to increase digestive efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis W H Müller
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 260, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
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Shrader AM, Bell C, Bertolli L, Ward D. Forest or the trees: At what scale do elephants make foraging decisions? ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2011.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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43
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Qasem L, Cardew A, Wilson A, Griffiths I, Halsey LG, Shepard ELC, Gleiss AC, Wilson R. Tri-axial dynamic acceleration as a proxy for animal energy expenditure; should we be summing values or calculating the vector? PLoS One 2012; 7:e31187. [PMID: 22363576 PMCID: PMC3281952 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2011] [Accepted: 01/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynamic body acceleration (DBA) has been used as a proxy for energy expenditure in logger-equipped animals, with researchers summing the acceleration (overall dynamic body acceleration--ODBA) from the three orthogonal axes of devices. The vector of the dynamic body acceleration (VeDBA) may be a better proxy so this study compared ODBA and VeDBA as proxies for rate of oxygen consumption using humans and 6 other species. Twenty-one humans on a treadmill ran at different speeds while equipped with two loggers, one in a straight orientation and the other skewed, while rate of oxygen consumption (VO2) was recorded. Similar data were obtained from animals but using only one (straight) logger. In humans, both ODBA and VeDBA were good proxies for VO2 with all r(2) values exceeding 0.88, although ODBA accounted for slightly but significantly more of the variation in VO2 than did VeDBA (P<0.03). There were no significant differences between ODBA and VeDBA in terms of the change in VO2 estimated by the acceleration data in a simulated situation of the logger being mounted straight but then becoming skewed (P = 0.744). In the animal study, ODBA and VeDBA were again good proxies for VO2 with all r(2) values exceeding 0.70 although, again, ODBA accounted for slightly, but significantly, more of the variation in VO2 than did VeDBA (P<0.03). The simultaneous contraction of muscles, inserted variously for limb stability, may produce muscle oxygen use that at least partially equates with summing components to derive DBA. Thus, a vectorial summation to derive DBA cannot be assumed to be the more 'correct' calculation. However, although within the limitations of our simple study, ODBA appears a marginally better proxy for VO2. In the unusual situation where researchers are unable to guarantee at least reasonably consistent device orientation, they should use VeDBA as a proxy for VO2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lama Qasem
- Biological Sciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom.
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44
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Codron J, Codron D, Sponheimer M, Kirkman K, Duffy KJ, Raubenheimer EJ, Mélice JL, Grant R, Clauss M, Lee-Thorp JA. Stable isotope series from elephant ivory reveal lifetime histories of a true dietary generalist. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:2433-41. [PMID: 22337695 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.2472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Longitudinal studies have revealed how variation in resource use within consumer populations can impact their dynamics and functional significance in communities. Here, we investigate multi-decadal diet variations within individuals of a keystone megaherbivore species, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana), using serial stable isotope analysis of tusks from the Kruger National Park, South Africa. These records, representing the longest continuous diet histories documented for any extant species, reveal extensive seasonal and annual variations in isotopic--and hence dietary--niches of individuals, but little variation between them. Lack of niche distinction across individuals contrasts several recent studies, which found relatively high levels of individual niche specialization in various taxa. Our result is consistent with theory that individual mammal herbivores are nutritionally constrained to maintain broad diet niches. Individual diet specialization would also be a costly strategy for large-bodied taxa foraging over wide areas in spatio-temporally heterogeneous environments. High levels of within-individual diet variability occurred within and across seasons, and persisted despite an overall increase in inferred C(4) grass consumption through the twentieth century. We suggest that switching between C(3) browsing and C(4) grazing over extended time scales facilitates elephant survival through environmental change, and could even allow recovery of overused resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Codron
- School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa.
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45
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Courant S, Fortin D. Time allocation of bison in meadow patches driven by potential energy gains and group size dynamics. OIKOS 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.19994.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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46
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St-Louis A, Côté SD. Foraging behaviour at multiple temporal scales in a wild alpine equid. Oecologia 2011; 169:167-76. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-011-2166-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2010] [Accepted: 10/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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47
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Babin JS, Fortin D, Wilmshurst JF, Fortin ME. Energy gains predict the distribution of plains bison across populations and ecosystems. Ecology 2011; 92:240-52. [PMID: 21560694 DOI: 10.1890/10-0252.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Developing tools that help predict animal distribution in the face of environmental change is central to understanding ecosystem function, but it remains a significant ecological challenge. We tested whether a single foraging currency could explain bison (Bison bison) distribution in dissimilar environments: a largely forested environment in Prince Albert National Park (Saskatchewan, Canada) and a prairie environment in Grasslands National Park (Saskatchewan, Canada). We blended extensive behavioral observations, relocations of radio-collared bison, vegetation surveys, and laboratory analyses to spatially link bison distribution in the two parks and expected gains for different nutritional currencies. In Prince Albert National Park, bison were more closely associated with the distribution of plants that maximized their instantaneous energy intake rate (IDE) than their daily intake of digestible energy. This result reflected both bison's intensity of use of individual meadows and their selection of foraging sites within meadows. On this basis, we tested whether IDE could explain the spatial dynamics of bison reintroduced to Grasslands National Park. As predicted, bison distribution in this park best matched spatial patterns of plants offering rapid IDE rather than rapid sodium intake, phosphorus intake, or daily intake of digestible energy. Because the two study areas have very different plant communities, a phenomenological model of resource selection developed in one area could not be used to predict animal distribution in the other. We were able, however, to successfully infer the distribution of bison from their foraging objective. This consistency in foraging currency across ecosystems and populations provides a strong basis for forecasting animal distributions in novel and dynamic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Sébastien Babin
- Centre d'Etude de la Forêt and Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec City, Quebec G1V 0A6, Canada
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Jager NRD, Pastor J. Effects of simulated moose Alces alces browsing on the morphology of rowan Sorbus aucuparia. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2010. [DOI: 10.2981/09-105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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49
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Buchmann CM, Schurr FM, Nathan R, Jeltsch F. An allometric model of home range formation explains the structuring of animal communities exploiting heterogeneous resources. OIKOS 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.18556.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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50
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Moose summer and winter diets along a large scale gradient of forage availability in southern Norway. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-010-0370-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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