Stable isotopic niche predicts fitness of prey in a wolf–deer system

Interindividual variation in niche presents a potentially central object on which natural selection can act. This may have important evolutionary implications because habitat use governs a suite of selective forces encountered by foragers. In a free-living native black-tailed deer, Odocoileus hemionus , population from coastal British Columbia, we used stable isotope analysis to identify individual variation in foraging niche and investigated its relationship to fitness. Using an intragenerational comparison of surviving and nonsurviving O. hemionus over 2 years of predation by wolves, Canis lupus, we detected resource-specific fitness. Individuals with isotopic signatures that suggested they foraged primarily in cedar ( Thuja plicata )-dominated and low-elevation hemlock ( Tsuga heterophylla )-dominated forest stands were more likely to be killed by C. lupus . High-quality forage in T. plicata stands, as indexed by protein content, may be involved in maintaining this foraging phenotype. Moreover, nonsurvivors diverged more than survivors from median isotopic signatures, suggesting selection against foraging specialization. Stable isotope analysis provides a novel opportunity to integrate ecological and selective landscapes in order to identify underlying ecological mechanisms of selection and provide insight into the maintenance of variability.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 90 , 125–137.     

Massive Seed Predation of Pseudobombax grandiflorum (Bombacaceae) by Parakeets Brotogeris versicolurus (Psittacidae) in a Forest Fragment in Brazil1

Here we report massive seed predation of Pseudobombax grandiflorum (Bombacaceae) by Botogeris versicolurus (Psittacidae) in a forest fragment in Brazil. The intensity of seed predation was very high when compared to other studies in continuous forest, perhaps resulting from a scarcity of resources in such areas. This scarcity may limit the range of parrot's diet to a few plant species. It suggests that studies of Psittacidae seed predation may be important for conservation of some plants in fragments.     

Size and fecundity variation in populations of Poecilia vivipara Block & Schneider (Teleostei; Poeciliidae) inhabiting an environmental gradient

The reproductive variables [female size (geometric centroid size), fecundity and offspring size (longest diameter of the embryo)] of the livebearer Poecilia vivipara in the quaternary lagoons of northern Rio de Janeiro State varied significantly among sites and were partially associated within and among sites. Mean female size was directly related to salinity. Fecundity (number of offspring) was directly related to female size both within and among sites. The female size × fecundity relationship, however, was not constant among sites. Offspring size was partially and directly associated with female size and salinity. The relationship between fecundity and female size was positively related with fecundity, suggesting a non-linear relationship of these variables when the total sample was considered. The results suggest that life-history differences among sites were more related to different predation regimes than to simple effects of plasticity caused by increased growth in saltwater environments.     

The understanding of industrial melanism in the peppered moth (Biston betularia) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

Melanic polymorphism in B. betularia has been extensively studied. Correlations between high melanic frequency and high levels of air pollution have been demonstrated. Kettlewell and others have shown that differential bird predation has an important effect on the maintenance of the polymorphism, and coefficients of visual selection have been obtained on the assumption that the moth habitually rests on tree trunks. Computer models based on these selective coefficients show that they are not sufficient accurately to explain observed melanic frequencies. Other non-visual selective factors and weak frequency-dependent selection have been invoked to improve fits. Analysis of the resting positions of moths recorded in the wild demonstrates that B. betularia does not usually rest in exposed positions on tree trunks, but rather rests on the underside of branches, on trunks in shaded positions just below major branch joints or on foliate twigs. The results of a pilot selection experiment, while agreeing qualitatively with Kettlewell's results, suggest that fitness estimates that assume trunk-resting are quantitively incorrect. The error is greatest for melanic moths in rural areas. It is suggested that visual selective coefficients based on a true assessment of the resting behaviour of the moths may considerably improve the fit between computer predictions and observed phenotype frequency distributions.     

Sarcocystis cernae: A parasite increasing the risk of predation of its intermediate host,Microtus arvalis

Summary 1)The transmission dynamics of the protozoan parasite Sarcocystis carnae (erná and Louková 1976) (Apicomplexa, Eimeroidea, Sarcocystidae) in natural populations were studied in the Lauwersmeerpolder in the northern Netherlands. This parasite needs two hosts to complete its life cycle; the common vole (Microtus arvalis) as its intermediate host and the kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) which preys on the vole, as its final host. 2) Seasonal variation in prevalence of infection in snap-trapped common voles was determined in two years, 1984 and 1985. It was found to be lowest in November (6% of the voles infected) and it increased gradually to a peak in May (33%). 3) Data collected in three successive kestrel breeding seasons (1983–85) revealed that voles in the kestrel summer diet are infected twice as frequently as those in snap-trap samples, 21% and 9% respectively. This difference (P<0.05, X²-test) suggests that the parasite influences its intermediate host behaviour in such a way that it enhances the probability of parasite transmission to the final host.     

Changes in the population dynamics of Keratella cochlearis (Gosse), Kellicottia longispina (Gosse) and Polyarthra vulgaris Carlin in a fertilized enclosure

The population dynamics of phytoplankton and zooplankton in a fertilized enclosure were studied from April 1977 to June 1978. During the first spring period, the rotifers Keratella cochlearis, Kellicottia longispina, and Polyarthra vulgaris were scarce. During the following spring, all three species were abundant. An attempt is made to explain these differences. Food resource competition from cladocerans, and the low food quality and possible inhibitory effects of Coccomyxa sp. were found to be the most likely factors limiting the growth of these rotifers during the first spring period.     

The analysis of planktonic rotifer populations: A plea for long-term investigations

Short-term species succession, and long-term community development, of planktonic rotifer populations of the temperate zone and factors influencing species' abundance (ie., physical and chemical limitations, food and exploitative competition, mechanical interference competition, predation, parasitism) are described and discussed. The long-term development of plankton communities in three European lakes is described and the major events are discussed in relation to ecological interactions. Frequently, the shortcomings of our knowledge about population ecology and ecophysiology of rotifers prevent explanations of short-term and, especially, of long-term developments of these plankton organisms. The need for qualitative and quantitative observations in the field and in the laboratory over long periods becomes obvious.     

Feeding and energy budget estimations inDaphnia obtusa

The reproductive and growth strategies ofDaphnia obtusa are discussed in terms of energy budget. The results obtained through feeding and life table experiments allow us to understand the role of biotic factors, such as competition and predation, in the evolution of life history traits.