Habitat selection by wolvesCanis lupus in the uplands and mountains of southern Poland

Using data from the National Wolf Census, carried out in Poland in 2000–2001, and GIS techniques we analysed habitat selection by wolvesCanis lupus Linnaeus, 1758 in uplands and mountains of southern Poland. We compared ten habitat variables and two parameters related to wolf abundance in 52 circular plots (154 km² each) with recorded wolves and 97 randomly selected plots with no signs of wolf presence. Wolf plots were characterized by higher elevation and closer location to the state border than wolf-free plots. Furthermore, wolf plots had higher forest cover, but smaller number of villages and towns and shorter railways and roads than plots without wolves. The best model explaining wolf distribution included forest cover, number of villages, length of roads and railway lines. Compared to northern Poland, the southern part of the country offers worse habitats for wolves due to significantly denser network of settlements and transportation routes.     

Winter diets of wolfCanis lupus and lynxLynx lynx in Estonia and Latvia

Winter diets of wolfCanis lupus Linnaeus, 1758 and lynxLynx lynx Linnaeus, 1758 in Latvia and Estonia were investigated in 1997–2000 based on stomach contents of hunted animals and scats. Ungulates appeared to be the staple food for both predators. Lynx diet to a high extent consisted of cervids (Estonia 52% frequency of prey, Latvia 88%), roe deer dominating. Mountain hareLepus timidus made up from 9% (Latvia) to 31% (Estonia) of the lynx diet, and red foxVulpes vulpes 7% in Estonian sample. Wolf diet was more diverse; besides cervids (44% in Latvia, 63% in Estonia) it included wild boar Sus scrofa (32% in Latvia, 17% in Estonia), carrion, small rodents, and other food items. Proportion of empty stomachs was high both in wolves (37%) and lynxes (35%) in Latvia. Range of stomach content weights varied from zero to more than 4 kg in wolves and almost 1.5 kg in lynx. Pianka’s indices of food niche overlapped significantly between species and countries (0.85–0.99).     

Selection of rendezvous sites and reuse of pup raising areas among wolvesCanis lupus of north-eastern Apennines, Italy

A coarse scale analysis was carried out of factors affecting rendezvous site selection and fidelity to pup raising areas in wolfCanis lupus Linnaeus, 1758 packs inhabiting the north eastern Apennines, Italy. From 1993 to 2004, 44 rendezvous sites were identified, and compared with random sites for variables related to topography, habitat, and human presence. Rendezvous sites were significantly more frequent inside protected areas and at a significantly greater distance from paved roads and villages than random sites. Moreover, they were located on a significantly steeper slope and at a higher absolute elevation than random sites, whereas we did not observe selection of a particular aspect. Deciduous forests were selected, whereas open areas were not used. Canopy cover above 70% was positively selected. Distance from protected areas border and paved roads, and presence of deciduous forest proved the main factors affecting rendezvous site distribution. In four cases we observed the reuse of the same rendezvous sites for two consecutive years. Some packs tended to locate their rendezvous sites in small portions of their territory, thus implying that some areas are more suitable for pup raising.     

Food habits of the barbastelle bat Barbastella barbastellus

The diet of Barbastella barbastellus was investigated through analysis of droppings collected from three maternity roosts in Germany and Switzerland The results showed a high dominance of moths (Lepidoptera). which accounted for 73-94% of the recovered items by volume Flies (Diptera). ranging in size from blow flies (Calliphoridae) and large crane flies (Tipulidae) to small Nematocera, were the second most important prey items (4-17%) Prey types recovered also included small numbers of Trichoptera, Neuroptera, Homoptera. Hymenoptera. Coleoptera and spiders (Araneae) The diet of the barbastelie differs from that of most other bats in Europe m the predominance of moths and the corresponding virtual absence of dung beetles (Coleoptera, Searabaeidae) and midges (Diptera. Chironomidae) Conservation measures for barbastelles should therefore consider facilitation of the diversity and abundance of moths     

Food habits and the basal rate of metabolism in birds

Summary The correlation of basal rate of metabolism with various factors is examined in birds. Chief among these is body mass. As in mammals, much of the remaining variation in basal rate among birds is associated with food habits. Birds other than passerines that feed on grass, nectar, flying insects, or vertebrates generally have basal rates that are similar to mammals of the same mass and food habits. In contrast, most invertebrate-eating birds that weigh over 100 g have higher basal rates than equally-sized, invertebrate-eating mammals. The high basal rates of small passerines equal those of small mammals that do not enter torpor and represent the minimal cost of continuous endothermy. Large passerines and small procellariiforms, charadriiforms, and psittaciforms generally have higher basal rates than mammals with the same mass and food habits. The high basal rates of passerines (in combination with altricial habits) may have significance in permitting high post-natal growth rates and the exploitation of seasonally abundant resources. These interrelations may contribute to the predominance of passerines in temperate land environments.     

Food habits of giraffe in Tsavo National Park, Kenya

In the context of a broader ecological investigation, food habits of giraffe were studied in Tsavo National Park (East). The only method employed was direct observation of feeding animals in the field. Each instance in which one animal fed on one individual plant was counted as one food record for this plant species; 4025 records are analysed. A total of sixty-six plant species was found to be eaten, the great majority being trees and shrubs, with a few creepers and vines. There were marked seasonal differences in the diet of giraffe, deciduous trees, shrubs and vines being dominant in the green season, evergreen plants (partly in riverine forest) in the dry season. All the trees and larger shrubs common in the study area were eaten by giraffe, while few records for very small shrubs and none for herbs and grasses were obtained. An analysis of the available vegetation was made in part of the dry-season habitat, and for twenty species the frequency in the habitat was compared with the frequency in the giraffe's diet, revealing selection for or against certain species. Giraffe utilized the upper vegetation layers, where available, but overall c. 50% of all browsing was below 2 m above ground, i.e. within reach of smaller browsers. Results of this study are compared with what is known on food habits of giraffe in other areas. Possible competition of giraffe with other browsers and the relationship between giraffe and their habitat are discussed. Continued survival of giraffe, and other browsers, in Tsavo National Park depends primarily on (1) adequate control of fire, and (2) the impact of future vegetation changes on the amount and variety of available browse plants.     

Food habits of stoatsMustela erminea and weaselsMustela nivalis in Denmark

StoatsMustela erminea Linnaeus, 1758 and weaselsMustela nivalis Linnaeus, 1766 exploit the same array of prey species at different frequencies according to body size. The rabbitOryctolagus cuniculus, which typically is the dominant prey for stoats in temperate parts of Europe, is absent in Denmark. The present study based on gastrointestinal tract contents examines the food habits of sympatric stoats (n=112) and weasels (n=132) from Denmark. Rodents were the most important prey group for both stoats and weasels, constituting 77% and 84% of their diet respectively, expressed as frequency of occurrence. No differences were detected in the proportions of major prey groups between sexes within species, but between species the diets differed. Stoats ate birds and birds’ eggs more often than weasels did, while weasels ate more insectivores. Stoats ate more oftenMicrotus voles and water voleArvicola terrestris than weasels did, while weasels ate more bank voleClethrionomys glareolus and moleTalpa europaea. There was a larger dietary overlap between sympatric stoats and weasels in Denmark than in other dietary studies in areas where rabbits were available.     

Food habits and dental disease in an iron-age population.

Tooth diseases and wear record valuable information on diet and methods of food preparation in past human populations. In this paper the teeth of an Iron-Age population (Monte Bibele, Bologna) are analyzed to reconstruct their nutritional situation. The analysis of caries frequency and distribution indicates a level of carbohydrate consumption which is consistent with an agricultural way of life. The presence of calculus indicates that proteins were present in the diet of the Monte Bibele population. The frequency of antemortem tooth loss and of dental abscesses is in harmony with the results of the analysis of caries and calculus. The examination of dental wear suggests the presence of a substantial vegetable component in the diet. From the analysis of the dental characteristics one can conclude that the population of Monte Bibele had a prevalent agricultural economy. The presence of some diachronic variations in the distribution of the examined characters suggest changes in the diet in the course of time.     

Food habits of Chanler's mountain reedbuck in a Rift valley ranch

During 1971-72 contents from the rumens of twenty-two Chanler's mountain reedbuck (Redunca fulvorufula chanleri Rothschild) collected in the Arthur Cole Ranch near Gilgil, Kenya were examined. Frequency of occurrence of monocots averaged 99.5% of identifiable fragments. Frequency of occurrence of monocots in the ground stratum of the vegetation averaged 94% in the areas where mountain reedbuck were collected. Of the 11 grass classifications (seven to species and four to genus) considered reliably identifiable in rumens, three (Themeda triandra, Hyparrhenia spp., and Cymbopogon pospischilii) were taken more frequently than was expected from their occurrence in the vegetation, six (Aristida spp., Cynodon spp., Eragrostis spp., Harpachne schimperi, Microchlva kunthii, and Tragus berteronianus) were taken less frequently, and two (Bothriochloa insculpta and Enneapogon schimperanus) were taken in approximately the same ratio as they occurred in the ground stratum of the vegetation.     

Food habits of yellowtail flounder, Limandaferruginea (Storer)

Yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferrugunea , were collected from the waters north of Cape Ann, Massachusetts, from April 1971 to January 1972. Cumaceans were the most important food item in the spring. Amphipods and polychaetes, as well as cumaceans, were the main foods consumed in other seasons. Large volumes of plant detritus, sand, and pebbles were present in the stomachs throughout the year. The highest percentage of empty stomachs coincided temporally with the spawning season, although the frequency of occurrence was low at all times. There were no differential food habits by sex or age.     

Food habits and foraging behaviour of benthivorous cichlid fishes in Lake Tanganyika

Synopsis A study was made of the food habits and foraging behaviour of coexisting benthivorous cichlid fishes along the rocky northwestern coast of Lake Tanganyika. The five group-foraging species regularly found in the study area,Gnathochromis pfefferi, Lamprologus callipterus, Altolamprologus compressiceps, Lepidiolamprologus elongatus andLobochilotes labiatus, have different foraging techniques, although all eat shrimps (family Atyidae). Individuals of each species allow potential food-competitors to forage within its foraging area, increasing its own chances of finding shrimps disturbed by the foraging action of such competitors. In these five shrimp-eating species, group foraging thus occurs in a mutualistic context. A super-abundance of shrimps may allow the coexistence of shrimp-eaters with different foraging techniques, and furthermore, their coexistence itself may promote cooperative group-foraging among them. Three benthivorous cichlids,Neolamprologus mondabu, N. tretocephalus andN. leleupi, were indifferent to, or excluded, the group foraging species because these three individual-foraging species exploit different food items or employ similar foraging techniques to the group-foraging species.