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1.
The eyes of the sandlance, Limnichthyes fasciatus (Creediidae, Teleostei) move independently and possess a refractive cornea, a convexiclivate fovea and a non-spherical lens giving rise to a wide separation of the nodal point from the axis of rotation of the eye much like that of a chameleon. To investigate this apparent convergence of the visual optics in these phylogenetically disparate species, we examine feeding behaviour and accommodation in the sandlance with special reference to the possibility that sandlances use accommodation as a depth cue to judge strike length. Frame-by-frame analysis of over 2000 strikes show a 100% success rate. Explosive strikes are completed in 50 ms over prey distances of four body lengths. Close-up video confirms that successful strikes can be initiated monocularly (both normally and after monocular occlusion) showing that binocular cues are not necessary to judge the length of a strike. Additional means of judging prey distance may also be derived from parallax information generated by rotation of the eye as suggested for chameleons. Using photorefraction on anaesthetised sandlances, accommodative changes were induced with acetylcholine and found to range between 120 D and 180 D at a speed of 600–720 D s−1. The large range of accommodation (25% of the total power) is also thought to be mediated by corneal accommodation where the contraction of a unique cornealis muscle acts to change the corneal curvatures. Accepted: 8 December 1999  相似文献   

2.
The majority of heron species (Aves, Ardeidae) forage on aquatic prey in shallow water. Prey detection, aiming and the beginning of the capture strikes are performed while the heron's eyes are above water. For most angles, as a result of air/water light refraction, the apparent image available to a heron is vertically displaced from the prey's real position. Herons must therefore correct for refraction. We tested the hypothesis that species that forage in aquatic habitats should be more able to correct for image disparity than those of terrestrial habitats. The ability of hand-reared herons of four species to capture stationary prey (fish) underwater (submerged) or in air (aerial) was tested. Three species (little egret Egretta garzetta, squacco heron Ardeola ralloides, and night heron Nycticorax nycticorax) normally forage in aquatic habitats while the fourth (cattle egret Bubulcus ibis) forages in terrestrial habitats. No individuals missed aerial prey. Success rates of little egrets and of squacco herons with submerged prey were high, while night herons became less successful with increased prey depth and/or distance. In cattle egrets, success rate was low and negatively correlated with prey depth. The observed interspecific differences may thus be related to (1) differential ability to correct for air/water light refraction and (2) the species' foraging behaviour. We suggest that cattle egrets are in the process of losing their ability to cope with submerged prey. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.  相似文献   

3.
A 6-week laboratory experiment exposed juvenile Ambon damselfish Pomacentrus amboinensis to visual and chemical cues of either a predator, a herbivore or a null control (sea water) and found no effect of predator cues on prey morphology (proportion of ocellus to eye diameter, body depth, standard length and fin area). Nonetheless, behaviour was significantly affected by predator presence, with prey less active and taking half as many feeding strikes when exposed to predators compared to fish from the null control. The presence of a herbivore also affected prey behaviour similar to that of the predator, suggesting that the presence of a non-predator may have important effects on development.  相似文献   

4.
Adaptive hypotheses based on interspecific comparisons can be tested by evaluating the context‐dependence of the behaviour of individual organisms. Drummond (Behaviour, 86, 1983, 1) categorized garter snake species (Thamnophis) as terrestrial–aquatic generalists or aquatic specialists based on diet and aquatic foraging behaviour. He hypothesized that the characteristic foraging behaviours of aquatic specialists – including frequent crawling on the underwater substrate and a high rate of underwater predatory strikes – are adaptations for feeding on relatively widely dispersed aquatic prey. Drummond's hypothesis based on interspecific comparisons suggests that individual snakes might change their foraging in the direction of aquatic specialist behaviour with an increase in water depth (which increases prey dispersion). I tested this prediction through laboratory observations of Mexican Pacific lowlands garter snakes (T. validus) feeding on minnows in shallow (2 cm) and deep (3–7 cm) water. Members of this species are appropriate subjects because they are ecologically intermediate between the generalists and aquatic specialists studied by Drummond, and thus might be expected to show more variation in aquatic foraging behaviour than those species. T. validus showed significantly higher frequencies of crawling on the underwater substrate and of underwater strikes in the deep water than in the shallow water; i.e. increased water depth shifted the behaviour of these snakes toward that of aquatic specialists, thus supporting Drummond's hypothesis. Individuals of an aquatic specialist species, the narrow‐headed garter snake (T. rufipunctatus), showed less pronounced changes in behaviour with increased water depth. Western ribbon snakes (T. proximus), which feed primarily at the land–water interface (and are expected to act like terrestrial–aquatic generalists), typically refused to feed in deep water. Interspecific differences in underwater visual acuity may underly the behavioural differences among the three species by determining whether changes in foraging behaviour with water depth are advantageous. Information on phylogenetic relationships suggests that the facultative behaviour of T. validus may represent an intermediate stage in the evolution of aquatic specialization.  相似文献   

5.
The effect of feeding behaviour on the prey capture efficiency of young-of-the-year European perch and roach was investigated in laboratory experiments using planktonic crustaceans possessing different escape abilities—Daphnia sp. and Cyclops sp. Two sets of experiments were performed. In the first set, the feeding efficiency and behaviour of 270 fish individuals were determined by stomach content analyses and video record evaluations. In the second set of experiments, analysis of attack-effort, which was evaluated as attack-distance and repeated strikes, was undertaken. Except for situations in which Daphnia was offered at high densities, the feeding efficiency of perch was significantly higher compared to roach in all other combinations of prey types and densities. Roach consumed significantly less prey compared to perch when feeding exclusively on the evasive Cyclops and when it was offered in a 1:1 ratio mixture with Daphnia. The mean swimming speed was similar in both fish species, but behavioural differences were evident during prey search and capture. Perch swam through the aquaria in short and fast movements that were interrupted by many stops. Roach exhibited rather continuous swimming that was punctuated by slowdowns instead of stops. The perch attacks were very intensive and repeated strikes occurred, particularly when feeding on evasive Cyclops. On the other hand, roach revealed strong schooling behaviour restricting the fish during inspection of the experimental aquaria. The distinct differences in feeding efficiency between perch and roach were demonstrated to be closely related to differences in their feeding behaviour. Discontinuous searching for prey, vigorous attacks, occurrence of repeated strikes and the absence of schooling increased perch prey capture efficiency, particularly when foraging on evasive copepods.  相似文献   

6.
The complexity of natural environments is an important component of animal behavior, and laboratory environments often cannot reproduce that complexity. Strike‐induced chemosensory searching (SICS) is a robust phenomenon among venomous snakes that has been studied extensively in the laboratory. To date, observations of this behavior in the field have been limited largely to anecdotes; the extent to which post‐strike behaviors in the laboratory accurately reflect what occurs in nature has not been examined. In this study, I use time‐lapse video equipment in the field to record the predatory behavior of timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus). This represents the first quantitative analysis of post‐strike predatory behaviors associated with natural feeding events. As in the laboratory, stereotyped post‐strike behaviors were only observed after successful strikes, and not after missed strikes. Snakes in the field were observed to proceed through the same basic behavioral stages that have been documented in the laboratory: striking prey, releasing prey immediately after strike, post‐strike immobility, location of the chemosensory trail, trail following, and prey swallowing. However, the duration of post‐strike immobility, trail location, and prey swallowing was substantially longer in field than in laboratory studies. Additionally, post‐strike immobility was significantly longer when snakes struck large prey (prey over 100 g) than when they struck small prey. Overall, these results indicate that the behavioral challenges associated with SICS may be more robust than laboratory studies have indicated.  相似文献   

7.
Prey depletion is a major threat to the conservation of large carnivore species globally. However, at the policy‐relevant scale of protected areas, we know little about how the spatial distribution of prey depletion affects carnivore space use and population persistence. We developed a spatially explicit, agent‐based model to investigate the effects of different human‐induced prey depletion experiments on the globally endangered tiger (Panthera tigris) in isolated protected areas—a situation that prevails throughout the tiger's range. Specifically, we generated 120 experiments that varied the spatial extent and intensity of prey depletion across a stylized (circle) landscape (1,000 km2) and Nepal's Chitwan National Park (~1,239 km2). Experiments that created more spatially homogenous prey distributions (i.e., less prey removed per cell but over larger areas) resulted in larger tiger territories and smaller population sizes over time. Counterintuitively, we found that depleting prey along the edge of Chitwan National Park, while decreasing tiger numbers overall, also decreased female competition for those areas, leading to lower rates of female starvation. Overall our results suggest that subtle differences in the spatial distributions of prey densities created by various human activities, such as natural resource‐use patterns, urban growth and infrastructure development, or conservation spatial zoning might have unintended, detrimental effects on carnivore populations. Our model is a useful planning tool as it incorporates information on animal behavioral ecology, resource spatial distribution, and the drivers of change to those resources, such as human activities.  相似文献   

8.
Kim A. Kiest 《Polar Biology》1993,13(5):291-296
Little information is available regarding fish diets in Antarctica and how they relate to prey availability. The primary objective of this work was to describe the diet of Trematomus bernacchii. The second objective was to compare prey taken with prey present in the benthos along a spatial gradient of prey abundance using Ivlev's Index of Electivity. All samples were collected from 4 different sites on the east side of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Fish were captured by divers at the same depth at each site and their stomachs were flushed for dietary analysis. The diet of T. bernacchii varied among sites, and prey selectivity varied inversely with prey abundance. Many of the prey taken by T. bernacchii were sedentary species suggesting that T. bernacchii is a hunt and peck predator.  相似文献   

9.
To study the effects of short-term experience on prey size-selection ten-spined sticklebacks (Pungitius pungitius) were fed 7–13 days with five differing diets of novel prey, Daphnia magna. The diets consisted either of a mixture of two prey size classes (1.7 and 2.2 mm) or of single-sized (1.7 and 2.2 mm) prey. Before and after the diets, the sticklebacks' prey size selection was tested with a 1:1 ratio of 1.7 and 2.2 mm D. magna. Sticklebacks made more attempts to capture large than small prey, but their foraging success was better for small than for large prey. Sticklebacks fed with a diet of both prey sizes chose significantly more large prey on the 13th day than on the 7th day or at the beginning of the experiment. Handling times for both Daphnia size classes decreased slightly with increasing foraging experience. Inexperienced sticklebacks made more unsuccessful strikes on large prey than did experienced fish. Foraging success on large prey improved somewhat with increasing experience in all but one diet group. The results indicate that experience affected ten-spined sticklebacks' prey selection.  相似文献   

10.
1. Indirect interactions between populations of different prey species mediated by a shared predator population are known to affect prey dynamics. 2. Depending on the temporal and spatial scale, these indirect interactions may result in positive (apparent mutualism), neutral or negative effects (apparent competition) of the prey on each other's densities. Although there is ample evidence for the latter, evidence for apparent mutualism is scarce. 3. The effectiveness of using one species of predator for biological control of more than one pest species depends on the occurrence of such positive or negative effects. 4. We used an experimental system consisting of the two prey species Western flower thrips (Franklineilla occidentalis Pergande) and greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood) and a shared predator, the phytoseiid mite Amblyseius swirskii Athias‐Henriot. We released all three species on the same plant and studied their dynamics and distribution along rows of plants. 5. We expected that the more mobile prey species (thrips) would escape temporarily in the presence of the other prey species (whitefly) by dispersing from plants with the predator. The predator was expected to disperse slower in the presence of two prey species because of the higher availability of food. 6. Evidence was found for slower dispersal of predators and short‐term escape of thrips from predation when whiteflies were present, thus confirming the occurrence of short‐term apparent mutualism. 7. The apparent mutualism resulted in a cascade to the first trophic level: a higher proportion of fruits was damaged by thrips in the presence of whiteflies. 8. We conclude that apparent mutualism can be an important phenomenon in population dynamics, and can significantly affect biological control of pest species that share a natural enemy.  相似文献   

11.
High speed video recordings (200 fields per second) of prey capture and food processing in Agama agama permit the identification of strikes, chews and transport movements. Ten variables from strike movements and seven variables from chewing sequences are digitized; transport movements are inspected only. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses disclose significant interindividual differences for three variables (maximum gape distance, maximum head angle, and maximum throat distance); but neither these nor principal components analysis show differences between strikes and chews for any of the gape change and hyoid depression variables. However, strikes and chews obviously differ in tongue protrusion and body movements. Chewing may be divided into four stages, comparable to those of transport cycles of other lizards and the generalized tetrapod model. Transport differs from chewing by having a shorter power stroke and relatively more cranial and less jaw movement. The kinematics of feeding in Agama agama are compared with those of other lizards studied previously.  相似文献   

12.
Nekton (fishes and decapod crustaceans) is an abundant and productive faunal component of salt marshes, yet nekton responses to tidal manipulations of New England salt marshes remain unclear. This study examined nekton use of a tidally restricted salt marsh in Narragansett, Rhode Island relative to an unrestricted marsh during summer. In addition, a before‐after‐control‐impact design was used to examine early responses of nekton to the reintroduction of natural tidal flushing. Species richness and densities of Cyprinodon variegatus, Lucania parva, Menidia beryllina, and Palaemonetes pugio were higher in the restricted marsh compared with the unrestricted marsh. The unrestricted marsh supported higher densities of Menidia menidia and Fundulus majalis. Mean lengths of Carcinus maenas and P. pugio were greater in the restricted marsh. Tidal restoration resulted in increased tidal flushing, salinity, and water depth in the restricted marsh. Densities of Fundulus heteroclitus, F. majalis, and Callinectes sapidus were higher after 2 years of restoration. Density of L. parva decreased after restoration, probably in response to a loss of macroalgal habitat. Species richness also decreased after 2 years, from 20.9 species when the marsh was restricted to 13.0 species. Total nekton density did not change with restoration, but shifts in community composition were evident. In this study restoration induced rapid changes in the composition, density, size, and distribution of nekton species, but additional monitoring is necessary to quantify longer‐term effects of salt marsh restoration on nekton.  相似文献   

13.
The ability to modulate prey capture behaviors is of interest to organismal biologists as it suggests that predators can perceive features of the prey and select suitable behaviors from an available repertoire to successfully capture the item. Thus, behavior may be as important a trait as morphology in determining an organism's diet. Using high-speed video, we measured prey capture kinematics in three cheeklined wrasse, Oxycheilinus digrammus. We studied the effects of three experimental prey treatments: live fish, dead prawn suspended in the water column, and dead prawn pieces anchored to the substrate in a clip. Live prey elicited significantly more rapid strikes than dead prey suspended in the water column, and the head of the predator was expanded to significantly larger maxima. These changes in prey capture kinematics suggest the generation of more inertial suction. With greater expansion of the head, more water can be accelerated into the buccal cavity. The attached prey treatment elicited strikes as rapid as those on live prey. We suggest that the kinematics of rapid strikes on attached prey are indicative of attempts to use suction to detach the prey item. More rapid expansion of the buccal or mouth cavity should lead to higher velocities of water entering the mouth and therefore to enhanced suction. Further modulation in response to the attached prey item, such as clipping or wrenching behaviors, was not observed. J. Exp. Zool. 290:88-100, 2001.  相似文献   

14.
The dietary composition and partitioning of food resources between five sympatric species of Platycephalidae inhabiting the coastal waters of New South Wales, Australia was investigated. Samples were collected monthly between March and November 2007 onboard commercial ocean prawn trawlers based in the ports of Yamba and Newcastle. Monthly percentage weight contribution of 12 prey categories was analysed to determine if diet was influenced by the variables: species, location, depth, size and maturity. Of the 959 stomachs from the five species examined, 28–54% contained prey. All Platycephalid species primarily consumed teleosts, however the diversity of prey and the proportion each prey type contributed to the overall diet varied substantially between species. Platycephalus caeruleopunctatus, P. longispinis, P. richardsoni and Ambiserrula jugosa were generalist carnivores and consumed prey from a wide variety of phyla including teleosts, crustaceans, polychaetes, molluscs and echinoderms. In contrast, Ratabulus diversidens were primarily piscivorous. Partitioning of prey resources between species was more evident in waters at Yamba than at Newcastle. Differences in diet between locations were considered a result of differential prey exploitation rather than shifts in the suite of prey consumed. Dietary composition was observed to be influenced by size, maturity status and depth however these differences were not observed for all species.  相似文献   

15.
Identifying the primary foraging grounds of abundant top predators is of importance in marine management to identify areas of high biological significance, and to assess the extent of competition with fisheries. We studied the search effort and habitat selection of the highly abundant short‐tailed shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris to assess the search strategies employed by this wide‐ranging seabird. During the chick‐rearing period 52 individuals were tracked performing 39 short foraging trips (1–2 days), and 13 long trips (11–32 days). First‐passage time analysis revealed that 46% of birds performing short trips employed area‐restricted searches, concentrating search effort at an average scale of 14 ± 5 km. Foraging searches were more continuous for the other 54%, who travelled faster to cover greater distances, with little evidence of area‐restricted searches. The prey returned indicated that continuous searchers consumed similar prey mass, but greater prey diversity than area‐restricted search birds. On long trips 23% of birds travelled 500–1000 km to neritic (continental shelf) habitats, showing weak evidence of preference for areas of higher chlorophyll a concentration, and foraged at a similar spatial scale to short trips. The other 76% performed rapid outbound flights of 1000–3600 km across oceanic habitats commuting to regions with higher chlorophyll a. The spatial scale of search effort in oceanic habitat varied widely with some performing broad‐scale searches (260–560 km) followed by finer‐scale nested searches (16–170 km). This study demonstrates that a range of search strategies are employed when exploiting prey across ocean basins. The trade‐offs between different search strategies are discussed to identify the value of these contrasting behaviours to wide‐ranging seabirds.  相似文献   

16.
Predation and food consumption of five deep‐sea fish species living below 1000 m depth in the western Mediterranean Sea were analysed to identify the feeding patterns and food requirements of a deep‐sea fish assemblage. A feeding rhythm was observed for Risso's smooth‐head Alepocephalus rostratus, Mediterranean grenadier Coryphaenoides mediterraeus and Mediterranean codling Lepidion lepidion. Differences in the patterns of the prey consumed suggest that feeding rhythms at such depths are linked with prey availability. The diets of those predators with feeding rhythms are based principally on active‐swimmer prey, including pelagic prey known to perform vertical migrations. The diets of Günther's grenadier Coryphaenoides guentheri and smallmouth spiny eel Polyacanthonotus rissoanus, which did not show any rhythm in their feeding patterns, are based mainly on benthic prey. Food consumption estimates were low (<1% of body wet mass day?1). Pelagic feeding species showing diel feeding rhythms consumed more food than benthic feeding species with no feeding rhythms.  相似文献   

17.
Population increases of primary prey can negatively impact alternate prey populations via demographic and behavioural responses of a shared predator through apparent competition. Seasonal variation in prey selection patterns by predators also can affect secondary and incidental prey by reducing spatial separation. Global warming and landscape changes in Alberta's bitumen sands have resulted in prey enrichment, which is changing the large mammal predator–prey system and causing declines in woodland caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou populations. We assessed seasonal patterns of prey use and spatial selection by wolves Canis lupus in two woodland caribou ranges in northeastern Alberta, Canada, that have undergone prey enrichment following recent white‐tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus invasion. We determined whether risk of predation for caribou (incidental prey) and the proportion of wolf‐caused‐caribou mortalities varied with season. We found that wolves showed seasonal variation in primary prey use, with deer and beaver Castor canadensis being the most common prey items in wolf diet in winter and summer, respectively. These seasonal dietary patterns were reflected in seasonal wolf spatial resource selection and resulted in contrasting spatial relationships between wolves and caribou. During winter, wolf selection for areas used by deer maintained strong spatial separation between wolves and caribou, whereas wolf selection for areas used by beaver in summer increased the overlap with caribou. Changing patterns in wolf resource selection were reflected by caribou mortality patterns, with 76.2% of 42 adult female caribou mortalities occurring in summer. Understanding seasonal patterns of predation following prey enrichment in a multiprey system is essential when assessing the effect of predation on an incidental prey species. Our results support the conclusion that wolves are proximately responsible for woodland caribou population declines throughout much of their range.  相似文献   

18.
The diet and predator‐prey size relationships of mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi (Basilewsky) in Lake Xiaosihai along the middle reach of the Yangtze River were studied through stomach content analysis. A total of 401 specimens (91–539 mm total length) were collected in 2007. The diet was dominated by topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva, sharpbelly Hemiculter leucisculus, redfin culter Cultrichthys erythropterus, and crucian carp Carassius auratus, with significant seasonal and ontogenetic differences. Ontogenetic variation in diet was apparent that larger prey items such as crucian carp and redfin culter became more common, while smaller prey such as topmouth gudgeon, bitterlings and shrimps gradually declined in the larger fish. Mandarin fish total length (TL) was strongly related to mouth gape width (GW) and gape height (GH). Mandarin fish TL and prey fish TL as well as mandarin fish GW and prey fish body depth (BD) were positively and linearly related for sharpbelly, redfin culter and crucian carp. Strong size selectivity for topmouth gudgeon, sharpbelly and redfin culter as prey indicated that the piscivorous mandarin fish can have potential impact on the population size structure of the three prey fish.  相似文献   

19.
Prey must balance the conflicting demands of foraging and defensive behavior. Foraging under the threat of predation may be further complicated among species that engage in caudal autotomy, the loss of a portion of the tail at preformed breakage planes, because the tail may serve as an important energy storage organ and contribute to motility, culminating in a trade-off between foraging and predator avoidance. As a result of the advantages conferred by the presence of a tail, individuals that have recently undergone autotomy may be more motivated to forage despite elevated levels of threat indicated by predator kairomones. We used a full factorial design to evaluate the combined effects of body size, exposure to predator kairomones, and experience with autotomy on the latency to strike at Drosophila prey, number of strikes, and prey captured per strike by Allegheny Mountain dusky salamanders (Desmognathus ochrophaeus). In our study, caudal autotomy was the only significant main effect and influenced both the latency to attack prey and the number of strikes attempted. In terms of latency to attack prey, there was a significant interaction between body size and autotomy such that “small” salamanders (≤3.2 cm SVL) without tails delayed their foraging behavior. In terms of the number of strikes toward prey, there was a significant interaction between autotomy and exposure to predator kairomones such that individuals with intact tails exhibited a greater number of strikes, with the exception of the “large” (>3.2 cm SVL) salamanders, which performed fewer strikes when exposed to the snake kairomones. There was no significant effect on foraging efficiency, although the trend in the data suggests that autotomized individuals forage more efficiently. This study was designed to evaluate the confluence of factors related to size, caudal autotomy, and exposure to stimuli from predators and hints at the magnitude of caudal autotomy on antipredator decision-making. Our data suggest that despite the importance of tail tissue for energy storage, locomotion, and mating, salamanders without tails are cautious when foraging under elevated risk.  相似文献   

20.
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