Interactions between overlapping multimale groups of black and white colobus monkeys (Colobus guereza) in the Kakamega Forest,Kenya

Sixteen out of 18 groups of black and white colobus monkeys, or guerezas (Colobus guereza), observed in the Kakamega Forest, Kenya, included more than one adult male. Each group overlapped in its home range with 4–7 other groups, and no group appeared to have exclusive access to any part of its home range. Groups were engaged in intergroup encounters one-quarter of observation time. Encounters often occurred around preferred feeding sites as different groups were attracted to such sites in their overlapping home ranges. Wins and losses during encounters were not dependent on location and a null model suggested that groups were not increasing their encounter rate to defend boundaries, further demonstrating a lack of territoriality. Although guerezas have repeatedly been described as a territorial species living in one-male groups, nonterritorial multimale groups are common in continuous forests. Territorial one-male groups may be usual in narrow riparian forests where resources are limiting, groups are small, and defendability is high, but such organization cannot be regarded as typical of the species. Habitat affects group size, as well as the potential for territoriality, and group size determines the number of adult males per group; therefore, classifying groups as one-male or multimale appears to be an artificial dichotomy. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Micro-habitat niche differentiation contributing to coexistence of Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus Motschulsky and Eucryptorrhynchus brandti (Harold)*

Temporal, spatial, and trophic niche differentiation usually occurs among species living in similar habitats which can reduce interspecific competition under limited resources. Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus and Eucryptorrhynchus brandti are sympatric and closely related species and are host-specific to Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle in China. However, the possibility of niche differentiation between the two species is not clear. Therefore, we investigated the density of the two weevils temporally, spatially, and trophically (plant parts of A. altissima) at Lingwu farm and Haojiaqiao town, Lingwu city, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. No differences were found in temporal Levin’s niche breath index values ranging from 3.74 to 3.95 and temporal Pianka’s niche overlap values (0.98–0.99). There was little differentiation in the vertical spatial niche. The vertical distribution of E. scrobiculatus was mainly located from 0?cm (ground) to over 250?cm on tree-of-heaven. Eucryptorrhynchus brandti was found predominantly from 0.1 to 50?cm to over 250?cm on tree-of-heaven. The overlap of the cardinal direction spatial niche was 0.90–0.98, indicating no significant overlap in the cardinal direction at Lingwu farm and Haojiaqiao town. Significant differentiation of trophic niche occurred with E. scrobiculatus feeding on 1-year-old branches, perennial branches, and petioles, while E. brandti feed on the stem.     

浙江丽水虎纹蛙形态特征的两性异形和食性

用数显游标卡尺测量了407只2001—2003年9月下旬至10月上旬浙江丽水罚没的死亡虎纹蛙的体长等10个形态指标,结果表明:雌性成体体长(SUL)大于雄性成体,幼体形态无显著两性差异;ANCOVA去除SUL差异的影响后,雌性成体的头长和后肢长大于雄性成体,前肢长、眼径和耳径则小于雄性成体。前肢两侧对称性的偏移度成体大于幼体,雌性大于雄性;后肢两侧对称性成幼体和两性无显著差异。10个形态指标主成分分析的前三个主成分共解释64·6%的变异:第一主成分中头宽、眼径和耳径,第二主成分中后肢长,第三主成分中眼间距和鼻间距分别有较高的正负载系数。用NikonSMZ-1000解剖镜鉴别277只个体胃内容物中的食物种类,发现其秋季食物以节肢动物为主;成幼体和两性食物生态位宽度为3·42~5·25,食物生态位重叠度较高为0·93~0·98。分析表明,虎纹蛙局部形态特征的两性差异微弱,而体长两性异形差异显著;雌体具有较大的体形与食性无关,而可能与生育力选择的作用有关。     

Exclusive core areas and intrasexual territoriality in Eurasian red squirrels (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sciurus vulgaris</Emphasis>) revealed by incremental cluster polygon analysis

When animal home ranges overlap extensively in species lacking overt territorial behaviours, identifying exclusive core areas within individual ranges can be difficult. By analysing the size and overlap of successively smaller core areas among individual Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), we determined exclusive areas within the home ranges of resident males and females. Possible effects of habitat composition and food supplies were explored by monitoring squirrels in different conifer forests and during years with low and high tree seed production. Using outlier-exclusive cores (OEC) revealed that the total ranges consisted of large sally zones (on average, 35% of the total minimum convex polygon [MCP] range) around home ranges with multi-nucleate cores. The mean OEC home range size did not differ between the sexes but was larger with poor food availability. Home ranges (99% incremental cluster polygons [ICP]) overlapped extensively between sexes (average overlap high food–low food: males by females 21–40%, females by males 43–45%) and among males (males by males 26–44%), while intrasexual overlap among females was low (9–10%). The overlap of inner cores among females rapidly approached zero, suggesting the intrasexual territoriality of 75% core areas. This was not the case among male squirrels, for which intrasexual overlap averaged only 4% at 50% but 18% at 75% core areas. Even the smallest inner cores had some degree of intersexual overlap, indicating that complete territoriality did not occur in this species. Female home ranges were more strongly affected by annual fluctuations in food supplies than male ranges. Females reduced the size of their food-based intrasexual territories when food availability increases. Males probably benefit from using larger home ranges and core areas, which overlap with the ranges of several females, by increasing their probability of successful mating.     

Fruit diet of Alouatta guariba and Brachyteles arachnoides in Southeastern Brazil: comparison of fruit type, color, and seed size

Fruit is an important food resource for neotropical primates. In this study I compare the fruit diet of sympatric brown howlers (Alouatta guariba) and southern muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides). Feeding behavior was studied over 12 months and fruit species consumed were identified and assigned to the categories fruit type, fruit color, and seed size. Observed-fruit feeding records were compared with expected records determined from local availability of the fruit of the tree species. I also determined dietary overlap. Fruit consumption occupied 8 and 12% of the feeding time of A. guariba and B. arachnoides, respectively. Fruit from eight tree species were consumed by the former and fruit from twenty-two species by the latter. Patterns of fruit selection of A. guariba and B. arachnoides varied widely. Although howlers and muriquis converge behaviorally by selecting fruit with common attributes (fleshy/unprotected, violet and brown/black-colored), unlike A. guariba, B. arachnoides fed on immature seeds of fleshy/protected and dry fruit. Large seeds were ingested, and defecated intact, by B. arachnoides only. There was little overlap of fruit diet even within categories that had been selected by both, suggesting that dietary divergence is occurring at the interspecific level. Different resource exploitation probably mediates the coexistence of A. guariba and B. arachnoides in low diversity, semideciduous forests, where the environment imposes narrow limits on primate food choices.     

Spatial interactions between grey wolves and Eurasian lynx in Białowieża Primeval Forest, Poland

Various species of large predators are reported to influence each other through interference or exploitation competition that may affect demography and survival of the subordinate species. We analyzed spatial relationships between grey wolf (Canis lupus) and Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF, eastern Poland) to determine how they partitioned the space. The wolves (n = 8) and lynx (n = 14) were radio-tracked in 1991–1999. Three wolves and seven lynx were radio-tracked simultaneously in 1994–1996. Territories of wolf packs and home ranges of lynx overlapped considerably (76% of wolf territories and 50% of lynx home ranges, on average). In three cases, their core areas were also overlapping. Wolf-lynx dyads with overlapping home ranges were simultaneously located at distances from 0 to 28 km from each other. We found neither avoidance nor attraction between wolves and lynx occupying the same areas. We concluded that in BPF, the two large predators coexist due to specialization on different preferred prey and heterogeneous habitat.     

青海省可可西里地区几种有蹄类动物的食物重叠初步分析

2005年7月和2006年1月,应用粪便显微组织分析法测定了可可西里地区的藏野驴、藏羚、藏原羚、野牦牛,以及家牦牛和藏羊在冷季(1月)和暖季(7月)的食物构成.用Schoener's Index计算了这些同域分布动物种间的食物重叠度.结果表明,藏野驴分别与藏羚羊、野牦牛、藏原羚在暖季的食物重叠度各为63.0%、48.4%和24.1%,在冷季的重叠度为别为71.6%、42.0%和11.4%;藏羚羊与野牦牛、藏原羚在暖季的食物重叠度分别为52.0%和33.4%,其在冷季的食物重叠度各为50.3%和29.3%;野牦牛与藏原羚在冷暖季的食物重叠度分别为13.1%和15.9%.在可可西里地区吲域分布野牛有蹄类动物种间,藏原羚与其他有蹄类动物食物重叠较少,而藏羚羊、藏野驴、野牦牛之间则存在不同程度的食物重叠,且随季节不同而变化,反映了这些动物之间复杂的竞争和共存关系.此外,家牦牛和藏羊均与这些野生有蹄类动物存在高度的食物重叠.     

Diet overlap among two Asian carp and three native fishes in backwater lakes on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers

Bighead and silver carp are well established in the Mississippi River basin following their accidental introduction in the 1980s. Referred to collectively as Asian carp, these species are filter feeders consuming phytoplankton and zooplankton. We examined diet overlap and electivity of Asian carp and three native filter feeding fishes, bigmouth buffalo, gizzard shad, and paddlefish, in backwater lakes of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. Rotifers, Keratella spp., Brachionus spp., and Trichocerca spp., were the most common prey items consumed by Asian carp and gizzard shad, whereas crustacean zooplankton were the preferred prey of paddlefish. Bigmouth buffalo diet was broad, including both rotifers and crustacean zooplankton. Dietary overlap with Asian carp was greatest for gizzard shad followed by bigmouth buffalo, but we found little diet overlap for paddlefish. Diet similarity based on taxonomy correlated strongly with diet similarity based on size suggesting filtration efficiency influenced the overlap patterns we observed. Although rotifers were the most common prey item consumed by both bighead and silver carp, we found a negative relation between silver carp CPUE and cladoceran density. The competitive effect of Asian carp on native fishes may be forestalled because of the high productivity of Illinois and Mississippi river habitats, yet the potential for negative consequences of Asian carp in less productive ecosystems, including Lake Michigan, should not be underestimated.