Does paternity or paternal investment determine the level of paternal care and does female choice explain egg stealing in the fifteen-spined stickleback?

An earlier field study on the fifteen-spined stickleback (Spinachia spinachia) showed that frequent male—male interactionsresult in high frequencies of sneaking and egg stealing. Moreover,sneaking behavior was performed not only by males adoptingalternative mating strategies, but also by males with theirown nests. The advantage of sneaking is easily understood, but it is more difficult to explain the evolutionary benefitof stealing eggs from other males. I investigated whether malessuffering from sneaking adjust their paternal effort in relationto their degree of paternity. I also examined whether femalesprefer males that have more eggs in their nests, as this couldexplain egg stealing. There was no relationship between thedegree of paternity and fanning activity, hatching success,or nest defense. However, the older the eggs become, the morethe males increase their attack rate toward potential egg predators(goldsinny wrasse and shore crabs). Thus, males adjusted theirlevel of defense to the amount of energy and time already investedin the clutch. Females did not prefer males with more eggs intheir nests. On the contrary, females preferred males withreduced clutches over males with enlarged clutches. Therefore,female choice is unlikely to be a driving force behind eggstealing in this species.     

Sex ratios under asymmetrical local mate competition in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis

Sex ratio theory has proved remarkably useful in testing theadaptive nature of animal behavior. A particularly productivearea in this respect is Hamilton's theory of local mate competition(LMC), which has been extended in numerous directions to includegreater biological realism, allowing more detailed tests inspecific organisms. We have presented one such extension, termedasymmetrical LMC, which occurs when egg laying by females ona patch is asynchronous, and emerging males do not disperse,resulting in the extent of LMC on a patch varying over time.Our aim here is to test whether the parasitoid wasp Nasoniavitripennis responds to variation in the degree of asymmetricalLMC. Specifically, we show that females adjust their offspringsex ratios in response to (1) variation in the amount of asynchronyin emergence between broods on a patch and (2) the number andproportion of previously parasitized hosts on the patch. Ourresults provide qualitative support for the predictions of theory,suggesting new levels of complexity in the sex ratio behaviorof this much-studied organism. However, our results do not alwaysprovide quantitative support for theory, suggesting furthercomplexities that must be clarified.     

An order-specific monoclonal antibody to Diptera reveals the impact of alternative prey on spider feeding behavior in a complex food web

Generalist predators have the capacity to restrict pest population growth, especially early in the season before densities increase. However, their polyphagous feeding habits sometimes translate into reduced pest consumption when they target alternative prey. An order-specific monoclonal antibody was developed to examine the strength of trophic connections between Diptera, a major category of non-pest prey, and linyphiid spiders in alfalfa. We report the development and characterization of a monoclonal antibody with order-level specificity to Diptera. This antibody elicited strong absorbance to 22 Diptera from 13 families, no false-positive reactivity to non-dipteran invertebrates, and antigen detection periods following prey consumption that were comparable between spiders. Over 900 field-collected females of the linyphiid spiders Erigone autumnalis and Bathyphantes pallidus were screened for Diptera antigen. Significantly more B. pallidus screened positive for Diptera (40%) compared to E. autumnalis (16%), indicating differential reliance on these prey. In parallel with the collection of spiders for gut-content analysis, prey availability was estimated at web sites. The two spiders exhibited different feeding responses to prey availability. Consumption of Diptera by B. pallidus was strongly correlated with Diptera abundance whilst the availability of other potential prey did not influence predation rates. Conversely, E. autumnalis did not prey upon Diptera in proportion to availability, but increased Collembola activity-density reduced dipteran consumption. Integration of molecular gut-content analysis with precise sampling of prey demonstrated how two closely related linyphiid spiders exhibit different feeding responses to the availability of prey under natural field conditions. Elucidating the feeding preferences of natural enemies is critical to effective incorporation of biological control by generalist predators in the management of agricultural pests.     

Diet of the Indochinese silvered langur (Trachypithecus germaini) in Kien Luong Karst area,Kien Giang Province

The Indochinese silvered langur (Trachypithecus germaini) is distributed to the west of Mekong River in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. During a two‐year study, from May 2014 to May 2016, we collected 320.44 hr of behavior, with 17,040 feeding bouts recorded (142 hr) for T. germaini on Chua Hang Karst Mountain, Kien Luong District, Kien Giang Province, Vietnam. Feeding accounted for 45% of the Indochinese silvered langurs’ activity budget. The plant diet of the Indochinese silvered langurs was principally composed of young leaves (58%), followed by mature leaves (9.5%), fruits (22.7%), flowers (4.7%), buds (3.3%), petioles (1.2%), and other (0.5%). A total of 58 plant species were fed on by the silvered langurs, and leaves of eight species (Phyllathus reticulatus, Ficus rumphii, Ficus tinctoria, Ficus microcarpa, Cayratia trifolia, Streblus ilicifolia, Combretum latifolium, and Streblus asper) were fed on throughout the year. P. reticulatus was most frequently eaten (13.9% feeding time, n = 1,733). Food selection differed significantly between months and seasons. The Indochinese silvered langurs ate 27 plant species in the wet season compared with 23 plant species in the dry season. Leaf chemical composition of two food categories, 16 eaten species (with 10 most frequently consumed species and six least consumed species), and four noneaten species, were analyzed. Feeding samples from eaten species in the Indochinese silvered langurs's diet contained lower amounts of condensed tannin, lignin, protein, ash, and lipids, but a higher amount of total sugar compared with samples from noneaten species. Furthermore, the most frequently consumed species contained lower amounts of lignin compared with the less frequently consumed species. Using a generalized linear model with five variables, including neutral detergent fiber (NDF), total sugar, lignin, lipid, and calcium (Ca) indicated that NDF positively correlated and lignin content negatively correlated with feeding records in the diet of these langur.     

Chimpanzee feeding ecology and fallback food use in the montane forest of Nyungwe National Park,Rwanda

Almost all primates experience seasonal fluctuations in the availability of key food sources. However, the degree to which this fluctuation impacts foraging behavior varies considerably. Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda, live in a montane forest environment characterized by lower primary productivity and resource diversity than low‐elevation forests. Little is known about chimpanzee feeding ecology in montane forests, and research to date predominantly relies on indirect methods such as fecal analyses. This study is the first to use mostly observational data to examine how seasonal food availability impacts the feeding ecology of montane forest chimpanzees. We examine seasonal changes in chimpanzee diet and fallback foods (FBFs) using instantaneous scan samples and fecal analyses, supported by inspection of feeding remains. Chimpanzee fruit abundance peaked during the major dry season, with a consequent change in chimpanzee diet reflecting the abundance and diversity of key fruit species. Terrestrial herbaceous vegetation was consumed throughout the year and is defined as a “filler” FBF. In contrast to studies conducted in lower‐elevation chimpanzee sites, figs (especially Ficus lutea) were preferred resources, flowers were consumed at seasonally high rates and the proportion of non‐fig fruits in the diet were relatively low in the current study. These divergences likely result from the comparatively low environmental diversity and productivity in higher‐elevation environments.     

Gross intestinal morphometry and allometry in primates

Although it is generally assumed that among mammals and within mammal groups, those species that rely on diets consisting of greater amounts of plant fiber have larger gastrointestinal tracts (GIT), statistical evidence for this simple claim is largely lacking. We compiled a dataset on the length of the small intestine, caecum, and colon in 42 strepsirrhine, platyrrhine, and catarrhine primate species, using specimens with known body mass (BM). We tested the scaling of intestine length with BM, and whether dietary proxies (percentage of leaves and a diet quality index) were significant covariates in these scaling relationships, using two sets of models: one that did not account for the phylogenetic structure of the data, and one that did. Intestine length mainly scaled geometrically at exponents that included 0.33 in the confidence interval; Strepsirrhini exhibited particularly long caeca, while those of Catarrhini were comparatively short. Diet proxies were only significant for the colon and the total large intestine (but not for the small intestine or the caecum), and only in conventional statistics (but not when accounting for phylogeny), indicating the pattern occurred across but not within clades. Compared to terrestrial Carnivora, primates have similar small intestine lengths, but longer large intestines. The data on intestine lengths presented here corroborate recent results on GIT complexity, suggesting that diet, as currently described, does not exhaustively explain GIT anatomy within primate clades.