Predatory behavior and prey selection by army ants in a desert-grassland habitat

1980 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Mirenda ◽  
Doug G. Eakins ◽  
Karen Gravelle ◽  
Howard Topoff
Keyword(s):  
Prey Selection ◽  
Predatory Behavior ◽  
Desert Grassland ◽  
Army Ants

Nomadic behavior of army ants in a desert-grassland habitat

1980 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Mirenda ◽  
Howard Topoff
Keyword(s):  
Desert Grassland ◽  
Army Ants

Predatory Behavior and Prey Selectivity of the Pelagic Water Mite Piona constricta

1982 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 1569-1579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard P. Riessen
Keyword(s):  
Prey Selection ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Predatory Behavior ◽  
The Body ◽  
Water Mite ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
Body Tissues ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Prey Mite

Predation by the pelagic water mite Piona constricta on the various components of the zooplankton community of Heney Lake, Quebec, Canada, was investigated through both direct observation and several series of feeding experiments. On encountering a prey item, the mite seized the organism with its four pairs of legs and pair of palps and tore a hole in the body wall with its chelicerae. The soft body tissues of the prey were predigested and the liquid nutriment was then drawn into the mouth. Pionid adults ate an average of 10–15 prey∙mite−1∙d−1 and selected prey items as follows: Bosmina > Daphnia, Ceriodaphnia > Chydorus >> Diaphanosoma, Diaptomus > Mesocyclops. The nymphs ate only 2–3 prey∙mite−1∙d−1 with Bosmina and Chydorus as the preferred items. The other cladocerans and the copepods were only rarely eaten. The pattern of prey selection for the adults and nymphs appeared to depend primarily on the escape response of the prey (their ability to detect an approaching mite and flee the area before being grabbed). Prey size and carapace thickness were of secondary importance.Key words: water mites, Piona constricta; zooplankton, predator–prey interactions

The changes in the predatory behavior of the microturbellarian Stenostomum sphagnetorum on two species of toxin-secreting ciliates of the genus Spirostomum

Biologia ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Buonanno
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Defense ◽  
Asexual Reproduction ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Predatory Behavior ◽  
Learned Behavior ◽  
Prey Recognition ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Spirostomum Ambiguum

AbstractIt is known that the microturbellarian Stenostomum sphagnetorum, a common ciliate predator, is very sensitive against different types of toxins produced by other ciliates for chemical defense, and consequently, it is not able to capture and ingests these ciliates. In particular, when the predator tries to attack one of these toxin-secreting ciliates, it is forced to regurgitate the captured prey in response to the toxin discharged from the ciliates. In this study it is shown that after repeated attacks by S. sphagnetorum against two species of toxic ciliates (Spirostomum ambiguum and Spirostomum teres), the predator acquires a behavior of prey selection that leads to the exclusion of these ciliates among the possible prey and to the distinction between edible and inedible (toxic) ciliates. This learned behavior, which is maintained for days, is lost only after the asexual reproduction of the microturbellarian. In addition, S. sphagnetorum learns to recognize and avoid specimens of S. ambiguum and S. teres artificially deprived of their toxins, strongly suggesting that the toxins are not exclusively associated in the prey recognition of the microturbellarian.

Diet composition and prey selection of vendace Coregonus albula in the mesotrophic, temperate Lake Ostrowite (Northern Poland)

2008 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Kakareko ◽  
Paweł Napiórkowski ◽  
Jacek Kozłowski
Keyword(s):  
Diet Composition ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Temperate Lake ◽  
Coregonus Albula ◽  
Northern Poland ◽  
Mesotrophic Lake ◽  
Selection Of

Diet composition and prey selection of vendaceLake Ostrowite is a mesotrophic lake in Northern Poland 280.7 ha in area and 43 m deep at its deepest point. To study vendace (

PATTERNS OF GASTROPOD MOLLUSK PREDATION ON BIVALVE MOLLUSKS ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS GULF COAST

2018 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Serena J. Randolph ◽  
Alan D. Maccarone
Keyword(s):  
Shell Thickness ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Drill Hole ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hole Diameter ◽  
Bivalve Mollusks ◽  
Collection Site ◽  
Drill Holes

Abstract Predation on bivalve mollusks by gastropod mollusks is common in coastal regions of the United States; however, few previous studies have examined whether drilling gastropods exhibit prey selection. In 2016, shells with small holes drilled by as many as two gastropod predators were collected at three sites separated by 30 km along the Texas Upper Gulf Coast on the Bolivar Peninsula (29° 40′N, 94° 90′W). The likeliest predators in these waters are the southern oyster drill (Stramonita haemastoma Linnaeus 1767) and the moon snail (Neverita duplicate Say 1822). Collected shells were identified to species and measurements were taken to examine statistical relationships between predators and prey species. These measurements included drill-hole diameter, shell thickness, drill-hole completeness, number of drill attempts, and collection site. Across the three locations, 17 different species of shells with drill holes were collected; of these, we focused on the ten most abundant species (n = 277 shells). The sample showed high variation in drill-hole diameter, shell thickness, and drill-hole completeness. Both the total number of holes and mean drill-hole diameter differed significantly among prey species (ANOVA, both P < 0.0001). In addition, drill-hole diameter correlated directly with prey shell thickness (P < 0.0001). Shells whose drill holes were complete were significantly thinner than shells with incomplete holes (P < 0.0001). Mean prey shell thickness, mean drill-hole diameter, and mean number of drill holes all differed significantly by collection site (all P < 0.0001). Ecological and morphological implications related to gastropod predation on mollusks are discussed.

Kalahari Cheetahs

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gus Mills ◽  
Margaret Mills
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Spatial Ecology ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Foraging Success ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Hunting Behaviour ◽  
The Impact

This book demonstrates how cheetahs are adapted to arid savannahs like the southern Kalahari, and makes comparisons with other areas, especially the Serengeti. Topics dealt with are: demography and genetic status; feeding ecology, i.e. methods used for studying diet, diets of different demographic groups, individual diet specializations of females, prey selection, the impact of cheetah predation on prey populations, activity regimes and distances travelled per day, hunting behaviour, foraging success and energetics; interspecific competition; spatial ecology; reproductive success and the mating system; and conservation. The major findings show that cheetahs are well adapted to arid ecosystems and are water independent. Cheetah density in the study area was stable at 0.7/100 km2 and the population was genetically diverse. Important prey were steenbok and springbok for females with cubs, gemsbok, and adult ostrich for coalition males, and steenbok, springhares, and hares for single animals. Cheetahs had a density-dependent regulatory effect on steenbok and springbok populations. Females with large cubs had the highest overall food intake. Cheetahs, especially males, were often active at night, and competition with other large carnivores, both by exploitation and interference, was slight. Although predation on small cubs was severe, cub survival to adolescence was six times higher than in the Serengeti. There was no difference in reproductive success between single and coalition males. The conservation priority for cheetahs should be to maintain protected areas over a spectrum of landscapes to allow ecological processes, of which the cheetah is an integral part, to proceed unhindered.

Mammalian Prey Selection by a Captive Bobcat

1988 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Stephenson
Keyword(s):  
Prey Selection
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