The Diets of Two Coexisting Species of Antechinus (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae).

1980 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 365 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Hall
Keyword(s):  
Size Range ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Trophic Diversity ◽  
Individual Variations ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Antechinus Stuartii ◽  
Coexisting Species

An analysis of faecal samples and stomach contents of Antechinus stuartii and A. swainsonii inhabiting forest in southern Victoria revealed a large overlap in the type and size of prey items taken by these dasyurids. The frequencies of 23 prey types and 15 prey sizes in the diets of these predators were both positively correlated. Weevils (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) represented the only difference in prey types not attributed to individual variations. A. stuartii took more, and a wider size range of, weevils than did A. swainsonii; the trophic diversity index of prey types was greater for A. stuartii. The larger A. swainsonii took more prey greater than 20 mm; it took prey on the average 23% longer and 75% heavier than did A. stuartii; the trophic diversity index of prey size was greater for A. swainsonii. It is concluded that these morphologically distinct predators are exploiting the same large population of prey. They are both generalists and appear to be opportunistic feeders.

scholarly journals Weekly changes in prey availability for and the selective feeding of sea trout (Salmo trutta L.) larvae stocked in small forest streams

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-143
Author(s):  
Józef Domagała ◽  
Robert Czerniawski ◽  
Tomasz Krepski
Keyword(s):  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Size Range ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Benthic Organisms ◽  
Sea Trout ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Forest Streams ◽  
Small Forest

Abstract This study examined the availability of food and its selection by sea trout Salmo trutta L. fry in the first four weeks of life after yolk sac resorption. The food base and stomach contents of sea trout fry after release in the wild were determined. The study was performed in two small forest streams from April 25 to May 23, 2014. Macro-zoobenthos that comprised the food base for the fry were collected from the streams weekly using a bottom scraper. On the same day, the fry were captured with electrofishing gear. Analysis of the width of the benthic organisms in the food base and in the fish stomachs indicated the prey size range that the fish were feeding on. Further, the study showed that all food items found in both streams during the study weeks were also represented in the intensity of the fish: Cyclopoida, the larvae of Baetidae, Simuliidae and Nemouridae.

scholarly journals Variations of Salminus hilarii diet (Ostariophysi, Characidae): seasonal and ontogenetic effects

2015 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 574-580
Author(s):  
GA Villares Junior ◽  
R Goitein
Keyword(s):  
Prey Size ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Feeding Activity ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Food Composition ◽  
Spearman Correlation ◽  
Statistical Comparison ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Ontogenetic Effects ◽  
Size And Morphology

AbstractThis study described the variations seasonal and ontogenetic of Salminus hilarii diet. Samples were collected in the Sorocaba River, São Paulo, Brazil, one of the few rivers where individuals of the species still occur in a higher frequency. The preys consumed were analyzed by Importance Alimentary Index (AIi). To determine similarities between year seasons, the AIi data were analyzed by the Morisita-Horn index and reduced in cluster analysis, along with a statistical comparison made by one-way ANOSIM test (5%). The feeding activity was analyzed according to the stomach repletion index and compared among the year seasons using non parametric variance analysis Kruskal-Wallis test (5%). Comparison of prey consumed between immature and adult individuals was made by Spearman correlation (5%). A Pearson correlation (5%) was applied between the standard length of the fish and prey consumed, as well as between the mouth and prey heights. The analyzes of stomach contents showed that the diet of this species was exclusively piscivorous, with significant difference of prey consumption during the period, the same happening among adult and immature individuals. It was observed that these fishes use to swallow their prey whole and that significant correlations between size of predator and prey size can be observed. There is also correlation between the mouth height and the maximum prey depth. Salminus hilarii feeds on the available prey, and the species food composition and feeding activity depends on prey`s abundance, their size and morphology, as do the water temperatures.

Discerning the diets of sweep-feeding eurypterids: assessing the importance of prey size to survivorship across the Late Devonian mass extinction in a phylogenetic context

Paleobiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Emily S. Hughes ◽  
James C. Lamsdell
Keyword(s):  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Size Range ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Late Devonian ◽  
Evolutionary Trend ◽  
Average Spacing ◽  
Horseshoe Crabs ◽  
Mode Of Life

Abstract Eurypterids are generally considered to comprise a mixture of active nektonic to nektobenthic predators and benthic scavenger-predators exhibiting a mode of life similar to modern horseshoe crabs. However, two groups of benthic stylonurine eurypterids, the Stylonuroidea and Mycteropoidea, independently evolved modifications to the armature of their anterior appendages that have been considered adaptations toward a sweep-feeding life habit, and it has been suggested the evolution toward sweep-feeding may have permitted stylonurines to capture smaller prey species and may have been critical for the survival of mycteropoids during the Late Devonian mass extinction. There is a linear correlation between the average spacing of feeding structures and prey sizes among extant suspension feeders. Here, we extrapolate this relationship to sweep-feeding eurypterids in order to estimate the range of prey sizes that they could capture and examine prey size in a phylogenetic context to determine what role prey size played in determining survivorship during the Late Devonian. The mycteropoid Cyrtoctenus was the most specialized sweep-feeder, with comblike appendage armature capable of capturing mesoplankton out of suspension, while the majority of stylonurines possess armature corresponding to a prey size range of 1.6–52 mm, suggesting they were suited for capturing small benthic macroinvertebrates such as crustaceans, mollusks, and wormlike organisms. There is no clear phylogenetic signal to prey size distribution and no evolutionary trend toward decreasing prey sizes among Stylonurina. Rather than prey size, species survivorship during the Late Devonian was likely mediated by geographic distribution and ability to capitalize on the expanding freshwater benthos.

Feeding habits of the velvet belly lanternshark Etmopterus spinax (Chondrichthyes: Etmopteridae) off the Algarve, southern Portugal

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 835-841 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Neiva ◽  
Rui Coelho ◽  
Karim Erzini
Keyword(s):  
Deep Water ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Feeding Strategy ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Prey Composition ◽  
Southern Portugal ◽  
Meganyctiphanes Norvegica ◽  
Diet Shifts

Etmopterus spinax is one of the most abundant predators of the upper continental slope off the Algarve (southern Portugal), where it is captured in large quantities in deep-water fisheries. The feeding habits of E. spinax off the Algarve were investigated through the analysis of stomach contents of 376 individuals. Prey composition was described and maturity, sex and size related variations in the diet analysed. The overall diet of E. spinax suggested a fairly generalized benthopelagic foraging behaviour primarily tuned to pelagic macroplankton/microneckton, teleost fish and cephalopods. Sex and maturity related differences in the diet were not significant. Two main ontogenic diet shifts were observed at about 17 and 28 cm total length. Small and medium sized immature sharks had a diet dominated by eurybathic crustaceans, chiefly Meganyctiphanes norvegica and Pasiphaea sivado. Larger individuals consumed more teleosts and cephalopods, in part associated with scavenging as a new feeding strategy. With increasing shark size the diet diversified both in terms of resources exploited and prey size.

Seasonal variation in the diet of a population of Hyla arborea from Romania

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Cupsa ◽  
Tibor Hartel ◽  
Severus-Daniel Covaciu-Marcov ◽  
István Sas ◽  
Éva-Hajnalka Kovács ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Activity Period ◽  
Feeding Intensity ◽  
Terrestrial Environment ◽  
Hyla Arborea ◽  
Plant Remains ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Prey Items

Abstract We examined the diet of Hyla arborea over its entire activity period (March to late September, 2004), and analysed a total of 585 adult samples. From the stomach contents we identified plant remains, shed-skin fragments, and animals. We identified a total of 2976 prey items, almost all of which originated from the terrestrial environment. Adult araneans and coleopterans were the most abundant prey items in the diet of the studied tree frogs. Some of the prey items become abundant in certain parts of the year (e.g. Homoptera, Lepidoptera larvae, Trichoptera). The dietary diversity index is high and exhibits seasonal changes. During the period of study an important seasonal change was observed in feeding intensity and in the type of consumed prey. Our results show that Hyla arborea has a broad dietary diversity which was expected as a consequence of exploiting the habitat both vertically and horizontally, possibly allowing access to a broader spectrum of prey.

scholarly journals The human gut archaeome: identification of diverse haloarchaea in Korean subjects

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joon Yong Kim ◽  
Tae Woong Whon ◽  
Mi Young Lim ◽  
Yeon Bee Kim ◽  
Namhee Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Individual Variations ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Hybridisation Analysis ◽  
Archaeal Communities

Abstract Background: Archaea are one of the least-studied members of the gut-dwelling autochthonous microbiota. Few studies have reported the dominance of methanogens in the archaeal microbiome (archaeome) of the human gut, although limited information regarding the diversity and abundance of other archaeal phylotypes is available.Results: We surveyed the archaeome of faecal samples collected from 897 East Asian subjects living in South Korea. In total, 42.47% faecal samples were positive for archaeal colonisation; these were subsequently subjected to archaeal 16S rRNA gene deep sequencing and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction-based abundance estimation. The mean archaeal relative abundance was 10.24% ± 4.58% of the total bacterial and archaeal abundance. We observed extensive colonisation of haloarchaea (95.54%) in the archaea-positive faecal samples, with 9.63% mean relative abundance in archaeal communities. Haloarchaea were relatively more abundant than methanogens in some samples. The presence of haloarchaea was also verified by fluorescence in situ hybridisation analysis. Owing to large inter-individual variations, we categorised the human gut archaeome into four archaeal enterotypes.Conclusions: The study demonstrated that the human gut archaeome is indigenous, responsive, and functional, expanding our understanding of the archaeal signature in the gut of human individuals.

scholarly journals Diet of invasive pikeperch Sander lucioperca: developing non-destructive tissue sampling for stable isotope analysis with comparisons to stomach contents analysis

2018 ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma T. Nolan ◽  
J. Robert Britton
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Sander Lucioperca ◽  
Destructive Sampling ◽  
Stomach Contents Analysis ◽  
Non Destructive ◽  
Dietary Analyses

Impact assessments of invasive piscivorous fishes usually rely on dietary analyses to quantify their predation pressure on prey communities. Stomach contents analysis (SCA), typically a destructive sampling method, is frequently used for this. However, many invasive piscivores are exploited by catch-and-release sport angling, with destructive sampling often not feasible. Stable isotope analysis (SIA) provides an alternative dietary analysis tool to SCA, with use of fin tissue, scales and/or epidermal mucus potentially enabling its non-destructive application. Here, the diet of a population of pikeperch Sander lucioperca, an invasive sport fish to Great Britain, was investigated by applying SIA to a range of tissues. Testing SI data of dorsal muscle (destructive sampling) versus fin, scale and mucus (non-destructive sampling) revealed highly significant relationships, indicating that the tissues collected non-destructively can be reliably applied to pikeperch diet assessments. Application of these SI data to Bayesian mixing models predicted that as S. lucioperca length increased, their diet shifted from macro-invertebrates to fish. Although similar ontogenetic patterns were evident in SCA, this was inhibited by 54% of fish having empty stomachs. Nevertheless, SCA revealed that as S. lucioperca length increased, their prey size significantly increased. However, the prey:predator length ratios ranged between 0.08 and 0.38, indicating most prey were relatively small. These results suggest that when non-destructive sampling is required for dietary analyses of sport fishes, SIA can be applied using fin, scales and/ or mucus. However, where destructive sampling has been completed, SCA provides complementary dietary insights, especially in relation to prey size.

scholarly journals Resistant Starch Is Actively Fermented by Infant Faecal Microbiota and Increases Microbial Diversity

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geetha Gopalsamy ◽  
Elissa Mortimer ◽  
Paul Greenfield ◽  
Anthony R. Bird ◽  
Graeme P. Young ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resistant Starch ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Healthy Infants ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Fermentation Capacity ◽  
Parallel Control ◽  
High Amylose ◽  
Critical Developmental Period

In adults, fermentation of high amylose maize starch (HAMS), a resistant starch (RS), has a prebiotic effect. Were such a capacity to exist in infants, intake of RS might programme the gut microbiota during a critical developmental period. This study aimed to determine if infant faecal inocula possess the capacity to ferment HAMS or acetylated-HAMS (HAMSA) and characterise associated changes to microbial composition. Faecal samples were collected from 17 healthy infants at two timepoints: Preweaning and within 10 weeks of first solids. Fermentation was assessed using in vitro batch fermentation. Following 24 h incubation, pH, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production and microbial composition were compared to parallel control incubations. In preweaning infants, there was a significant decrease at 24 h in pH between control and HAMS incubations and a significant increase in the production of total SCFAs, indicating fermentation. Fermentation of HAMS increased further following commencement of solids. Fermentation of RS with weaning faecal inocula increased Shannon’s diversity index (H) and was associated with increased abundance of Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides. In conclusion, the faecal inocula from infants is capable of RS fermentation, independent of stage of weaning, but introduction of solids increases this fermentation capacity. RS may thus function as a novel infant prebiotic.

scholarly journals Escherichia colipopulations from diabetic and non-diabetic patients with bacteraemia and faecal samples from healthy subjects – a comparative study

1990 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Brauner ◽  
B. Hylander ◽  
B. Wretlind ◽  
C.-G. Östenson ◽  
I. Kühn
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Host Factors ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Typing System ◽  
Low Diversity ◽  
Patients With Diabetes ◽  
And Control

SUMMARYBiochemical reactions, using the PhP-EC system of biochemical fingerprinting, were evaluated in order to group strains into different clusters and to investigate whether a biochemical typing system may be used to distinguish between randomly selectedEscherichia colistrains obtained from bacteraemic patients and healthy controls. Fifty epidemiologically unrelated strains isolated from blood of non-diabetic patients and 46 faecal control strains were studied. Separately, 70E. colistrains from 64 diabetic patients with bacteraemia were investigated. Diversity index was 0·977, 0·969 and 0·941 respectively. The strains were clustered at a similarity level of 0·95. The bacteraemic and control strains were subdivided into 14 different clusters with 2–12 strains each and 40 ‘outliers’. The largest cluster was dominated by bacteraemic strains (9/12, 75%). Two other clusters were dominated by control strains. In the remaining groups blood and faecal isolates were evenly distributed. No biochemical test was able to distinguish between bacteraemic and faecal control strains. Strains from patients with diabetes mellitus were grouped in 11 clusters containing 2–14 strains and 22 ‘outliers’. The low diversity index of bacteraemic strains obtained from diabetic patients as compared to other strains indicated a greater homogenicity. However, no correlation was observed between the examined host factors and the clusters.

scholarly journals Fishing destabilizes the biomass flow in the marine size spectrum

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1727) ◽  
pp. 284-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.-J. Rochet ◽  
E. Benoît
Keyword(s):  
Size Range ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Size Spectrum ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Marine Food Webs ◽  
Community Model ◽  
Size Diversity ◽  
Flow Oscillations ◽  
Marine Food ◽  
Fishing Impacts

Fishing impacts on marine food webs are predicted by simulations of a size spectrum community model. In this model, predation is determined by predator and prey size and abundance, and drives predator growth and prey mortality. Fishing amplifies temporal oscillations in the biomass flow. Oscillations appear at lower fishing intensity and have wider amplitude when fishing is selective (removes a narrow size range) and/or when large fish are targeted, than when fishing is more balanced (catching a larger size range) or when small fish are targeted. A novel index of size diversity is developed, and is shown to be sensitive to both fishing intensity and selectivity. To avoid unstable food web dynamics with potential harmful consequences for fisheries, limiting both fishing intensity and selectivity might be an appropriate exploitation strategy.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document