Selection of Prey by Size in Ningaui Yvonneae

1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 319 ◽  
Author(s):  
AP Woolnough ◽  
SM Carthew
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Large Prey ◽  
Small Prey ◽  
Upper Limit ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Prey Items ◽  
Selection Of

The small dasyurid marsupial, Ningaui yvonneae, feeds opportunistically on invertebrates dominated by the orders Hymenoptera, Coleoptera and Araneae, but is capable of, and will, consume vertebrates such as skinks. When presented with a choice of prey N. yvonneae exhibited a strong preference for prey items on the basis of size. It consistently selected small prey items over large prey items. Small prey items represented the most energy-efficient prey option as the ningaui can more efficiently capture, subdue and consume them than it can larger prey. The relationship between prey size and handling time was exponential, indicating that there is an upper limit to the ability of N. yvonneae to process prey. Moreover, smaller cockroaches provided greater energy gain than larger ones, indicating that the costs of eating larger cockroaches energetically outweighed the energy return. These results are in agreement with optimal foraging theory.

Swimming ants and pitcher plants: a unique ant-plant interaction from Borneo

1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 589-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Clarke ◽  
R. L. Kitching
Keyword(s):  
Digestive System ◽  
Mosquito Larvae ◽  
Large Prey ◽  
Pitcher Plant ◽  
Small Prey ◽  
Plant Interaction ◽  
Nesting Sites ◽  
Mutualistic Association ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Prey Items

ABSTRACTThe relationship between Camponotus sp. ants and the carnivorous pitcher plant, Nepenthes bicalcarata, from Borneo were investigated. The ants nest in the hollow tendrils of the plant, and feed on large prey items caught by the pitchers. These are hauled from the pitcher fluid by the ants and consumed. When large prey items are absent, the ants feed upon mosquito larvae which inhabit the pitcher fluid. The accumulation of excess prey in pitchers can lead to putrefaction of the contents, and disruption of the pitcher's digestive system. Experiments on the possible benefits of the ants' behaviour to the plant showed that the accumulation of excess prey and the putrefaction of the pitcher contents were significantly reduced in the presence of the ants. The accumulation of ammonia in pitchers was unaffected by the presence of the ants when small prey were added to pitchers, but was reduced significantly in the presence of ants when large prey were added. It is suggested that Camponotus sp. and N. bicalcarata have a mutualistic association, from which the ants obtain food and nesting sites and, in return, prevent damaging accumulation of excess prey in the pitchers.

The relationship between prey selectivity and growth and survival in a larval fish

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 1504-1512 ◽  
Author(s):  
C M Mayer ◽  
D H Wahl
Keyword(s):  
Prey Size ◽  
Larval Fish ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Prey Preference ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Large Prey ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Early Juvenile ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Better Than

We examined prey preference, growth, and survival of small larval (8-10 mm total length (TL)), large larval (11-17 mm TL), and early juvenile (>18 mm TL) walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) in laboratory aquaria and field mesocosms using multiple prey assemblages that included cladoceran, copepod, and rotifer prey of varied sizes. Both prey taxa and size affected prey preference during the larval period. All sizes of walleye avoided rotifer and nauplii prey. Small and large larvae selected for intermediate-sized (0.4-0.9 mm) cladoceran prey and selected against large prey (>0.9 mm) of both taxa. Although neither capture efficiency nor handling time differed between prey taxa, larvae oriented more frequently towards cladoceran prey suggesting that they were more visible than copepods to these small fish. Larval walleye that were fed exclusively cladoceran prey survived better than fish that were fed other prey. Early juveniles selected primarily on the basis of prey size, choosing large copepods and cladocerans. Prey taxa did not affect early juvenile growth or survival. Prey taxa and prey size interacted with predator size to influence selectivity and its effect on growth and survival. Consequently, these factors must be considered in combination when examining the importance of foraging decisions in young fish.

CHANGES IN PREY SIZE PREFERENCES DURING SUCCESSIVE STAGES OF FORAGING IN THE MEDITERRANEAN WATER SHREW NEOMYS ANOMALUS

Behaviour ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 136 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leszek Rychlik
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Large Prey ◽  
Habitat Conditions ◽  
Food Hoarding ◽  
Food Quantity ◽  
Competition For Food ◽  
Mediterranean Water ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Food Portions

AbstractPrey size preferences in successive stages of foraging of Mediterranean water shrews Neomys anomalus Cabrera, 1907 were investigated in a terrarium. Seven shrews were tested individually in five experimental variants (simulating different habitat conditions) totally for 504 hours. Water shrews displayed partial preferences for prey size but they were selective from the very beginning of the foraging period. When searching for food, N. anomalus preferred big food portions, abandoning significantly more small than big portions. This tendency was especially strong when few food portions were available on land and there were no natural structures in the terrarium. Selection of big portions was intensified probably by their easier detection. Shrews hoarded proportionally more big than small portions in the scattered hiding-places. This tendency was intensified by the presence of natural structures, dispersion of food and reduction of food quantity placed on land. Later, however, more small than big food portions were eaten, apparently because small portions were easier to manipulate. Scattered food hoarding and preference of large prey are proposed to be the strategy of N. anomalus to maximise the energy net gain and minimise the predation risk and competition for food.

Comparative foraging behaviour and efficiency of adult and juvenile great blue herons

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 1168-1173 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. E. Quinney ◽  
P. C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Flock Size ◽  
Foraging Success ◽  
Small Prey ◽  
Prey Items

Foraging behaviour and efficiency of adult and newly fledged juvenile great blue herons, Ardea herodius L., were studied at the Gaspereau River estuary. Nova Scotia, in July and August 1977 and 1978. Pace and strike rates of adults and juveniles were similar, whereas capture and probe rates differed markedly. Adults captured prey more successfully than juveniles but the ability of the latter improved with age. Foraging success of adults was greater in flocks of more than five individuals. In contrast, juvenile success does not seem related to flock size. Ninety-eight percent of the identified prey were flounder Liopsetta putnmi Gill. Handling time of small prey items was the same for adults and juveniles but juveniles took much longer to swallow medium-sized prey than adults did.

The Inactivity of Animals: Influence of Stochasticity and Prey Size

Behaviour ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 92 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorian Moss ◽  
William J. Sutherland
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Large Prey ◽  
Small Prey ◽  
Sufficient Food

As a consequence of prey capture being partly dependent upon chance, each individual may usually spend much of the day inactive even if the population is limited by its food supply. This applies particularly to species that eat large prey and thus experience considerable day-to-day variation in intake which restricts them to relatively rich habitats. Food will be found easily on most days and little time need be spent hunting although, occasionally, they will be unlucky and, despite searching all day, risk starvation. Predators of small prey can survive in environments that provide barely sufficient food as they experience little variation in intake: but they need to search all day to sustain themselves.

The Relationship Between Prey Size and Handling Time and Prey Size and Capture Success in 3 Sympatric Species of Dasyurid Marsupials

1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 615 ◽  
Author(s):  
MC Calver ◽  
JS Bradley ◽  
DR King
Keyword(s):  
Linear Regression ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Niche Separation ◽  
Simple Linear Regression ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Better Than

Regressions of handling time on prey weight were determined for the dasyurids Srninthopsis hirtipes, S. ooldea and Ningaui spp. preying on grasshoppers and cockroaches in the laboratory. In all cases, a simple linear regression fitted the relationships better than logarithmic models. The slopes of the regression lines were steeper for grasshopper prey than for cockroach prey in all species, and for each prey type the slopes for the predators were ranked in order of predator weight. Capture efficiency, defined as the proportion of successful attacks, did not vary significantly between predator species and prey types, and all predators showed declining capture efficiencies with increasing prey size. Niche separation in these dasyurids does not appear to be based on different optimal prey sizes for each species.

Are solitary progressive-provisioning wasps optimal foragers? A study with the digger wasp Bembix merceti (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)

Behaviour ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 148 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
S.F. Gayubo ◽  
◽  
◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Positive Selection ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Large Prey ◽  
Lift Capacity ◽  
Surrounding Environment ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Central Place Forager

Abstract Bembix merceti, a central-place forager that captures dipterans to feed its larvae, could be considered a suboptimal forager. The females tend to optimize their provisioning flights, capturing prey in proportions different from those present in the surrounding environment. These wasps make a positive selection of families of flies with greater mean weights even though they are less abundant and, within the families whose weight is not too great, capture individuals whose weight is larger than the mean. Selection is based on prey size and not on the type (family) to which the prey belongs. A significant correlation between the weight of each female and the weight of the largest prey captured by the wasp was found, suggesting that the females capture prey in consonance with their lift capacity. Nevertheless, captures were not optimized maximally; the females maintained a margin with respect to the maximum prey weights that they could transport efficiently. This margin could be related to the low availability of large prey in the environment; to the type of progressive provisioning shown by the females of this species; and to other factors, such as the good manoeuvrability of their prey and the pressure from their natural enemies and congeners.

Prey Retention and Sieve Adjustment in Filter-Feeding Bream (Abramis brama) (Cyprinidae)

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim Hoogenboezem ◽  
Eddy H. R. R. Lammens ◽  
Peter J. MacGillavry ◽  
Ferdinand A. Sibbing
Keyword(s):  
Model Prediction ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Mesh Size ◽  
Abramis Brama ◽  
Selective Feeding ◽  
Filter Feeding ◽  
Bream Abramis Brama ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Selection Of

The hypothesis that the variability in prey-size selection of filter-feeding bream (Abramis brama) is related to sieve adjustment was tested by feeding bream of approximately 20 and 30 cm standard length with daphnids. The size-selective feeding observed in experiments was compared with predicted selectivity curves derived from the channel width of branchial sieves, total filtered volume, and the retention probability of prey in the reduced or unreduced channels. The relationship between mesh size and retention probability of Daphnia of known length was determined empirically in sieving experiments using commercial sieves. The results with 20-cm fish demonstrated that the variability in prey selection of bream can be explained by the adjustment of its filter in two distinct mesh sizes. The relationship between filter adjustment and zooplankton availability was not always clear. The retention ability of large bream (>30 cm) was in close accordance with the model prediction for filter-feeding with reduced channels.

Conflict and Cooperation in the Group Feeding of the Social Spider Stegodyphus Mimosarum

Behaviour ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 94 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 167-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margit M. Enders ◽  
Paul I. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
The Body ◽  
Large Prey ◽  
Social Spider ◽  
Small Prey ◽  
Conflict And Cooperation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Group Feeding

Abstract1. Stegodyphus mimosarum, a social spider, lives in colonies which may contain hundreds of individuals. Feeding behaviour was examined with respect to feeding group size and prey size. 2. Prey were less likely to escape and were subdued more quickly when attacked by more than one spider. 3. During capture small prey were frequently bitten directly on the body whereas large prey were almost always bitten on an appendage. 4. Pulling struggles for subdued prey occurred. They lasted longest over medium sized prey. Small prey were easier to transport to the nest than medium prey and large prey were pulled by more spiders from a single retreat. 5. Spiders which had participated in a capture initially bit preferentially on the prey's head or thorax but others which joined later to feed bit at random. 6. Feeding became less efficient as group size increased and an experiment suggests that individuals injected less poison and digestive enzymes when feeding in groups.

Diet divergence, jaw size and scale counts in two neighbouring populations of tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus)

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don Bradshaw ◽  
Aubret Fabien ◽  
Stéphanie Maumelat ◽  
Terry Schwaner ◽  
Xavier Bonnet
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Large Prey ◽  
Small Prey ◽  
Coastal Island ◽  
Prey Items

AbstractLarge snakes usually possess a higher number of scales to cover their larger bodies and their larger heads. It has been suggested that a diet based on large prey items also favours the development of scale number because the skin would be more extensible and would enable easier swallowing of voluminous prey. A recent study, however, suggested that although body size positively influences scale count in snakes, diet is probably unimportant (Shine, 2002). We took advantage of a natural experiment that separated two neighbouring and genetically indistinguishable populations of tiger snakes in the vicinity of Perth, Western Australia. In one population, situated on a small coastal Island (Carnac Island), snakes feed primarily on seagull chicks (large prey). In the second population, located on the mainland (Herdsman Lake), snakes feed mostly on frogs (small prey). Carnac Island snakes possess more scales (labial and mid-body rows) and larger relative jaw lengths compared with Herdsman Lake snakes. Although preliminary, these data suggest that tiger snakes, whose many populations show contrasted feeding habits, are suitable models to test the "dietary habits / scale count" hypothesis.

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