A comparison of faecal and stomach contents analysis in the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus)

1973 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 715-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. R. Neal ◽  
D. A. Pulkinen ◽  
B. D. Owen
Keyword(s):  
Correction Factor ◽  
Quantitative Assessment ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Microtus Pennsylvanicus ◽  
Meadow Vole ◽  
Paired Comparisons ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Stomach Contents Analysis

The food preferences of 14 specimens of Microtus pennsylvanicus were studied by the quantitative assessment of plant cuticular fragments in the stomachs and faeces. Paired comparisons of stomach with faecal observations indicated that sedges and dicotyledons were considerably underrated, grasses were generally slightly overrated, and unidentifiable fragments were considerably more abundant in the faecal samples. About half of the sedge and dicotyledon cuticular fragments appeared to be lost between the stomach and colon sampling sites. It was concluded that most of these fragments were rendered unidentifiable, but some were probably completely digested. Stomach and faecal samples provided similar estimates of food preferences when few sedges and dicotyledons were observed, but were markedly different when sedges and dicotyledons formed a substantial proportion of the diet. A simple correction factor was used to compensate for differences in the digestibility of the different food items. The corrected faecal observations were very similar to the stomach observations.

Feeding habits of Urotrygon microphthalmum (Myliobatiformes: Urotrygonidae) caught off northeastern Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jones Santander-Neto ◽  
Dante J. V. Freitas ◽  
Hugo Bornatowski ◽  
Rosângela Lessa
Keyword(s):  
Trophic Level ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Diet Shift ◽  
Ontogenetic Diet Shift ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Stomach Contents Analysis

Abstract The feeding habits of Urotrygon microphthalmum, a Critically Endangered (CR) species, were investigated through stomach contents analysis from specimens caught on bottom double rigged otter trawls in Pernambuco state, Brazil, between March of 2010 and March of 2012. A total of 338 stomachs were analyzed, and 31 food items were identified in the diet of U. microphthalmum. The species ingests mainly shrimps. The diets between males and females were not different, and an ontogenetic diet shift was not observed. The estimated species’ trophic level is 3.5, classifying it as a secondary order consumer.

A method of estimating diet digestibility in wild meadow voles

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1020-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra L. MacPherson ◽  
Frederick A. Servello ◽  
Roy L. Kirkpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Microtus Pennsylvanicus ◽  
Meadow Vole ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Chemical Analyses ◽  
Meadow Voles ◽  
Digestible Energy ◽  
Microtus Pinetorum

Regression equations for estimating diet digestibility in meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) were developed using laboratory digestion trials and chemical analyses of diets and stomach contents. These equations were used to obtain estimates of the apparent digestible dry matter (DDM) and apparent digestible energy (DE) in the diets of wild meadow voles. The estimated DDM and DE in the diets of two wild meadow vole populations varied between 62.9 and 75.2% and 62.0 and 74.2%, respectively, and were similar to those reported previously for pine voles (Microtus pinetorum).

Winter coexistence of voles in spruce forest: relevance of seasonal changes in aggression

1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 1004-1011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian N. Turner ◽  
Michael R. Perrin ◽  
Stuart L. Iverson
Keyword(s):  
Microtus Pennsylvanicus ◽  
Meadow Vole ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Spruce Forest ◽  
Vole Population ◽  
Reproductive Condition ◽  
Interspecific Aggression ◽  
Meadow Voles ◽  
Nonbreeding Season ◽  
Short Period

Beginning in November 1973, numerous meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) moved onto a spruce forest grid occupied by red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi). A resident meadow vole population resulted, the two species coexisting until April 1974, when most meadow voles disappeared from the grid during a relatively short period. Interspecific aggression levels, as determined from voles temporarily removed from the populations and tested in paired encounters in a laboratory arena, were low during the winter, but increased when males of both species entered reproductive condition in the spring. Microtus was generally dominant in early breeding period encounters, but this dominance declined concurrently with the meadow voles' disappearance from the forest. It is argued that meadow voles did not leave the forest to breed, or because the snow cover melted, since this species will live and reproduce in forest in the absence of Clethrionomys. The results are interpreted as support for an earlier hypothesis that competitive habitat exclusion varies seasonally with reproduction-related aggression. Thus, these species apparently may coexist in either of their preferred habitats when interspecific aggression is low (the nonbreeding season), but this relationship terminates when interspecific aggression levels increase with the resumption of breeding in the spring.

The diet of red foxes, Vulpes vulpes L., in Victoria

1973 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 391 ◽  
Author(s):  
BJ Coman
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Plant Material ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Main Food ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Over Time

Stomach contents were examined for 1229 foxes collected in Victoria during 1968-70. Of these, 967 stomachs contained measurable quantities of food. The fox appears to have a very wide dietary range but is predominantly carnivorous. The main food items encountered were rabbits, sheep carrion, and mice. Lesser amounts of native mammals, birds, cold-blooded vertebrates, invertebrates, and plant material were encountered. For many foods, particularly insects, the intake was markedly seasonal. Regional differences in diet were also apparent. Much of the variation in intake of particular foods over time and between regions was explicable in terms of changing availabilities of these foods.

Effect of Orthene® on an unconfined population of the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus)

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 243-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Jett ◽  
James D. Nichols ◽  
James E. Hines
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rate ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Weight Change ◽  
Relative Weight ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Microtus Pennsylvanicus ◽  
Field Application ◽  
Meadow Vole ◽  
Old Field ◽  
Insecticide Treatment

The possible impact on Microtus pennsylvanicus of ground applications of Orthene® insecticide was investigated in old-field habitats in northern Maryland during 1982 and 1983. The treatment grids in 1982 and 1983 were sprayed at 0.62 and 0.82 kg active ingredient/ha, respectively. A capture–recapture design robust to unequal capture probabilities was utilized to estimate population size, survival, and recruitment. Data on reproductive activity and relative weight change were also collected to investigate the effect of the insecticide treatment. There were no significant differences in population size or recruitment between control and treatment grids which could be directly related to the treatment. Survival rate was significantly lower on the treatment grid than on the control grid after spraying in 1983; however, survival rate was higher on the treatment grid after spraying in 1982. Significantly fewer pregnant adults were found on the treatment grid after spraying in 1982, whereas the proportions of voles lactating or with perforate vaginas or open pubic symphyses were slightly higher or remained unchanged during this period. Relative weight change was not affected by the treatment. Results do not indicate any pattern of inhibitory effects from the insecticide treatment. Field application of Orthene® did not have an adverse effect on this Microtus population.

Iodine-131 in Thyroids of the Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) in the Vicinity of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Plant

1981 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Field ◽  
Elizabeth H. Field ◽  
David A. Zegers ◽  
Guy L. Steucek
Keyword(s):  
Microtus Pennsylvanicus ◽  
Meadow Vole ◽  
Iodine 131

scholarly journals PREGNANCY-BLOCK IN THE MEADOW VOLE, MICROTUS PENNSYLVANICUS

Reproduction ◽  
1971 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. V. CLULOW ◽  
P. E. LANGFORD
Keyword(s):  
Microtus Pennsylvanicus ◽  
Meadow Vole

scholarly journals Dietary assessment of five species of anuran tadpoles from northern Odisha, India

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 12382-12388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Asrafuzzaman ◽  
Susmita Mahapatra ◽  
Jasmin Rout ◽  
Gunanidhi Sahoo
Keyword(s):  
Body Length ◽  
Dietary Assessment ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Food Spectrum ◽  
Aquatic Habitats ◽  
Morphometric Measurements ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Study Sites

Anuran tadpoles are gregarious predators capable of differentiating food items among diverse types of prey via varied feeding and oral structures.  Tadpoles were collected from different study sites in three districts of northern Odisha during three consecutive rainy seasons (from July–October of 2015–2017).  After morphometric measurements (total length and body length), the stomach contents of 75 tadpoles belonging to five different anuran species (Duttaphrynus melanostictus, Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis, Fejervarya orissaensis, Polypedates maculatus and Microhyla ornata) belonging to four families namely Bufonidae, Dicroglossidae, Rhacophoridae and Microhylidae were examined.  The food spectrum of tadpoles included mostly detritus, followed by phytoplankton (represented by 5 classes and 54 genera).  Such studies contribute to the understanding of the natural diets of these anuran species that can assist in developing management strategies for them.  Aquatic habitats must be conserved and maintained so that conservation of anurans can be ensured.

scholarly journals Seasonal variation on diet of juvenile Elops saurus Linnaeus, 1766 (Ladyfish) in the Parnaiba River Delta

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiane Araujo Santos ◽  
Thamires Souza Gonçalves ◽  
Patricia Silva do Nascimento ◽  
Cézar Augusto Freire Fernandes ◽  
Francisca Edna de Andrade Cunha
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Dry Period ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Importance Index

Abstract: Aim Identify seasonal variations in the diet of juvenile living in the estuary of the Parnaíba River Delta. Methods Food items were identified through analysis of stomach contents, and later submitted to analysis by regular methods for Frequency of Occurrence (FO), Frequency Numerical (FN), Gravimetric Frequency (FW) and Relative Importance Index (IRI). Results Juvenile diet of Elops saurus that inhabit the lagoons in the Parnaíba delta was composed in order decreasing of importance by Osteichthyes (Teleostei), Insecta and Crustacea in addition to Polychaeta and Nematoda. It was also observed a high frequency of occurrence of fragments of plastics in the diet. In the rainy season, 17 items were recorded in the diet, whereas in the dry season only 7 items were present. Relative Importance Index showed high presence of the Teleostei fish (69.93%) on diet of E. saurus during the rainy season, whereas during the dry period the insects of the families Corixidae (43.25%) and Dysticidae (39.16%). Conclusions With the study it was possible to identify that juvenile are piscivorous in the rainy season when there is a higher availability of prey in the environment and insectivores in the dry season when it reduces the supply of food, indicating feeding flexibility to environmental alterations.

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