Diurnal activity budgets of Black Ducks during their annual cycle in Prince Edward Island

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Earle Hickey ◽  
Rodger D. Titman
Keyword(s):  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Seasonal Activity ◽  
Continuous Observation ◽  
Activity Budgets ◽  
Yearly Cycle ◽  
Major Activity ◽  
Black Duck ◽  
Tide Level

Scan sampling (N = 68 193 observations) and continuous observation (N = 659 h) of Black Ducks (Anas rubripes) in Prince Edward Island between 19 April 1976 and 1 September 1977 were used to estimate their seasonal activity budgets. Percent of time spent resting increased with increasing wind chill during fall (47.9–63.5%) and winter (76.9–85.5%). Ducks fed less and rested more with increasing tide level during all seasons. Females spent more time feeding than their mates during late winter (9.7%) and the breeding season (15.1%). Behavior of pairs varied depending on the habitat occupied. Feeding was the major activity of Black Duck pairs and of brood hens and ducklings. Resting dominated fall and winter behavior although some sites were more important for foraging during winter. Behavioral changes between seasons apparently reflect different strategies employed by Black Ducks within their yearly cycle.

scholarly journals Seasonal activity of the Denali caribou herd, Alaska

Rangifer ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney D. Boertje
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Nutritional Stress ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
High Availability ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Seasonal Activity ◽  
Activity Budgets ◽  
West Greenland ◽  
Rest Periods

<p>Activity of female and young caribou in the Denali herd was studied from June 1978 through April 1980 to help assess the food availability/nutritional status of this reduced population. No nutritional stress was evident as inferred by the greater activity of Denali caribou in late winter compared with starving caribou in West Greenland and by the low proportion of time spent grazing in spring compared with reindeer on overgrazed ranges in Norway. Also, low proportions of time were spent running from insects due to relatively few insects and a high availability of insect-relief sites. A low proportion of time was spent cratering due to windswept conditions. Activity budgets calculated from complete active-rest cycles and accompanied by the duration of active and rest periods may be useful indicators of relative food availability/nutritional status, particularly in late winter/early spring. Duration of active periods is presumably most strongly related to rumen fill, and, thus, food availability. Duration of rest periods was not significantly different among seasons (P&lt;0.05), except when insects, rutting bulls, and, presumably, mushroom-searching altered active-rest cycles.</p><p>Sesongmessige svingninger av aktiviteten i Denali karibu-flokk, Alaska.</p><p>Abstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag: Aktiviteten hos simler og ungdyr i Denali karibouflokk ble studert fra juni 1978 til utgangen av april 1980 som hjelpemiddel for &aring; bestemme n&aelig;ringstilbud/ern&aelig;ringsstatus i denne reduserte karibustamme. Ingen ern&aelig;ringsmessig stress var &aring;penbar, noe som kan utledes av den st&oslash;rre aktivitet hos Denali karibu p&aring; senvinteren sammenlignet med sultende karibu i Vest-Gr&oslash;nland samt den lave andel av beiting sammenlignet med rein p&aring; overbelastede beiter i Norge. Videre ble en lav andel av tiden brukt til &aring; r&oslash;mme fra insekter, fordi insektplagen var relativt liten og at det var lett adgang til omr&aring;der der dyrene kunne befri seg fra insektene. Graving krevde ogs&aring; liten andel av tid takket v&aelig;re vindbl&aring;ste sn&oslash;forhold. Aktivitetsbudsjetter beregnet ut fra totale aktivitets-/hvilesykluser kan v&aelig;re nyttige indikatorer p&aring; relativ n&aelig;ringstilbud/ern&aelig;ringsstatus, s&aelig;rlig p&aring; senvinter og tidlig v&aring;r. Varigheten av aktive perioder er sannsynligvis mest knyttet til vomfylde og, derfor, til n&aelig;ringstilbud eller n&aelig;ringstilgjengelighet. Varigheten av hvileperioder var ikke signifikant forskjellig mellom sesonger (P&lt;0.05), unntatt n&aring;r insekter, brunstige bukker og, sannsynligvis ogs&aring;, sopps&oslash;king forandret aktivitet-/hvilesykluser.</p>

Day-roosting activity budgets of the eastern pipistrelle bat, Pipistrellus subflavus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane M. Winchell ◽  
Thomas H. Kunz
Keyword(s):  
Post Partum ◽  
Video Camera ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Seasonal Activity ◽  
Activity Budgets ◽  
Little Brown Bat ◽  
Eastern Pipistrelle ◽  
Pipistrellus Subflavus ◽  
Temperature Time

Daily and seasonal activity budgets of adult female eastern pipistrelle bats, Pipistrellus subflavus, were quantified at a maternity colony in eastern Massachusetts. Ambient and roost temperatures were recorded. Activities of roosting bats were monitored using an infrared-sensitive video camera. Scan sampling was used to analyze video records taken at weekly intervals from mid-May to late July 1989. Analysis of day-roosting indicates that adult females spend an average of 77% of their time at rest, 16% alert, 7% grooming, and < 1% crawling. Bats were most active immediately following their morning return to the day-roost and just prior to their departure at dusk. Periodic bouts of activity throughout the day were usually associated with urination and (or) defecation, mother–pup interactions, and movements in response to changes in roost temperature. Females were significantly more active in mortise roosts than when roosting on the open ridgepole, probably because fluctuations in temperature in mortises were smaller. As the season progressed, the overall time that bats spent resting decreased from 86 to 70%, whereas time spent alert increased from 9 to 24%; weekly fluctuations in the incidence of grooming and crawling showed no consistent seasonal trends. Roost temperature, time of day, and date explained significant amounts of variation in both daily and seasonal activity budgets. Females rested significantly less and were more alert after young were born than before, although time spent grooming and crawling did not differ significantly between the pre- and post-partum periods. Our findings for P. subflavus generally corroborate activity budgets previously reported for the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus).

Seasonal Activity Budgets of Moose in Aspen-Dominated Boreal Forests

1989 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyle A. Renecker ◽  
Robert J. Hudson
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Seasonal Activity ◽  
Activity Budgets

Winter energy balance and activity of female caribou on Coats Island, Northwest Territories: the relative importance of foraging and body reserves

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 1221-1229 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Z. Adamczewski ◽  
R. J. Hudson ◽  
C. C. Gates
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Northwest Territories ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Energy Requirements ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Activity Budgets ◽  
Winter Activity ◽  
Body Reserves

Reduced availability of forage in winter is the dominant limiting factor for the isolated, predator-free caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) population on Coats Island, Northwest Territories. Pregnant females in this population typically begin winter with large fat reserves but catabolize most of them by spring. We modelled net energy requirements of a pregnant female during two winters (1982 – 1983 and 1983 – 1984) to evaluate energy requirements for maintenance, activity, and pregnancy, and to estimate the contribution of body reserves in supplying these requirements. A secondary objective was to determine whether winter activity budgets were related to energy balance, quality of winter diets, or body condition. Estimated net energy requirements were lowest during midwinter (16 MJ/d for an average female) but increased rapidly toward spring. Maintenance was at all times the largest component of requirements, but gestation costs increased to 12 – 14% of total requirements by winter's end, and activity costs tended to increase from 3.8–4.0 MJ/d (23–25% of requirements) at the beginning of winter to 4.6–4.8 MJ/d (26 – 29% of costs) in late winter. Body reserves supplied an estimated 14.2% (1982 – 1983) and 19.2% (1983 – 1984) of overall winter requirements. The contribution from body reserves varied from 9 to 24% during different portions of the two winters and, in late winter 1982 – 1983, reserves may have been a crucial supplement at a time of decreased forage availability and rising energy costs. Caribou were least active in early winter, when they were fattest, and most active at winter's end when their energy needs were increasing. These patterns were not consistent with activity budgets of most mainland caribou, and winter activity budgets were not consistently related to either diet quality or body condition.

The influence of insects on the distribution, microhabitat choice, and behaviour of the Burwash caribou herd

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 622-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Downes ◽  
J. B. Theberge ◽  
S. M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Yukon Territory ◽  
Microhabitat Use ◽  
Seasonal Activity ◽  
Mosquito Density ◽  
Activity Budgets ◽  
Microhabitat Choice ◽  
Resting Time ◽  
And Behavior

This study examined the influence of insects (mosquitoes and oestrids) on the distribution, microhabitat choice, and behavior of a population of mountain caribou. The study was conducted in the Burwash area of southwestern Yukon Territory during the summers of 1982 and 1983. Mosquito density, the presence or absence of oestrids, and the distribution, microhabitat use, and insect-avoidance behavior of the caribou were observed. Seasonal activity budgets for caribou were calculated. Mosquitoes became active in mid-June. Activity decreased with altitude, and at the highest altitudes (2000 m) the number of mosquitoes was negligible. Snow patches and exposed windy ridges had fewer mosquitoes than did open tundra. The oestrid season began in late June and lasted until early August. Oestrids were widespread throughout the study area and were present in all microhabitats. Caribou reduced harassment by mosquitoes by their altitudinal movements and use of microhabitat. Oestrids influenced activity budgets of caribou, acting to decrease feeding and resting time and to increase the time spent standing and moving.

scholarly journals Seasonal activity and basking of the southernmost population of the freshwater turtle Phrynops hilarii (Chelidae)

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
María B. Semeñiuk ◽  
Leandro Alcalde
Keyword(s):  
Time Of Day ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Species Range ◽  
Freshwater Turtle ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Seasonal Activity ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Environmental Features

This study focuses on basking behaviour of Phrynops hilarii in the southernmost population of the species’ range. The objective was to determine how environmental features affect the basking behaviour of the species. We analyzed two years of data on the seasonal activity of the species for the same stream. We detected 389 P. hilarii basking, mostly alone (76.8%), and on logs and branches (79.3%), but large turtles used shorelines more frequently than did smaller turtles. Basking peaked during late winter and early spring. We found no correlation between the number of basking turtles and air, substrate or water temperatures. P. hilarii was active through all seasons, with activity peaking in summer, when temperature is highest but basking frequency is low. Type of substrate, time of day, and season are key factors that influence the basking behaviour of P. hilarii.

THE PRESENCE OF AN INHERENT REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE IN THE MALE LABORATORY RAT

1958 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 344-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. GUNN ◽  
THELMA C. GOULD
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Cycle ◽  
Seasonal Activity ◽  
Glandular Tissue ◽  
Maximum Difference ◽  
Immature Rat ◽  
Yearly Cycle ◽  
Laboratory Rat ◽  
Inherent Feature ◽  
June July

SUMMARY The data presented in this paper illustrate a distinct yearly cycle of activity in the capacity of the dorso-lateral prostate (d.l.p.) of the male laboratory rat to concentrate injected 65Zn. From 60 to 85% more 65Zn was taken up per mg of glandular tissue in the months of February-March and June-July than at other times of year. Studies of the corresponding weights of the d.l.p. showed trends towards lower glandular weights in January and in April; the maximum difference noted between high and low glandular weights was, however, only 28%. That this increased uptake of 65Zn by the d.l.p. in February-March and June-July was a strong inherent feature was illustrated by the fact that rats of various ages, from 8 weeks to 1½ years, showed this increased glandular activity at these times of year. Of all the animals tested only the immature rat of 5 weeks of age and the exhausted breeder did not manifest this seasonal activity.

scholarly journals Size is not everything: differing activity and foraging patterns between the sexes in a monomorphic mammal

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
H.K. Lodberg-Holm ◽  
S.M.J.G. Steyaert ◽  
S. Reinhardt ◽  
F. Rosell ◽  
Hanna Kavli Lodberg-Holm
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Seasonal Activity ◽  
Circadian Activity ◽  
Activity Budgets ◽  
Foraging Patterns ◽  
Activity Rhythms ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Males And Females

Abstract Animals balance foraging with other activities, and activity patterns may differ between sexes due to differing physical requirements and reproductive investments. Sex-specific behavioural differences are common in sexually dimorphic mammals, but have received limited research attention in monomorphic mammals where the sexes are similar in body size. Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) are obligate monogamous and monomorphic mammals and a good model species to study sex-specific differences. As females increase energy expenditure during reproduction, we hypothesized differing seasonal activity budgets, circadian activity rhythms and foraging patterns between male and reproducing female beavers. To test this hypothesis, we equipped adult beavers with VHF transmitters (N=41; 16 female, 25 male) and observed them throughout their active period at night from spring to late summer. Occurrence of their main activities (foraging, travelling and being in lodge) and use of food items (trees/shrubs, aquatic vegetation and herbs/grasses) were modelled to investigate sex-specific seasonal activity budgets and circadian activity rhythms. The sexes did not differ in time spent foraging across the season or night, but during spring, females resided more in the lodge and travelled less. Males and females both foraged on aquatic vegetation during spring, but females used this food source also during late summer, whereas males mostly foraged on trees/shrubs throughout the year. We conclude that seasonal activity budgets and foraging differ subtly between the sexes, which may relate to different energy budgets associated with reproduction and nutritional requirements. Such subtle seasonal behavioural adaptions may be vital for survival and reproduction of monomorphic species. Significance statement Activity budgets and foraging patterns of animals are key to their survival and may differ between males and females with different body sizes and physical requirements. In monomorphic species, where males and females have similar body sizes, fewer differences are expected, but may still be pronounced during certain times of the year. We modelled sex-specific seasonal activity budgets and circadian activity rhythms and use of food items in a monomorphic mammal, the Eurasian beaver. By treating season and time of day as a continuous variable rather than modelling differences within distinct predefined periods, we identified subtle sex-specific seasonal trends in activity budgets and use of food items.

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