The foraging behavior of a generalist feeder, the central mudminnow (Umbra limi)

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia A. Paszkowski
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Significant Variation ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Submerged Macrophytes ◽  
Foraging Success ◽  
Foraging Patterns ◽  
Natural Diet ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Bottom Substrate

The natural diet and habitat use patterns of the central mudminnow suggest that it is a generalist feeder capable of using a variety of foraging sites. Laboratory experiments were performed to measure the efficiency of this species as it foraged from four sites: open bottom substrate, the water column, submerged macrophytes, and the water's surface. Midwater, macrophyte, and surface foraging rates did not differ significantly from each other, whereas bottom rates were somewhat lower. Foraging success was also unaffected by small changes in the experimental environment. Significant variation existed among the foraging patterns of individual fish. The observed versatility of the mudminnow's foraging behavior could aid this species in exploiting physically severe, variable, unproductive, and (or) species-poor environments.

scholarly journals Natural dimethyl sulfide gradients would lead marine predators to higher prey biomass

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kylie Owen ◽  
Kentaro Saeki ◽  
Joseph D. Warren ◽  
Alessandro Bocconcelli ◽  
David N. Wiley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Dimethyl Sulfide ◽  
Zooplankton Biomass ◽  
Foraging Success ◽  
Spatially Correlated ◽  
Prey Biomass ◽  
Marine Predators ◽  
Predator Foraging ◽  
The Impact

AbstractFinding prey is essential to survival, with marine predators hypothesised to track chemicals such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) while foraging. Many predators are attracted to artificially released DMS, and laboratory experiments have shown that zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton accelerates DMS release. However, whether natural DMS concentrations are useful for predators and correlated to areas of high prey biomass remains a fundamental knowledge gap. Here, we used concurrent hydroacoustic surveys and in situ DMS measurements to present evidence that zooplankton biomass is spatially correlated to natural DMS concentration in air and seawater. Using agent simulations, we also show that following gradients of DMS would lead zooplankton predators to areas of higher prey biomass than swimming randomly. Further understanding of the conditions and scales over which these gradients occur, and how they are used by predators, is essential to predicting the impact of future changes in the ocean on predator foraging success.

scholarly journals Foraging behavior and at-sea distribution of White-Tailed Tropicbirds in tropical ocean

2017 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 556-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. F. A. S. Campos ◽  
A. B. Andrade ◽  
S. Bertrand ◽  
M. A. Efe
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Nest Attendance ◽  
Breeding Colony ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Foraging Patterns ◽  
Land Crab ◽  
Egg Consumption ◽  
Foraging Pattern

Abstract We used miniaturized GPS loggers and site observations to access foraging patterns and nest behaviour of the White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus (WTTB), an endangered species at its South Atlantic breeding colony. Dual foraging pattern was observed with alternation between long and short foraging trips. Birds responsible for nest attendance engaged in short foraging trips with mean distance from colony of 25 ± 17 km, total distance covered of 79 ± 65 km and mean duration of 4.02 ± 5.28 hours. Birds flew by dawn and returned before dusk while partners were at sea for long foraging trips that ranged from four to 11 days, with mean maximum distance from colony of 105 ± 47.48 km. Chicks were usually left alone for hours and chick predation by Land Crab Johngartia lagostroma, egg consumption by Goniopsis cruentata and intra-specific competition are suspected to be responsible for high chick mortality rates.

Partitioning of unsubstituted Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons between surface sediments and the water column in the Brisbane River Estuary

1990 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 443 ◽  
Author(s):  
SI Kayal ◽  
DW Connell
Keyword(s):  
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Partition Coefficients ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Linear Relationships ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic

In all, 23 sediment samples and 8 water column samples from the Brisbane River estuary, Queensland, Australia, were analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in order to assess the field partitioning behaviour of these hydrocarbons. Twelve PAHs, ranging in molecular weight from naphthalene to benzo[a]pyrene, were identified and quantified. Their partition coefficients, indexed to sediment organic carbon and lipid content, were calculated after filtering to remove particulates and making a calculated adjustment for colloids, or organic matter, in the water phase. In logarithmic form, the partition coefficients were related to the physico-chemical properties of the compounds (Kow, Sw, RRT) by relationships having a parabolic shape rather than being linear. However, compounds with log Kow values of less than 5.5 gave linear relationships comparable to, but distinctly different from, those obtained from laboratory experiments. It is suggested that field conditions have distinctive differences from laboratory experiments that do not allow the direct translation of laboratory-based relationships to the natural aquatic environment.

Distribution and transformation of elemental mercury in the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (S1) ◽  
pp. 155-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Amyot ◽  
David RS Lean ◽  
Laurier Poissant ◽  
Marie-Renée Doyon
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Elemental Mercury ◽  
Volatile Species ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
First Order ◽  
Inland Lakes ◽  
First Order Kinetics ◽  
St Lawrence River

Elemental Hg (Hg0) is a volatile species that is responsible for water-to-air transfer of Hg in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. We conducted two cruises in 1998 to identify spatial and temporal patterns in Hg0 levels in these systems and performed field and laboratory experiments on redox transformations of Hg. Elemental Hg concentrations were higher in Lake Ontario than in the St. Lawrence River. At stations in Lake Ontario, Hg0 levels were higher at the bottom of the water column than at the surface, whereas they were homogeneous throughout the water column of the river. Elemental Hg concentrations were generally higher in July than in September and, in contrast with experiments on inland lakes, were relatively constant during the day except for a narrow peak at sunrise. Field and laboratory experiments showed that photoreduction of Hg(II) in St. Lawrence River water was substrate limited and was influenced by visible and ultraviolet radiation. Pseudo first-order kinetics best described photoreduction, with k values between 1 and 2·h-1.

Observations on the Flight Patterns and Foraging Behavior of Tasmanian Bats

1986 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 427 ◽  
Author(s):  
MG Oneill ◽  
RJ Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Foraging Patterns ◽  
Broad Agreement ◽  
Direct Flight

Observations were made on the flight patterns and foraging behaviour of Tasmanian bat species, by the use of light tags and the release of individuals at dusk while it was still light enough to see clearly. Four distinct foraging patterns were observed, each being characteristic of a pair of species. These pairs were: Nyctophrlusgeoffroyi and N. timoriensis (slowest flight, undulating, closest to vegetation); Eptesicus vulturnus and E. regulus (highly manoeuvrable, faster than Nyctophilus, further from vegetation); E. sagittula and Chalinolobus morio (fast, direct flight, less manoeuvrable than smaller Eptesicus and fly higher); and Pipistrellus tasmaniensis and C. gouldii (faster, most direct flight, limited manoeuvrability, prefer open areas). There is a broad agreement between the flight patterns observed and the relative shape of the wing of each species.

scholarly journals Foraging dive frequency predicts body mass gain in the Adélie penguin

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amélie Lescroël ◽  
Annie Schmidt ◽  
Megan Elrod ◽  
David G. Ainley ◽  
Grant Ballard
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
Rfid Tags ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Foraging Success ◽  
Body Mass Gain ◽  
Adélie Penguins

AbstractQuantifying food intake in wild animals is crucial to many ecological and evolutionary questions, yet it can be very challenging, especially in the marine environment. Because foraging behavior can be inferred from dive recordings in many marine creatures, we hypothesized that specific behavioral dive variables can indicate food intake. To test this hypothesis, we attached time-depth recorders to breeding Adélie penguins also implanted with RFID tags that crossed a weighbridge as they traveled to and from the ocean to feed their chicks. The weighbridge reported how much mass the penguin had gained during a foraging trip. The variables that explained a significant amount of the change in body mass while at sea were the number of foraging dives per hour (46%) and the number of undulations per hour (12%). Most importantly, every increment of 1 in the rate of foraging dives per hour equated to a penguin gaining an average 170 g of mass, over the course of a 6–60 h foraging trip. These results add to a growing understanding that different metrics of foraging success are likely appropriate for different species, and that assessing the types and frequencies of dives using time-depth recorders can yield valuable insights.

scholarly journals Diet and foraging behavior of Ageneiosus inermis (Teleostei, Auchenipteridae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-218
Author(s):  
Tiago Magalhães da Silva Freitas ◽  
William Oliveira dos Santos ◽  
Bruno da Silveira Prudente ◽  
Luciano Fogaça de Assis Montag
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Feeding Strategy ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Pelagic Species ◽  
Bottom Substrate ◽  
Xingu River ◽  
The Family ◽  
In The Wild

Ageneiosus inermis is the largest species of the family Auchenipteridae (Siluriformes) and has a primarily piscivorous diet, although no comprehensive data are available on the habitat use of this species. Given this, the present study describes the diet of A. inermis, and provides inferences on its habitat use, based on the known behavior of its prey species. We analyzed the stomach contents of 14 specimens collected in the middle of Xingu River in the Brazilian state of Pará, which we complemented with data on 47 other specimens obtained from two published studies. Most of the ingested items were fish associated with the bottom substrate and riverbanks. Although A. inermis is considered a pelagic species, we conclude it forages by exploring the river’s bottom and margins. Furthermore, as A. inermis is presumed to be diurnal, we assume that it does not pursue its prey actively, given that most of the prey species are nocturnal, but rather searches actively during the daytime for prey hidden in the bottom substrate. This hypothesis on the feeding strategy of A. inermis can only be confirmed by underwater observations, either in the wild or under captive conditions.

scholarly journals Provisioning Rate and Attendance Patterns of Wandering Albatrosses at Bird Island, South Georgia

The Condor ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon D. Berrow ◽  
John P. Croxall
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Work Rate ◽  
Meal Size ◽  
Trip Duration ◽  
Foraging Patterns ◽  
South Georgia ◽  
Diomedea Exulans ◽  
Attendance Patterns ◽  
Provisioning Rate

Abstract We investigated foraging behavior of Wandering Albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) breeding at South Georgia to assess how sex and season-specific foraging patterns relate to provisioning performance. We estimated Wandering Albatross chicks require 60–65 kg of food over the chick-rearing period; males deliver 54% of this total. Meal size delivered by both sexes remained essentially constant throughout the post-brooding chick-rearing period, but foraging trip duration varied considerably. Females made consistently longer foraging trips and delivered smaller meals but transported an average load that was 20% heavier in proportion to their body mass than males. We suggest that chick-rearing places greater demands on females compared with males and Wandering Albatrosses work hard to deliver food during the first half of chick rearing (at the expense of their own condition), thereafter reduce their work rate, presumably so as not to compromise their survival.

scholarly journals Foraging behavior of Brazilian cormorant, Nannopterum brasilianus (Suliformes: Phalacrocoracidae)

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Gheler-Costa ◽  
Fabio Henrique Comin ◽  
Letícia C. Gilli ◽  
Luciano M. Verdade
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Foraging Success ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
The University

Although the concept of optimal foraging has been extensively discussed, foraging efficiency is difficult to assess in vertebrates. In this study, we determined the foraging efficiency of the Brazilian cormorant,NannopterumbrasilianusGmelin, 1789, by the direct,ad libitumobservation of a group of four to thirteen individuals in an artificial pond at the University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Although this study was carried out in a highly anthropic environment, we can still conclude that the Brazilian cormorant is a relatively efficient browser and short-term diver. In anthropic environments, foraging success depends on the amount of time these birds spend diving, and stealing food is less common. Stealing occurs at relatively low rates but tends to be an efficient way to get food.

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