Food supplementation experiments with terrestrial vertebrates: patterns, problems, and the future

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan Boutin
Keyword(s):  
Population Level ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Food Supplementation ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Small Spatial Scale ◽  
Supplemental Food ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrates ◽  
Tropical Environments ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Fluctuating Populations

I reviewed 138 cases in which terrestrial vertebrates received supplemental food under field conditions. These cases are strongly biased toward small-bodied herbivores in north temperate environments. Most studies address population level questions and have supplied food over a short term (< 1 year) and on a small spatial scale (to less than 50 individuals). Individuals receiving supplemental food usually had smaller home ranges, higher body weights, and advanced breeding relative to those on control areas. The typical population response to food supplementation was two- to three-fold increase in density, but no change in the pattern of population dynamics. In particular, food addition did not prevent major declines in fluctuating populations. Researchers have failed to examine behaviour of individuals under conditions of supplemental food when addressing questions of population regulation. This review points to the need for researchers to conduct food supplementation experiments in tropical environments, on a larger scale, and over longer periods of time.

Food supplementation experiments revisited: verifying that supplemental food is used by its intended recipients

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
pp. 679-685 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. Wirsing ◽  
D.L. Murray
Keyword(s):  
Population Level ◽  
Food Supplementation ◽  
Natural Food ◽  
Supplemental Food ◽  
Snowshoe Hares ◽  
Extra Food ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Natural Foods ◽  
And Control ◽  
Free Ranging

Field-based food supplementation experiments can determine whether populations are limited by natural food availability. However, they may yield spurious results if added food is hoarded by dominants, exploited by immigrants, or delivered ineffectively. Surprisingly, population-level approaches accounting for these potential sources of bias have not been established. We explored responses of free-ranging snowshoe hares ( Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777) to food supplementation by contrasting per capita browsing rates on three study sites with added food with those on three control sites during two winters. Food augmentation reduced foraging pressure by hares; this reduction was significant when browse species of high dietary importance were considered. By implication, hares on manipulated sites switched from favored natural foods to supplemental food, meaning that the extra food found its mark and was not heavily exploited by immigrants or hoarded by dominants. Demographic responses to food addition were not detected on the manipulated sites, indicating that the study population was not food limited. Given the success with which we detected the signal of supplementation and eliminated potential confounding factors, we suggest that future studies using food addition in the context of herbivore population dynamics would benefit from a more mechanistic approach; this may involve measurement of browsing rates on manipulated and control sites.

scholarly journals Population-level inference for home-range areas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christen Herbert Fleming ◽  
Iman Deznabi ◽  
Shauhin Alavi ◽  
Margaret C. Crofoot ◽  
Ben T. Hirsch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Density Estimation ◽  
Kernel Density Estimation ◽  
Kernel Density ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Tracking Data ◽  
Temporal Autocorrelation ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Minimal Convex

· Home-range estimates are a common product of animal tracking data, as each range informs on the area needed by a given individual. Population-level inference on home-range areas—where multiple individual home-ranges are considered to be sampled from a population—is also important to evaluate changes over time, space, or covariates, such as habitat quality or fragmentation, and for comparative analyses of species averages. Population-level home-range parameters have traditionally been estimated by first assuming that the input tracking data were sampled independently when calculating home ranges via conventional kernel density estimation (KDE) or minimal convex polygon (MCP) methods, and then assuming that those individual home ranges were measured exactly when calculating the population-level estimates. This conventional approach does not account for the temporal autocorrelation that is inherent in modern tracking data, nor for the uncertainties of each individual home-range estimate, which are often large and heterogeneous. · Here, we introduce a statistically and computationally efficient framework for the population-level analysis of home-range areas, based on autocorrelated kernel density estimation (AKDE), that can account for variable temporal autocorrelation and estimation uncertainty. · We apply our method to empirical examples on lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris), kinkajou (Potos flavus), white‐nosed coati (Nasua narica), white-faced capuchin monkey (Cebus capucinus), and spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi), and quantify differences between species, environments, and sexes. · Our approach allows researchers to more accurately compare different populations with different movement behaviors or sampling schedules, while retaining statistical precision and power when individual home-range uncertainties vary. Finally, we emphasize the estimation of effect sizes when comparing populations, rather than mere significance tests.

Effects of Supplemental Food on the Behaviour and Paternity Status of Male Indigo Buntings (Passerina CyaNea)

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-73
Author(s):  
Brad T. McLeod ◽  
Gary Ritchison
Keyword(s):  
Time Budget ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Breeding Birds ◽  
Food Supplementation ◽  
Time Budgets ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Supplemental Food ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Passerina Cyanea ◽  
And Control

Breeding is energetically costly and, if energy-limited, birds may alter their time budgets, spending less time engaged in some activities and more time in others. Investigators who have provided breeding birds with supplemental food have noted changes in time budgets, but the extent and types of changes have been found to vary among species. Our objective was to determine how food supplementation might influence the time budgets and paternity status of male Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea). We studied Indigo Buntings from 8 May to 15 August 2009 in Madison County, Kentucky. Territories of male Indigo Buntings (n=30) were randomly assigned as either food supplemented (n=8) or controls (n=22). During time-budget observations, all behaviours were noted. To determine paternity status, blood samples were collected from adults and nestlings at 16 nests. Males with feeders in their territories spent significantly less time foraging and more time vocalising (chip notes) than males without feeders. Time spent singing and mate guarding by treatment and control males did not differ. Differences in the proportion of extra-pair young did not differ between nests in territories with and without supplemental food. Our results suggest that, when provided with supplemental food, male Indigo Buntings spend less time foraging and more time engaged in other activities. However, neither the presence of supplemental food nor differences in the behaviour of males in food-supplemented versus non-supplemented territories affected rates of extra-pair paternity.

Assessment of genotoxic damage in nurses occupationally exposed to antineoplastics by the analysis of chromosomal aberrations

2002 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 129-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Burgaz ◽  
B Karahalil ◽  
Z Canli ◽  
F Terzioglu ◽  
G Ançel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Exposure ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Antineoplastic Drugs ◽  
Genetic Damage ◽  
Occupationally Exposed ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Excretion Rates ◽  
Drug Handling

To estimate the genotoxic risk of occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs, chromosomal aberration (CAs) frequencies in peripheral lymphocytes were determined for 20 nurses handling antineoplastics and 18 referents matched for age and sex. Urinary cyclophosphamide (CP) excretion rates, which are used as a marker for drug handling, were also measured on these nurses. We have observed significant frequencies of CAs (about 2.5-fold increase) including chromatid breaks, gaps, and acentric fragments for nurses handling antineoplastics as compared to control subjects (p<0.05, p<0.01, excluding and including gaps, respectively). The mean value of CP excretion rate for 12 nurses was 1.63 μg/24 h, suggesting that when the nurses handled CP (and other antineoplastic drugs) this particular compound was absorbed. Our study has shown that increased genetic damage was evident in nurses, at population level, due to occupational exposure to antineoplastics. Until the effects of handling antineoplastics from low-level exposure are known, it will be important to keep the exposure to a minimum.

scholarly journals Effects of Supplemental Food on Parental-Care Strategies and Juvenile Survival of Northern Goshawks

The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 352-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah R. Dewey ◽  
Patricia L. Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Adult Female ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Mortality Factor ◽  
Food Supplementation ◽  
Juvenile Survival ◽  
Nest Attendance ◽  
Additional Food ◽  
Supplemental Food ◽  
Risk Of Predation ◽  
Northern Goshawks

Abstract Using food supplementation, we tested whether food limits juvenile survival in a population of Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) in northeastern Utah. The influence of additional food on female nest attendance also was investigated because those strategies may influence predation mortality rates of juveniles. We provided supplemental food near 13 nests from close to hatching until close to independence during the 1996 and 1997 breeding seasons. Thirteen additional nests served as controls and received no supplemental food. We compared the following variables at treatment and control nests: (1) adult female mass, (2) nestling mass and size, (3) female nest attendance, and (4) juvenile survival. Following supplemental feeding, adult females from treatment nests were heavier than their control counterparts, and remained closer to the nest during the latter part of the nestling period and throughout the postfledging period. Nestlings from supplemented nests were significantly heavier than those from unsupplemented nests, but results for size measurements were equivocal. Survival rates for treatment nestlings were significantly higher than controls in 1997, but not in 1996. Those results support the hypothesis that food does not limit avian reproductive success on an annual basis. Most deaths in 1997 were the result of starvation or sibling competition. That observation, and the fact that fed nestlings were heavier, is consistent with the idea that treatment nestlings were in improved nutritional condition. Overall patterns of mass and nest-attendance for adult female goshawks supports the hypothesis that female condition and behavior are adjusted in response to food supplies. However, it is less clear what role the females' presence in the nest stand plays in mediating juvenile deaths, because we did not document predation as a primary mortality factor during the two years of this study. The apparent flexibility in female nest attendance behavior suggests that such plasticity may be an adaptation to lower the risk of predation.

Suitability of a young deciduous-dominated forest for American marten and the effects of forest removal

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim G Poole ◽  
Aswea D Porter ◽  
Andrew de Vries ◽  
Chris Maundrell ◽  
Scott D Grindal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
American Marten ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual

American marten (Martes americana (Turton, 1806)) are generally considered to be reliant upon and most successful in continuous late-successional coniferous forests. By contrast, young seral forests and deciduous-dominated forests are assumed to provide low-quality marten habitat, primarily as a result of insufficient structure, overhead cover, and prey. This study examined a moderate-density population of marten in northeastern British Columbia in what appeared to be comparatively low-quality, deciduous-dominated habitat, overgrown agricultural land primarily consisting of 30- to 40-year-old stands of regenerating trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.). Over 4 years, we monitored 52 radio-collared marten. The population appeared to be stable, as indicated by large numbers of adults, relatively constant densities, long-term residency of many individuals, low mortality rates, and older age structure. Relatively small home ranges (males, 3.3 km2; females, 2.0 km2) implied good habitat quality and prey availability. Shearing (removal of immature forest cover) of 17% of the study area resulted in home range shifts at the individual level but no detectable impact at the population level. Categorically, marten avoided nonforested cover types and preferred mature coniferous (>25% conifer) stands (7% of the study area) but otherwise appeared to use all forested stands relative to their availability, including extensive use of deciduous-dominated stands and deciduous stands <40 years of age. Thus, these young deciduous forests appeared to have sufficient structure, overhead cover, and prey to maintain moderate densities of resident marten on a long-term basis.

scholarly journals The impact of a population-level school food and nutrition policy on dietary intake and body weights of Canadian children

2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 934-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Fung ◽  
Jessie-Lee D. McIsaac ◽  
Stefan Kuhle ◽  
Sara F.L. Kirk ◽  
Paul J. Veugelers
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Nutrition Policy ◽  
School Food ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
The Impact

Prey switching by stoats (Mustela erminea): a supplemental food experiment

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Des H. V. Smith ◽  
Henrik Moller ◽  
Deborah J. Wilson ◽  
Elaine C. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Primary Objective ◽  
Food Supplementation ◽  
Alternative Prey ◽  
Prey Switching ◽  
Mustela Erminea ◽  
Supplemental Food ◽  
Impact Experiment ◽  
Frequency Occurrence ◽  
Native Birds ◽  
Grassland Site

Context Prey switching by invasive carnivorans to changing food supply could severely impact on endemic prey of conservation importance, but experimental evidence for prey switching in carnivorans is rare. Stoats (Mustela erminea) were introduced to New Zealand and now threaten survival of many native birds, reptiles and invertebrates. Aim Our primary objective was to see whether abundant food caused stoats inhabiting an alpine grassland site to alter the rate at which they preyed upon weta (Orthoptera : Hemiandrus sp.), hares (Lepus europeus), birds and mice (Mus musculus). Methods We used dead rabbits as supplemental food in a before-after-control-impact experiment. Stoat scats were collected from a treatment and non-treatment site before and following food supplementation. Percentage frequency occurrence of the different prey types was assessed for the two sites during each experimental phase. Conclusions Stoats ate fewer ground weta and hares, the two most abundant prey types, when supplemental food was added. In contrast, consumption of mice remained relatively stable at both sites throughout the experiment, and the consumption of birds declined at both sites. Implications Our experiment suggests that stoats may continue to eat scarce endemic prey at similar per capita rates even when alternative prey are available. However, endemic prey that are locally or regionally abundant may be indirectly impacted by fluctuations in alternative prey.

Food shortage for breeding Black-billed Magpies (Pica pica): an experiment using supplemental food

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 1270-1274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley M. Hochachka ◽  
David A. Boag
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Population ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Food Shortage ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Food Supplementation ◽  
Natural Food ◽  
Supplemental Feeding ◽  
Pica Pica ◽  
Supplemental Food ◽  
Before And After

Supplemental food was provided to a breeding population of Black-billed Magpies (Pica pica), starting before and after eggs were laid, to determine if and when natural food was limited. The production of fledgling magpies was increased only when supplemental feeding was begun before laying. Laying date was also advanced when supplemental feeding began before laying, but clutch and egg size were not significantly changed. Because the two feeding treatments were conducted in different years, we cannot conclude whether natural food was limiting before or after egg laying. However, out data suggest that the former may have been the case. An improved design for food supplementation experiments, which can be used to determine the time of food shortage, is suggested.

scholarly journals A Simplified Population-Level Landscape Model Identifying Ecological Risk Drivers of Pesticide Applications, Part One: Case Study for Large Herbivorous Mammals

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 7720
Author(s):  
David Tarazona ◽  
Guillermo Tarazona ◽  
Jose V. Tarazona
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Guidance Document ◽  
Population Abundance ◽  
Landscape Model ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrates ◽  
The Impact

Environmental risk assessment is a key process for the authorization of pesticides, and is subjected to continuous challenges and updates. Current approaches are based on standard scenarios and independent substance-crop assessments. This arrangement does not address the complexity of agricultural ecosystems with mammals feeding on different crops. This work presents a simplified model for regulatory use addressing landscape variability, co-exposure to several pesticides, and predicting the effect on population abundance. The focus is on terrestrial vertebrates and the aim is the identification of the key risk drivers impacting on mid-term population dynamics. The model is parameterized for EU assessments according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Guidance Document, but can be adapted to other regulatory schemes. The conceptual approach includes two modules: (a) the species population dynamics, and (b) the population impact of pesticide exposure. Population dynamics is modelled through daily survival and seasonal reproductions rates; which are modified in case of pesticide exposure. All variables, parameters, and functions can be modified. The model has been calibrated with ecological data for wild rabbits and brown hares and tested for two herbicides, glyphosate and bromoxynil, using validated toxicity data extracted from EFSA assessments. Results demonstrate that the information available for a regulatory assessment, according to current EU information requirements, is sufficient for predicting the impact and possible consequences at population dynamic levels. The model confirms that agroecological parameters play a key role when assessing the effect of pesticide exposure on population abundance. The integration of laboratory toxicity studies with this simplified landscape model allows for the identification of conditions leading to population vulnerability or resilience. An Annex includes a detailed assessment of the model characteristics according to the EFSA scheme on Good Modelling Practice.

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