scholarly journals Territoriality and time budgets in beavers during sequential settlement

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (7) ◽  
pp. 1227-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart A. Nolet ◽  
Frank Rosell
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Territory Size ◽  
Time Budgets ◽  
Linear Habitats ◽  
Ideal Despotic Distribution ◽  
No Man's Land ◽  
Main Food Source ◽  
Ideal Despotic ◽  
Salix Spp

Beavers (Castor fiber) were sequentially released into a previously unoccupied area. The settlement of the animals approximated an ideal despotic distribution: they successively settled in rich habitat and then in poor habitat, and then became floaters. This pattern is regarded as evidence that territorial behavior limited density. The early arrivals showed a seasonal difference in territory size (small in winter, large in late spring and summer), which was expected from optimal territory size theory but which was not found in later arrivals. In the first 2 years, the beavers were swimming very large distances (up to 20.0 km per night), and were apparently undergoing a long-term decline in body condition. Body temperature decreased during swimming, especially in winter (daily amplitude 2.04 °C). Each year, winter territories were about the size (7.9 ± 0.9 (SE) km, including 3.0 ± 0.4 km of wooded banks) that beavers could patrol daily without losing body condition. The number of territories established at any one time during the 5 years of study was only half the carrying capacity calculated on the basis of the current length of wooded banks within territories, in accordance with the prediction for sequential settlement in linear habitats. However, extensive no-man's-land was not present between territories, but early arrivals claimed larger territories than later ones. Social and thermoregulatory factors seem to play an important role in determining the costs of territory defense, and hence territory size. Overexploitation of the beaver's main food source, willow (Salix spp.), seems unlikely in this productive habitat.

Natal nutrition and the habitat distributions of male and female black-capped chickadees

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (11) ◽  
pp. 1495-1501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry van Oort ◽  
Ken A Otter
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Poecile Atricapillus ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ideal Despotic Distribution ◽  
Similar Body ◽  
Similar Growth ◽  
Ideal Despotic

In nonmigratory passerines, dispersing juveniles may compete to settle in suitable habitat patches, leading to phenotypic assortment across habitat types. We compared the past natal nutrition of 1st year black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus (L., 1766)) that settled in two adjacent patches known to differ in suitability as breeding habitat: a mature mixed forest (good habitat) versus a young regenerating forest dominated by conifers (poor habitat). The past natal nutrition of recruits was estimated by measuring growth bars on their tail feathers grown as nestlings; growth bars were positively associated with body condition of birds at the time of capture, suggesting this measure may accurately reflect individual condition. Males that settled in either habitat had similar growth bar size; however, females that settled in the mature habitat had slightly larger growth bars than those in poor habitat. Individuals occupying the disturbed site were of similar size and in similar body condition compared with those that settled in the mature forest. These findings suggest that females may be more discriminating of habitat quality than males during natal dispersal, matching what is known about chickadee dispersal behaviour. We suggest that males are distributed with a non-ideal despotic distribution, whereas females are distributed with an ideal despotic distribution.

Long-Term Monitoring of the Effects of Weather and Marking Techniques on Body Condition in the Kuhl's Pipistrelle Bat, Pipistrellus Kuhlii

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea G. Locatelli ◽  
Simone Ciuti ◽  
Primož Presetnik ◽  
Roberto Toffoli ◽  
Emma Teeling
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring

Do researchers impact their study populations? Assessing the effect of field procedures in a long term population monitoring of sea kraits

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 365-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Fauvel ◽  
François Brischoux ◽  
Marine Jeanne Briand ◽  
Xavier Bonnet
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Population Monitoring ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Head Morphology

Long term population monitoring is essential to ecological studies; however, field procedures may disturb individuals. Assessing this topic is important in worldwide declining taxa such as reptiles. Previous studies focussed on animal welfare issues and examined short-term effects (e.g. increase of stress hormones due to handling). Long-term effects with possible consequences at the population level remain poorly investigated. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of widely used field procedures (e.g. handling, marking, forced regurgitation) both on short-term (hormonal stress response) and on long-term (changes in body condition, survival) scales in two intensively monitored populations of sea kraits (Laticauda spp.) in New Caledonia. Focusing on the most intensively monitored sites, from 2002 to 2012, we gathered approximately 11 200 captures/recaptures on 4500 individuals. Each snake was individually marked (scale clipping + branding) and subjected to various measurements (e.g. body size, head morphology, palpation). In addition, a subsample of more than 500 snakes was forced to regurgitate their prey for dietary analyses. Handling caused a significant stress hormonal response, however we found no detrimental long-term effect on body condition. Forced regurgitation did not cause any significant effect on both body condition one year later and survival. These results suggest that the strong short-term stress provoked by field procedures did not translate into negative effects on the population. Although similar analyses are required to test the validity of our conclusions in other species, our results suggest distinguishing welfare and population issues to evaluate the potential impact of population surveys.

Time-Budgets of Camargue Horses Ii. Time-Budgets of Adult Horses and Weaned Sub-Adults

Behaviour ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 72 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 26-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Social System ◽  
General Trend ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Time Budgets ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Young Horses

AbstractTime-budgets of adult and weaned sub-adult horses were studied in a small population of Camargue horses living in semi-liberty. The categories of activities used were: Standing resting, Lying flat, Lying up, Standing alert, Walking, Trotting, Galloping, Rolling and Foraging. The main differences in time-budgets were related to age and to sex : young horses spent more time lying (sleeping), males spent more time standing alert and in rapid movements (trot, gallop), while usually foraging less than did the adult females. During the three years of the study the population increased from 20 to 54 horses and there were considerable changes in social structure as the number of adult males increased. Associated with these developments there were some changes between years in the time-budgets: the most striking of which was a general trend for all horses to spend less time lying. Nonetheless the time-budgets showed a considerable constancy across years and age/sex-classes, especially with regard to time spent foraging. This conclusion may provide a clue as to why horses have an unusual social system based on long term relationships between a male and the females of his harem.

The effect of the length and severity of feed restriction on weight, carcass measurements and body composition of goats

1996 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 549-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Mora ◽  
A. Shimada ◽  
F. J. Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Experimental Period ◽  
Feed Restriction ◽  
Tissue Composition ◽  
Female Adult ◽  
Adaptation Capacity ◽  
Stabilization Period

SUMMARYTwo experiments were done in Mexico (1992–93) to determine the response of goats to different periods of feed restriction on liveweight, organ weights and tissue composition. In each, the weight, body condition and daily dry matter intake (DM1) of two groups of 12 female, adult, non-lactating, non-pregnant, Nubian crossbred goats were recorded for 7 weeks (stabilization period; SP), to allow the animals to reach and maintain their liveweight and body condition. At the end of the SP the animals in Expt 1 (RP1) were feed restricted for 18 weeks and for 36 weeks in Expt 2 (RP2). Animals were divided into three groups receiving either 100 (FL1), 80 (FL2) or 60% (FL3) of the levels of DM1 previously observed. At the end of each experimental period all animals were slaughtered, carcass weights were recorded and viscerae were weighed.A sample of the soft tissues was chemically analysed. There were no significant changes in body condition in either experiment (P > 0·05). None of the feeding levels had an effect on carcass weight or the chemical composition of soft tissues (P > 0·05). Liver weights (as a proportion of slaughter weight) were significantly different among goats fed at different feeding levels in both experiments. The results of this study show the adaptation capacity of adult goats to medium and long term malnutrition, and the importance of the liver as a source for the generation of energy and for sustaining protein turnover. This could be especially important for goats grazing in arid and semiarid zones where dry periods can last for months and feed availability is therefore sometimes limited.

scholarly journals Unravelling causality from correlations: revealing the impacts of endemic ectoparasites on a protected species (tuatara)

Parasitology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 137 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEPHANIE S. GODFREY ◽  
JENNIFER A. MOORE ◽  
NICOLA J. NELSON ◽  
C. MICHAEL BULL
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
The Body ◽  
Protected Species ◽  
Manipulative Experiments ◽  
Sphenodon Punctatus ◽  
Correlative Studies ◽  
Experimental Structure

SUMMARYUnderstanding the impacts of endemic parasites on protected hosts is an essential element of conservation management. However, where manipulative experiments are unethical, causality cannot be inferred from observational correlative studies. Instead, we used an experimental structure to explore temporal associations between body condition of a protected reptile, the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) and infestation with ectoparasites (ticks and mites). We surveyed tuatara in a mark-recapture study on Stephens Island (New Zealand), which encompassed the pre-peak, peak and post-peak infestation periods for each ectoparasite. Tick loads during the peak infestation period were negatively related to body condition of tuatara. Body condition before the peak was not related to subsequent infestation rates; however, tick loads in the peak were negatively related to subsequent changes in body condition. Mite loads during the peak infestation period were not correlated with body condition of tuatara. Body condition before the peak had no effect on subsequent mite infestation rates, but mite loads of small males during the peak were negatively related to subsequent changes in body condition. Our results suggest that both ectoparasites reduce the body condition of tuatara, which has implications for the long-term conservation management of this host and its parasites.

The effect of long-term administration of bovine somatotrophin on the performance of dairy heifers during their first lactation

1988 ◽  
Vol 1988 ◽  
pp. 2-2 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.F. Butterwick ◽  
P. Rowlinson ◽  
T.E.C. Weekes ◽  
D.S. Parker ◽  
D.G. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Milk Composition ◽  
Reproductive Status ◽  
Bovine Somatotropin ◽  
Buffer Solution ◽  
Dairy Heifers ◽  
Term Administration

The objectives of the trial were to Investigate the effects of long-term administration of bovine somatotropin (BST) from week 2 and 10 post-partumn on the yields of milk, milk components, body weight, body condition, health and reproductive status during the first lactation of dairy heifers.19 Friesian dairy cows in their first lactation were allocated at calving to one of 3 treatments: Daily subcutaneous Injection of recomblnantly derived bovine somatotropin (25 mg/d) from either week 2 (BST2;n=6) or week 10 (BST10;n=6) of lactation, or injection of buffer solution from week 2 of lactation (C;n=7). Treatments continued until week 42 of lactation, or until 60 days prior to predicted calving date, if this occurred before week 42 of lactation. Initially cows were housed in cubicles and fed ad libitum individually through calan doors, on a diet of concentrate and grass silage (Table 1) on a 60:40 dry matter ratio. In approximately mid-lactation cows were turned out to grass but continued to receive concentrates according to milk yield and body condition. Milk yield was recorded daily and milk composition twice weekly as were live weight and body condition. Health and reproductive status were monitored over the lactation.

A comparison of the effects of body condition and short-term food restriction on the feeding behaviour of sheep

1996 ◽  
Vol 1996 ◽  
pp. 174-174
Author(s):  
A.M. Sibbald
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Food Restriction ◽  
Term Effect ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Daily Food ◽  
Long Term Effect ◽  
Single Meal

Voluntary food intake is generally inversely related to body condition or fatness in mature sheep (Foot, 1972). Since the intake of pelleted diets by housed sheep consists of a number of discrete feeding bouts or 'meals' (e.g. Bermudez et al., 1989), the relatively long-term effect of body condition on intake will be achieved through changes in feeding behaviour at the level of a single meal. The aim of this experiment was to compare the effects of body condition and short-term food restriction on meal patterns in sheep, to investigate the mechanism by which body condition influences daily food intake.

The population ecology of the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) within a network of remnant linear habitats

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney van der Ree
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Linear Habitats ◽  
Continuous Forest ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Squirrel Glider ◽  
Density Population ◽  
Natality Rate ◽  
South Eastern Australia

The geographic range of the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) in south-eastern Australia largely corresponds with fertile soils highly suited for agriculture. As a consequence of extensive clearing for agriculture, the conservation of P. norfolcensis in south-eastern Australia is now reliant on a mosaic of many fragmented and isolated patches of woodland and forest. In this study, I investigated the population dynamics of P. norfolcensis in an agricultural landscape where most remnant woodland occurs as linear strips along roadsides, unused road reserves and watercourses. A total of 251 gliders were trapped 1343 times within the linear habitats between December 1996 and November 1998. Gliders were resident within the linear strips at 0.95–1.54 individuals ha–1, a density equal to, or greater than, that recorded elsewhere for the species in continuous forest. All adult females were reproductively active and the mean natality rate was 1.9 young per adult female per year. Overall, the population age-structure appeared to be stable. While currently supporting a stable, high-density population, the long-term viability of these remnants as habitat is not assured because roadside reserves are narrow, easily fragmented and subjected to a host of deleterious processes causing ongoing habitat loss and degradation.

scholarly journals Long-term trends in the body condition of parents and offspring of Tengmalm’s owls under fluctuating food conditions and climate change

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Kouba ◽  
Luděk Bartoš ◽  
Jitka Bartošová ◽  
Kari Hongisto ◽  
Erkki Korpimäki
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
The Body ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Tengmalm's Owl

AbstractPhysical condition is important for the ability to resist various parasites and diseases as well as in escaping predators thus contributing to reproductive success, over-winter survival and possible declines in wildlife populations. However, in-depth research on trends in body condition is rare because decades-long datasets are not available for a majority of species. We analysed the long-term dataset of offspring covering 34 years, male parents (40 years) and female parents (42 years) to find out whether the decline of Tengmalm’s owl population in western Finland is attributable to either decreased adult and/or juvenile body condition in interaction with changing weather conditions and density estimates of main foods. We found that body condition of parent owl males and females declined throughout the 40-year study period whereas the body condition of owlets at the fledging stage very slightly increased. The body condition of parent owls increased with augmenting depth of snow cover in late winter (January to March), and that of offspring improved with increasing precipitation in late spring (May to June). We conclude that the decreasing trend of body condition of parent owl males and females is important factor probably inducing reduced adult survival and reduced reproduction success thus contributing to the long-term decline of the Tengmalm’s owl study population. The very slightly increasing trend of body condition of offspring is obviously not able to compensate the overall decline of Tengmalm’s owl population, because the number of offspring in turn simultaneously decreased considerably in the long-term. The ongoing climate change appeared to work in opposite ways in this case because declining depth of snow cover will make the situation worse but increased precipitation will improve. We suggest that the main reasons for long-term decline of body condition of parent owls are interactive or additive effects of reduced food resources and increased overall predation risk due to habitat degradation (loss and fragmentation of mature and old-growth forests due to clear-felling) subsequently leading to decline of Tengmalm’s owl study population.

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