Versatility of Habitat Use in Three Sympatric Species of Plethodontid Salamanders

2004 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 434-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stesha Pasachnik ◽  
Gregory R. Ruthig
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Plethodontid Salamanders

Habitat Use by Sminthopsis-Crassicaudata, Planigale-Gilesi and Planigale-Tenuirostris (Marsupialia, Dasyuridae) in Semiarid New-South-Wales

1987 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 385 ◽  
Author(s):  
DG Read
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Sminthopsis Crassicaudata ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Soil Cracks ◽  
Habitat Variables

Habitat use by Sminthopsis crassicaudata, Planigale gilesi and P. tenuirostris was investigated in the arid zone of New South Wales. All species showed considerable flexibility in habitat use at all times, and abundance was poorly predicted from easily measured parameters of the habitat. However, evidence was found for separation of microhabitat among these sympatric species. Multiple regression analysis indicated that abundance of S. crassicaudata was negatively associated with height of vegetation and the depth and density of soil cracks, and that of P. gilesi was positively associated with these habitat variables. Plant height was positively associated with abundance of P. tenuirostris and it was the only important predictor for this species. These results are discussed in conjunction with trapping records from other habitats.

scholarly journals Positive interactions expand habitat use and the realized niches of sympatric species

Ecology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 96 (10) ◽  
pp. 2575-2582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinead M. Crotty ◽  
Mark D. Bertness
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Positive Interactions

Foraging-habitat selection by bats at an urban–rural interface: comparison between a successful and a less successful species

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (7) ◽  
pp. 1157-1164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph E Duchamp ◽  
Dale W Sparks ◽  
John O Whitaker, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Compositional Analysis ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Eptesicus Fuscus ◽  
Foraging Habitat ◽  
Tree Cavities ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Regional Population ◽  
Suburban Development

We compared habitat use of two sympatric species of bat in a rural area undergoing suburban development. The two species are similar in diet and foraging-habitat use but differ in current roosting habitat, and exhibit contrasting regional population trends. Evening bat, Nycticeius humeralis (Rafinesque, 1818), populations are declining in central Indiana, whereas big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus (Beauvois, 1796), populations are increasing. We assessed habitat selection by 22 adult female bats using radiotelemetry and compositional analysis. Eptesicus fuscus used several roosts across the study area; all but one roosted in human-made structures. Nycticeius humeralis clustered roosts within a small group of woodlots; all roosted in tree cavities. Eptesicus fuscus foraged for longer periods of time and nonreproductive individuals of this species had larger foraging ranges than N. humeralis. Both species foraged primarily in agricultural and wooded areas. During foraging, N. humeralis showed greater foraging-site fidelity and a stronger selection for agricultural and wooded areas than E. fuscus. We suggest that N. humeralis in our study area is probably more sensitive to suburban development near their roosts than E. fuscus.

scholarly journals Movement Patterns and Habitat use for Sympatric Species

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth McAlpine-Bellis ◽  
Kaera L Utsumi ◽  
Kelly M Diamond ◽  
Janine Klein ◽  
Sophia Gilbert-Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Step Length ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Turn Angle ◽  
Visual Predator ◽  
Food Movement

Abstract Background: Movement is an important characteristic of an animal’s ecology, reflecting perception of and response to environmental conditions. To effectively search for food, movement patterns likely depend on habitat characteristics and the sensory systems used to find prey. We examined movements associated with foraging for two sympatric species of lizards inhabiting the Alvord Basin in the Great Basin Desert of southeastern Oregon. The two species have largely overlapping diets but find prey via different sensory cues, which link to their differing foraging strategies — the long-nosed leopard lizard, Gambelia wislizenii, is a visually-oriented predator, while the western whiptail, Aspidoscelis tigris, relies heavily on chemosensory cues to find prey.Methods: Using detailed focal observations, we characterized the habitat use and movement paths of each species. We placed markers at the location of focal animals every minute for the duration of each 30-min observation. Afterwards, we recorded whether each location was in the open or in vegetation, as well as the movement metrics of step length, path length, net displacement, straightness index, and turn angle, and then made statistical comparisons between the two species.Results: The visual forager spent more time in open areas, moved less frequently over shorter distances, and differed in patterns of plant use compared to the chemosensory forager. Path characteristics of step length and turn angle differed between species.Conclusions: The visual predator moved in a way that was consistent with the notion that they require a clear visual path to stalk prey whereas the movement of the chemosensory predator increased their chances of detecting prey by venturing further into vegetation. Sympatric species can partition limited resources through differences in search behavior and habitat use.

Comparative analysis of wing morphology, flight behaviour, and habitat use in flying foxes (Genus: Pteropus)

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Q. Richmond ◽  
Sandra Anne Banack ◽  
Gilbert S. Grant
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Foraging Mode ◽  
Flight Behaviour ◽  
Flying Foxes ◽  
Species Overlap ◽  
Soaring Flight ◽  
Flying Fox

We compared morphological indices, flight behaviour, and foraging and habitat use in two sympatric species of flying foxes, the insular flying fox (Pteropus tonganus) and the Samoan flying fox (Pteropus samoensis), to test the prediction that morphologically similar species overlap in ecology. Both species are fruit and flower specialists, forage for patchily distributed food, fly with a foetus or young, and transport large-seeded fruits. Patterns of major foraging activity and foraging mode vary between species: P. samoensis is predominantly diurnal and uses soaring flight for commuting and assessing food resources, while P. tonganus is predominantly nocturnal and commutes extensive distances between roosts and foraging areas. Our results indicate that P. tonganus and P. samoensis are morphologically and ecologically similar, despite differences in flight behaviour. Differences in flight behaviour are attributable to the time of day when most extensive flying occurs for each species.

scholarly journals Discrimination of habitat use between two sympatric species of mullets, Mugil curema and Mugil liza (Mugiliformes: Mugilidae) in the rio Tramandaí Estuary, determined by otolith chemistry

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana C. G. Mai ◽  
Mauricio L. dos Santos ◽  
Valéria M. Lemos ◽  
João P. Vieira
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
High Salinity ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Otolith Chemistry ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Lower Salinity ◽  
Inductively Coupled ◽  
Plasma Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Specific Variation

ABSTRACT Two sympatric species of marine mullets, Mugil curema and M. liza, use the rio Tramandaí Estuary as nursing grounds. When two closely related species are sympatric, various mechanisms may permit their coexistence, including spatial or temporal segregation that results in the divergent use of the resources for which they compete. To investigate the spatial segregation, we used otolith chemistry inferred through laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Our results indicate that in the rio Tramandaí Estuary, M. curema is associated with high salinity waters and can be classified as a Marine Migrant in the Marine Estuarine-opportunist subcategory. Mugil liza is associated with lower salinity and can be classified as a Marine Migrant in the Estuarine Dependent subcategory. The intra-specific variation in estuarine habitat use indicates that the migratory behaviors in mullets are far more complex than previously known.

Diet and habitat use of two sympatric species of Philodryas (Colubridae), in south Brazil

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otávio Marques ◽  
Paulo Hartmann
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Food Type ◽  
Microhabitat Use ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Forested Areas ◽  
South Brazil

AbstractFeeding habits and habitat use of the colubrid snakes Philodryas olfersii and P. patagoniensis in southern Brazil are presented here. Philodryas olfersii and P. patagoniensis are sympatric in the study area and both dwell in open and forested areas. Specimens preserved in collections and observations of snakes in the field yielded the data. Both species are diet generalists, feeding on small vertebrates, mainly frogs. Philodryas patagoniensis has a broader diet, a less variable frequency of food items, and fed on heavier prey than P. olfersii. Seasonal variation in diet occurs in both species. The semiarboreal Philodryas olfersii is more slender and has a longer tail than the terrestrial P. patagoniensis, characters that may reflect differences in microhabitat use. There are a strong relationship between habitat use and frequency of a given food type. Differences in the use of food resources between P. olfersii and P. patagoniensis seem to reflect differences in foraging microhabitats used by each species.

Aggression and territoriality among sympatric western plethodontid salamanders

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 901-907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristiina Ovaska
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Intraspecific Competition ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Detectable Effect ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Aggressive Interactions ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Plethodontid Salamanders

Territoriality has been documented among plethodontid salamanders in eastern North America, but aggressive interactions among western plethodontids are largely unknown. I examined the responses of three sympatric western Plethodon species (P. vehiculum, P. dunni, and P. vandykei) toward conspecific and congeneric salamanders in two laboratory experiments. In experiment 1, I investigated intra- and inter-specific aggression by the three species, and in experiment 2, I examined aggression and dispersion of the salamanders when fed either a high or a low level of food. In experiment 1, P. dunni were more aggressive than P. vehiculum and P. vandykei, which rarely bit their opponents. In experiment 2, two different food levels had no detectable effect on the aggressiveness of residents. Resident P. dunni (males, females, and juveniles) were equally likely to bite conspecific and congeneric salamanders introduced into their cages. However, their dispersion under cover objects was uniform (suggesting territoriality) only in pairings between conspecific individuals. In contrast, P. vehiculum showed little aggression and were randomly dispersed under cover objects. The variety of responses exhibited by the three sympatric species toward conspecific and congeneric salamanders suggests that their populations are only superficially similar in ecology and may be subjected to different intensities of intraspecific competition.

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