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opennotspecifiedSep 2019View details →

Figure 1 in Natural history and ecology of foraging of the Camponotus crassus Mayrı 1862 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Figure 1. Schematic drawing of the structure of four underground Camponotus crassus Mayr, 1862 nests found in a Cerrado area (strict sense) of Uberlândia, MG, in June 2014. The arrows indicate the opening of the nests on soil surface. Nests 1 and 2 can be classified in satellites because they have neither reproductive nor immature caste.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: Linking landscape-scale differences in forage to ungulate nutritional ecology

Understanding how habitat and nutritional condition affect ungulate populations is necessary for informing management, particularly in areas experiencing carnivore recovery and declining ungulate population trends. Variations in forage species availability, plant phenological stage, and the abundance of forage make it challenging to understand landscape-level effects of nutrition on ungulates. We developed an integrated spatial modeling approach to estimate landscape-level elk (Cervus elaphus) nutritional resources in two adjacent study areas that differed in coarse measures of habitat quality and related the consequences of differences in nutritional resources to elk body condition and pregnancy rates. We found no support for differences in dry matter digestibility between plant samples or in phenological stage based on ground sampling plots in the two study areas. Our index of nutritional resources, measured as digestible forage biomass, varied among landcover types and between study areas. We found that altered plant composition following fires was the biggest driver of differences in nutritional resources, suggesting that maintaining a mosaic of fire history and distribution will likely benefit ungulate populations. Study area, lactation status and year affected fall body fat of adult female elk. Elk in the study area exposed to lower summer range nutritional resources had lower nutritional condition entering winter. These differences in nutritional condition resulted in differences in pregnancy rate, with average pregnancy rates of 89% for elk exposed to higher nutritional resources and 72% for elk exposed to lower nutritional resources. Summer range nutritional resources have the potential to limit elk pregnancy rate and calf production, and these nutritional limitations may predispose elk to be more sensitive to the effects of harvest or predation. Wildlife managers should identify ungulate populations that are nutritionally limited and recognize that these populations may be more impacted by recovering carnivores or harvest than populations inhabiting more productive summer habitats.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →

Data from: Scale-dependent foraging ecology of a marine top predator modelled using passive acoustic data

1. Understanding which environmental factors drive foraging preferences is critical for the development of effective management measures, but resource use patterns may emerge from processes that occur at different spatial and temporal scales. Direct observations of foraging are also especially challenging in marine predators, but passive acoustic techniques provide opportunities to study the behavior of echolocating species over a range of scales. 2. We used an extensive passive acoustic dataset to investigate the distribution and temporal dynamics of foraging in bottlenose dolphins using the Moray Firth (Scotland, UK). Echolocation buzzes were identified with a mixture model of detected echolocation inter-click intervals, and used as a proxy of foraging activity. A robust modelling approach accounting for autocorrelation in the data was then used to evaluate which environmental factors were associated with the observed dynamics at two different spatial and temporal scales. 3. At a broad scale, foraging varied seasonally, and was also affected by sea-bed slope and shelf-sea fronts. At a finer scale, we identified variation in seasonal use and local interactions with tidal processes. Foraging was best predicted at a daily scale, accounting for site-specificity in the shape of the estimated relationships. 4. This study demonstrates how passive acoustic data can be used to understand foraging ecology in echolocating species, and provides a robust analytical procedure for describing spatio-temporal patterns. Associations between foraging and environmental characteristics varied according to spatial and temporal scale, highlighting the need for a multi-scale approach. Our results indicate that dolphins respond to coarser-scale temporal dynamics, but have a detailed understanding of finer-scale spatial distribution of resources.

opencc-zeroJul 2019View details →

Data from: Trait-based functional dietary analysis provides a better insight into the foraging ecology of bats

1. The degree of trophic specialization determines the ability of predators to cope with changing foraging conditions, but in predators that prey on hundreds of species it is challenging to assess, especially when prey identity varies among predator individuals and across space and time. 2. Here, we test the hypothesis that a bat species foraging on flying insects like moths will show ample flexibility in trophic niche, and this irrespective of phylogenetic relationships among moths, so as to cope with a high diversity of prey types that vary across seasons. We predict that individual bats will show functional dietary differences consistent with energetic requirements and hunting skills. 3. We used DNA metabarcoding to determine the diet of 126 Mediterranean horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus euryale) from two different sites during three seasons. Simultaneously, we measured moth availability and characterized the traits of 290 moth taxa. Next, we explored the relationship between phylogeny and traits of all consumed and available moth taxa. Finally, we assessed the relationship between individual traits of bats and traits related to prey profitability, for which we used the RLQ and fourth-corner statistical techniques. 4. Seasonality was the main factor explaining the functional dietary variation in adult bats, with moths consumed irrespective of their phylogenetic relationships. While adults consumed moths with a broad range in wing loading, body mass and echolocation detection ability, juveniles consumed slower, smaller and lighter moths, which suggests that young individuals may undergo some fitness gain and/or psychomotor learning process during which they would acquire more effective foraging skills. 5. Our approach revealed a degree of functional flexibility in the trophic niche previously unknown for an insectivorous bat. R. euryale consumed a wide variety of moth taxa differing in profitability throughout seasons and between ontogenetic stages. We showed the validity of trait-based approaches to gain new insights in the trophic specialization of predators consuming hundreds of species of prey.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Marine foraging ecology influences mercury bioaccumulation in deep-diving northern elephant seals

Mercury contamination of oceans is prevalent worldwide and methylmercury concentrations in the mesopelagic zone (200–1000 m) are increasing more rapidly than in surface waters. Yet mercury bioaccumulation in mesopelagic predators has been understudied. Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) biannually travel thousands of kilometres to forage within coastal and open-ocean regions of the northeast Pacific Ocean. We coupled satellite telemetry, diving behaviour and stable isotopes (carbon and nitrogen) from 77 adult females, and showed that variability among individuals in foraging location, diving depth and δ13C values were correlated with mercury concentrations in blood and muscle. We identified three clusters of foraging strategies, and these resulted in substantially different mercury concentrations: (i) deeper-diving and offshore-foraging seals had the greatest mercury concentrations, (ii) shallower-diving and offshore-foraging seals had intermediate levels, and (iii) coastal and more northerly foraging seals had the lowest mercury concentrations. Additionally, mercury concentrations were lower at the end of the seven-month-long foraging trip (n = 31) than after the two-month- long post-breeding trip (n = 46). Our results indicate that foraging behaviour influences mercury exposure and mesopelagic predators foraging in the northeast Pacific Ocean may be at high risk for mercury bioaccumulation.

Fig. 3 in Vision-Linked Traits Associated With Antenna Size and Foraging Ecology Across Ants

Fig. 3. Mapped lateral eye positions according to ecology. Species indicated by circles, squares represent mean values for ecological binnings. (A) Eye position, both dorsoventral and anteroposterior, mapped on a theoretical ant head. Colors are indicative of foraging niche. (B) Eye position measurements with colors indicating trophic level. Illustrated head proportions based on ratio of mean head length and depth in lateral view across taxa sampled; head length is approximately 40% greater than head depth in profile view on average.

Fig. 1 in Vision-Linked Traits Associated With Antenna Size and Foraging Ecology Across Ants

Fig. 1. Variation among vision-based traits across sampled taxa. Pruned phylogenetic tree from Blanchard and Moreau (2017) with log adjusted ommatidia density mapped along branches.The raw units for ommatidia density are ommatidia per 1mm2. Ecological niche occupation indicated with icons and bar graph colors, includes foraging niche and trophic level. (Right) Eye area normalized by frontal head area across sampled species. Corresponding PGLS results in Fig. 2, Table 2.

Fig. 5 in Vision-Linked Traits Associated With Antenna Size and Foraging Ecology Across Ants

Fig. 5. Visual acuity and trophic level. (Left) Variation between eye area and ommatidia number across sampled ant species.Trophic level information displays omnivorous (n = 31) and predatory (n = 28) ant species. Unknowns are also included (n = 11).Trendline shows linear regression of ommatidia number and eye area (R2 = 0.7908, P = <2.2 x 10–16). Both measurements are scaled by frontal head area. (Right) Simplified, hypothetical representation of visual acuity based on ommatidia number.

Fig. 4 in Vision-Linked Traits Associated With Antenna Size and Foraging Ecology Across Ants

Fig. 4. Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares regression of scape length and eye traits. Results of linear regressions of visual traits against scape length; (A) ommatidia density R2 = 0.1754, P = 0.0004615; (B) eye height R2 = 0.4735, P = 5.40 x 10–10; (C) dorsoventral eye position R = 0.1365, P = 0.001975; (D) anteroposterior eye position R2 = 0.1286, P = 0.002643. Scape and eye height are scaled by head area. All specimens were included in analyses (n = 64); PGLS relationships from Blanchard and Moreau 2017. ** denotes P ≤ 0.01; *** P ≤ 0.001.

opencc-zeroNov 2021View details →

Data from: MetaBARFcoding: DNA-barcoding of regurgitated prey yields insights into Christmas Shearwater (Puffinus nativitatis) foraging ecology at Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll), Hawaiʻi

Morphological identification of digested prey remains from a generalist predator can be challenging, especially when attempting to match degraded remains to taxonomic keys. DNA techniques, whereby prey is sequenced and matched to large public nucleotide sequence databases, are increasingly being used to augment morphological identification. We used "metaBARFcoding" (DNA metabarcoding) to target a region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I mitochondrial gene to identify prey in highly-digested regurgitations from Christmas Shearwaters Puffinus nativitatis at Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll). Metabarcoding was used to bulk-process 92 water samples from regurgitations collected from 2009-2017, providing an overview of the seabird's diet. We additionally Sanger sequenced 100 prey items from 50 randomly chosen regurgitations to verify that metabarcoding characterized key components of the diet. The metabarcoding technique identified 87 unique taxa from 29 families of fish and squid, spanning diverse taxa, including reef-associated, pelagic-oceanic, and mesopelagic species. Rare prey (frequency of occurrence < 5% of samples) constituted 66% of the species richness, demonstrating the highly diverse diet of this generalist predator. Overall, 81% of the families detected in the contemporary diet were previously documented in Christmas Shearwater diets from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Our results indicate that metabarcoding the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) region is useful in identifying a wide range of taxa from highly digested regurgitations, thus facilitating this approach to study seabird diets.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

The effects of foraging ecology and allometry on avian skull shape vary across levels of phylogeny

Avian skull shape diversity is classically thought to result from selection for structures that are well-adapted for distinct ecological functions, but recent work has suggested that allometry is the dominant contributor to avian morphological diversity. If true this hypothesis would overturn much conventional wisdom regarding the importance of form-function relationships in adaptive radiations, but it is possible that these results are biased by the low taxonomic levels of the clades that have been studied. Using 3D morphometric data from the skulls of a relatively old and ecologically diverse order of birds, the Charadriiformes (shorebirds and relatives), we found that foraging ecology explains more than two-thirds of the variation in skull shape across the clade. However, we also found support for the hypothesis that skull allometry evolves, contributing more to shape variation at the level of the family than the order. Allometry may provide an important source of shape variation on which selection can act over short time scales, but its potential to evolve complicates generalizations between clades. Foraging ecology remains a better predictor of avian skull shape over macroevolutionary time scales.

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2024View details →

Lonati (2024) - Remote sensing to measure the physiology and foraging ecology of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada

<h1>Supplementary Material A1.S4 Videos</h1> <h2>Selection of pixels and frames for evaluating intranasal heat</h2> Video A1.S4.1. Time-aligned visible-spectrum (RGB) and infrared thermography (IRT) videos with plot of maximum corrected sensor intensity over time for a normal respiratory cycle from North Atlantic right whale (NARW) Catalog ID #4129 (aligns with Figure A1.S4.1). Video A1.S4.2. Time-aligned RGB and IRT videos with plot of maximum corrected sensor intensity over time for a normal respiratory cycle from NARW Catalog ID #3845 (aligns with Figure A1.S4.2). Video A1.S4.3. Time-aligned RGB and IRT videos with plot of maximum corrected sensor intensity over time for an anomalous respiratory cycle from NARW Catalog ID #4129, where the exhaled respiratory vapor lingers over the blowholes, obscuring and reducing intranasal heat received by the IRT sensor. Video A1.S4.4. Time-aligned RGB and IRT videos with plot of maximum corrected sensor intensity over time for an anomalous respiratory cycle from NARW Catalog ID #3845, where exhaled respiratory vapor and a small wave obscure and reduce intranasal heat received by the IRT sensor. Video A1.S4.5. Time-aligned RGB and IRT videos with plot of maximum corrected sensor intensity over time for an anomalous respiratory cycle from the 2021 calf of NARW Catalog ID #4040, where the exhaled respiratory vapor lingers over the blowholes and a non-uniformity correction occurs mid-way through the respiration. <h3>G. Lonati - PhD Thesis - University of New Brunswick Saint John</h3>

opennotspecifiedDec 2002View details →

FIG. 6 in Foraging ecology of the giant Amazonian ant Dinoponera gigantea (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Ponerinae): activity schedule, diet and spatial foraging patterns

FIG. 6. Ritualized territorial contest between Dinoponera gigantea foragers from diVerent colonies at the border of their foraging areas. (A) Ants lock their mandibles together, vigorously antennate each other's head, and constantly kick one another with the Žrst pair of legs. (B) As the contest escalates the dominant ant (right) directs the tip of the gaster against the opponent's body. The subordinate ant eventually walks away as she breaks free.

opennotspecifiedDec 2002View details →

FIG. 2 in Foraging ecology of the giant Amazonian ant Dinoponera gigantea (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Ponerinae): activity schedule, diet and spatial foraging patterns

FIG. 2. Frequency distribution of trip duration relative to diVerent activities performed by workers of Dinoponera gigantea in a Brazilian rainforest site. Although foraging ants may be away from the nest for up to 3 h, successful foragers usually return after 30–60 min of searching. Data are based on continuous 12-h observations at colony Nos 9 and 10, from 6.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Two successful foragers from each colony are not included in the graphs because the duration of their foraging trips could not be recorded.

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2021View details →

Video recording and vegetation classification elucidate sheep foraging ecology in species-rich grassland

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publicMay 2016View details →

Data from: Linking landscape-scale differences in forage to ungulate nutritional ecology

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publicDec 2012View details →

Data from: The foraging ecology of the Mountain long-eared bat Plecotus macrobullaris revealed with DNA mini-barcodes

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