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9 results for “forage management”

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Data from: The enemy within: how does a bacterium inhibit the foraging aptitude and risk management behavior of Allenby's gerbils?

Microbes inhabiting multi-cellular organisms have complex, often subtle effects on their hosts. Gerbillus andersoni allenbyi are commonly infected with the Mycoplasma haemomuris-like bacteria, which may cause mild nutrient (choline, arginine) deficiencies. However, are there more serious ecological consequences of infection such as effects on foraging aptitudes and risk management? We tested alternatives: 1) nutrient compensation hypothesis, does nutrient deficiency induce infected gerbils to make up for the shortfall by foraging more and taking greater risks? or 2) lethargy hypothesis, do sick gerbils forage less, and are they compromised in their ability to detect predators or risky microhabitats? We compared the foraging and risk management behavior of infected and non-infected gerbils. We experimentally infected gerbils with the bacteria, which allowed us to compare between non-infected, acutely infected (peak infection loads), and chronically infected (low infection loads) individuals. Our findings supported the lethargy hypothesis over the nutrient compensation hypothesis. Infected individuals incurred dramatically elevated foraging costs, including less efficient foraging, diminished "quality" of time spent vigilant, and increased owl predation. Interestingly, gerbils that were chronically infected (lower bacteria load) experienced larger ecological costs than acutely infected individuals (i.e. peak infection loads). This suggests that the debilitating effects of infection occur gradually, with a progressive decline in the quality of time gerbils allocated to foraging and managing risk. These increased long-term costs of infection demonstrate how small direct physiological costs of infection can lead to large indirect ecological costs. The indirect ecological costs of this parasite appear much greater than the direct physiological costs.

opencc-zeroJul 2020View details →

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Data from: Identifying management actions to increase foraging opportunities for shorebirds at semi-intensive shrimp farms

The expansion of aquaculture has resulted in widespread habitat conversion throughout the world. Identifying beneficial management measures may dramatically reduce negative impacts of aquaculture for migratory birds. We studied how densities of foraging shorebirds varied at ponds within a semi-intensive shrimp aquaculture farm on the north-western coast of Mexico, as related to timing of harvest and tidal cycles. Further, we estimated the total daily available area for each shorebird species throughout two entire harvesting seasons at the shrimp farm. High densities (average ca. 50 individuals per ha) of foraging shorebirds were found during the first days following pond harvest. The most abundant species were Willet Tringa semipalmata and Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus, followed by Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa and American Avocet Recurvirostra americana. Other regular, but less abundant, species were whimbrel Numenius phaeopus and dowitchers Limnodromus spp. Densities of shorebirds sharply declined daily following harvest. In addition, the time-window availability of harvested ponds was related to each species' foraging behaviour: <2 days for godwits and dowitchers, 4 days for stilts, 5 days for willets and more than a week for avocets and whimbrels. However, birds continued to use harvested ponds that received a low, but continuous water influx. Our results demonstrate that a tropical shrimp farm represents a patchy environment that provides 4·3–12·7% (depending on species) of its total area as foraging opportunities for shorebirds. Synthesis and applications. Sequential harvesting of shrimp aquaculture farm ponds and increasing moisture of the substrate by providing some water supply to harvested ponds, at least throughout the harvesting period, could integrate shorebird conservation into shrimp-farm production. These low-cost and easy management procedures would not increase costs or affect shrimp production – thus representing a win-win opportunity – and would have potential applications for shorebird conservation throughout the world.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

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Data from: Bumble bee nest abundance, foraging distance, and host-plant reproduction: implications for management and conservation

Recent reports of global declines in pollinator species imply an urgent need to assess the abundance of native pollinators and density-dependent benefits for linked plants. In this study, we investigated (1) pollinator nest distributions and estimated colony abundances, (2) the relationship between abundances of foraging workers and the number of nests they represent, (3) pollinator foraging ranges, and (4) the relationship between pollinator abundance and plant reproduction. We examined these questions in an alpine ecosystem in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, focusing on four alpine bumble bee species (Bombus balteatus, B. flavifrons, B. bifarius, and B. sylvicola), and two host plants that differ in their degrees of pollinator specialization (Trifolium dasyphyllum and T. parryi). Using microsatellites, we found that estimated colony abundances among Bombus species ranged from ~18 to 78 colonies/0.01 km2. The long-tongued species B. balteatus was most common, especially high above treeline, but the subalpine species B. bifarius was unexpectedly abundant for this elevation range. Nests detected among sampled foragers of each species were correlated with the number of foragers caught. Foraging ranges were smaller than expected for all Bombus species, ranging from 25 to 110 m. Fruit set for the specialized plant, Trifolium parryi, was positively related to the abundance of its Bombus pollinator. In contrast, fruit set for the generalized plant, T. dasyphyllum, was related to abundance of all Bombus species. Because forager abundance was related to nest abundance of each Bombus species and was an equally effective predictor of plant fecundity, forager inventories are probably suitable for assessing the health of outcrossing plant populations. However, nest abundance, rather than forager abundance, better reflects demographic and genetic health in populations of eusocial pollinators such as bumble bees. Development of models incorporating the parameters we have measured here (nest abundance, forager abundance, and foraging distance) could increase the usefulness of foraging worker inventories in monitoring, managing, and conserving pollinator populations.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →

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