Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Sharmila Tamang, Hari Prasad Sharma, Jerrold L. Belant
Summary: The Chinese pangolin is a critically endangered species in Nepal, inhabiting forests, agricultural lands, and grasslands. Habitat characteristics such as forest canopy cover, slopes, and distance to agricultural lands and ant nests influence its occurrence. Fecal analysis showed that Aphaenogaster symthiesii, Camponotus sp., Monomorium sp., and Pheidole sp. are the dominant prey in its diet. This study provides important baseline information for Chinese pangolin conservation in Nepal.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
P. Taylor, M. Swan, H. Sitters, A. Smith, J. Di Stefano
Summary: Predation influences prey survival and drives evolution of anti-predator behaviour. Anti-predator strategies by prey are stimulated by direct encounters with predators, but also by exposure to indicators of risk such as moonlight illumination and vegetation cover.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Houlang Duan, Yiwen Pan, Xiubo Yu, Shaoxia Xia
Summary: This study used long-term waterbird monitoring data and remote-sensing data to investigate the effects of habitat changes on waterbird abundance in Poyang Lake wetland. The results showed that the mean abundance of most species did not change significantly over the past 20 years, but the vulnerable species Hooded Crane and White-naped Crane experienced significant declines in abundance. Habitat change did not greatly contribute to the variation in mean abundance for most species, but the reduction in mudflat area greatly contributed to the declines in abundance of the gray heron and gadwall.
Article
Ecology
Daniela Milano, Magali Rechencq, Gustavo E. Lippolt, Pablo H. Vigliano
Summary: Temperature plays a crucial role in driving biological systems and can impact the populations, dynamics, and stability of entire lake food webs. In this study, the researchers focused on the thermal habitat use by different life stages of Galaxias maculatus in lakes of the Andean range. The simulations indicated that future climate change may not be detrimental to G. maculatus in deep lakes, but could lead to lower quality thermal conditions for its earlier life stages in shallow lakes.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
C. A. Sepulveda-Quiroz, C. S. Alvarez-Villagomez, O. Mendoza-Porras, E. S. Pena-Marin, C. Maytorena-Verdugo, G. M. Perez-Jimenez, R. Jesus-Contreras, C. A. Alvarez-Gonzalez, R. Martinez-Garcia
Summary: Aggressivity expressed as cannibalism in fish larvae is a problem that limits the development of many species in aquaculture. This study described cannibalistic attacks behavior in Tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus) larvae and found that factors such as tank color, shelter type, and attack type have an impact on the attacks. It was also discovered that juveniles and larvae can consume prey larger than their own body size.
Article
Biology
Laura Stidsholt, Antoniya Hubancheva, Stefan Greif, Holger R. Goerlitz, Mark Johnson, Yossi Yovel, Peter T. Madsen, Yuuki Y. Watanabe
Summary: Using bat-borne tags and DNA metabarcoding of feces, this study confirms that greater mouse-eared bats make immediate foraging decisions based on changes in the environment and prey profitabilty. Despite lower success rates, bats primarily rely on high-risk, high-gain gleaning of ground prey due to their larger size, but switch to aerial hunting when the profitability of ground prey decreases.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Francois Therrien, Darla K. Zelenitsky, Kohei Tanaka, Jared T. Voris, Gregory M. Erickson, Philip J. Currie, Christopher L. Debuhr, Yoshitsugu Kobayashi
Summary: Researchers have discovered a juvenile tyrannosaurid specimen containing the hindlimbs of two yearling caenagnathid dinosaurs in its abdominal cavity, providing direct evidence of a dietary shift in tyrannosaurids during growth. Juvenile tyrannosaurids may have hunted small and young dinosaurs until reaching a certain size, at which point they transitioned to feeding on dinosaurian megaherbivores. This dietary shift may have played a key role in the evolutionary success of tyrannosaurids.
Article
Ecology
Chaim J. J. Lasmar, Tom R. R. Bishop, Catherine L. L. Parr, Antonio C. M. Queiroz, Icaro Wilker, Rodrigo M. M. Feitosa, Fernando A. A. Schmidt, Carla R. R. Ribas
Summary: Animals integrate into the wider ecosystem by foraging and behavior, targeting scarce and atypical nutrients according to the compensation hypothesis. This study investigated the variation in resource use by ants across habitat strata and trophic levels in Neotropical biomes. The results showed consistent patterns of sugar and lipid preferences across biomes and trophic levels, indicating sugar limitation in the arboreal stratum and lipid limitation on the ground. However, there was no consistent pattern for amino acid and sodium preferences. Overall, the study suggests strong local niche partitioning of sugar and lipid use and the influence of large-scale processes on amino acid and sodium dynamics.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Krzysztof Ciszewski, Wawrzyniec Wawrzyniak, Przemyslaw Czerniejewski
Summary: Elevated temperatures can cause changes in biotic factors and abiotic gradients, leading to an increase in the foraging of planktivorous fish on small-sized zooplankton. This change is mainly due to the improved adaptation of small organisms to decreased oxygen and food availability. However, it is still uncertain whether global warming will have a significant impact on predation and the size of aquatic organisms.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Geoffrey P. F. Mazue, Maxim W. D. Adams, Frank Seebacher, Ashley J. W. Ward
Summary: To adjust their foraging strategy, individuals may use a combination of private and social information. The reliability of private information about environmental characteristics, such as prey distribution, can influence individuals' movement patterns. This study investigated how movement characteristics changed as individuals acquired reliable private information about prey distribution during foraging.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Anabelle Dece A. Espadero, Yohei Nakamura, Wilfredo H. Uy, Masahiro Horinouchi
Summary: Tropical intertidal seagrass beds are important foraging grounds for multiple fish species and provide a permanent habitat for resident species. Recognizing the importance of these habitats is crucial for the management and protection of coastal fish biodiversity and fishery resources.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
J. Darby, M. Clairbaux, A. Bennison, J. L. Quinn, M. J. Jessopp
Summary: Understanding the sensory ecology of species is crucial for predicting their function in a changing environment. Visual cues play a vital role in prey detection and capture for many predators. However, climate-induced turbidity in marine areas can potentially affect the ability of marine predators to detect prey. This study examines the relationship between a pelagic seabird species's foraging behavior and oceanic turbidity, finding that underwater visibility strongly influences foraging dives and prey detection, suggesting climate change could negatively impact seabird populations.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sarah M. Laske, Samantha M. Burke, Michael P. Carey, Heidi K. Swanson, Christian E. Zimmerman
Summary: The amount of mercury in Arctic lake food webs is affected by climate change, as fish require more energy to sustain growth. This leads to changes in metabolic rates and prey consumption, potentially increasing mercury accumulation. The study examines the implications of climate warming on forage fish mercury accumulation using bioenergetics models and finds that growth and mercury accumulation are largely dependent on diet. The models show the complex interaction of temperature, growth, prey proportions, and prey mercury concentrations in response to climate change.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Ingeborg Bjerkvik Alnes, Knut Helge Jensen, Arne Skorping, Anne Gro Vea Salvanes
Summary: This study investigated how juvenile Atlantic salmon respond to environmental enrichment at different developmental stages, finding that they are more sensitive to enrichment during the parr stage. Results showed that parr exposed to enriched environments displayed more positive behaviors compared to those deprived of enrichment, indicating that structural enrichment can have the potential to improve welfare and survival for salmonids in captivity.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Desley A. Whisson, Freya McKinnon, Matthew Lefoe, Anthony R. Rendall
Summary: Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) plays a vital role in detecting Yellow-bellied Gliders, requiring at least six consecutive nights of audio data recording after sunset, with attention to factors such as background noise and rainfall that affect detection.