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Patterns of resource partitioning by nesting herons and ibis: How are odonata exploited?
- Source :
- Comptes Rendus Biologies. 335:310-317
- Publication Year :
- 2012
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2012.
-
Abstract
- Herons and ibis are colonially nesting waders which, owing to their number, mobility and trophic role as top predators, play a key role in aquatic ecosystems. They are also good biological models to investigate interspecific competition between sympatric species and predation; two processes which structure ecological communities. Odonata are also numerous, diverse, mobile and can play an important role in aquatic ecosystems by serving as prey for herons and ibis. A relationship between prey size and bird predator has been observed in Numidia wetlands (NE Algeria) after analyzing food boluses regurgitated by six species of birds (Purple Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Glossy Ibis, Little Egret, Squacco Heron and Cattle Egret) during the breeding period, which also shows a temporal gradient for the six species. Both the Levins index and preliminary multivariate analysis of the Odonata as prey fed to nestling herons and ibis, indicated a high degree of resource overlap. However, a distinction of prey based on taxonomy (suborder and family) and developmental stage (larvae or adults) reveals a clear size dichotomy with large-sized predators (Purple Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron and Glossy Ibis) preying on large preys like Aeshnids and Libellulids and small-sized predators feeding mainly on small prey like Zygoptera. Overall, the resource utilization suggests a pattern of resource segregation by coexisting nesting herons and ibis based on the timing of reproduction, prey types, prey size and foraging microhabitats.
- Subjects :
- Little egret
Insecta
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Nesting Behavior
Predation
Birds
Sexual Behavior, Animal
Species Specificity
biology.animal
Animals
Egret
Ecosystem
Night heron
Apex predator
Ibis
General Immunology and Microbiology
biology
Ecology
Feeding Behavior
General Medicine
biology.organism_classification
Diet
Sympatry
Algeria
Data Interpretation, Statistical
Larva
Predatory Behavior
Wetlands
Multivariate Analysis
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Heron
Squacco heron
Algorithms
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 16310691
- Volume :
- 335
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Comptes Rendus Biologies
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....8daf8eee26e48f6cd9649a950f7d30bb
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2012.03.009