The aim of diploma work was contents supervision iodine solution in egg yolk in the consumer eggs and evaluates importance of eggs as an iodine source in human nutrition. In total, iodine content was determined in the yolk of 189 eggs (large flocks) and 210 eggs (small flocks). There were 3,2 times lower of iodine content in the egg yolk from small flocks compare to eggs from large flocks. Eggs from large flocks cover 2 - 25% and from small flocks only 0,4 {--} 12% of the daily iodine requirement in adults. Iodine content in eggs depends on daily iodine intake and the effect of laying cycle. Egg iodine concentration was determined by spectrophotometric metod based on the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction (Bednář a kol. 1964).

No description available.

The question of group-living in animals has attracted a lot of research attention. Today, we have a nuanced understanding of ultimate explanations and proximate mechanisms for group-living, as well as the genetic basis for seemingly puzzling aspects of sociality such as altruism. However, our current view of sociality has been obtained almost entirely in an intraspecific context, i.e. based on groups consisting of individuals of a single species. On the other hand, heterospecific sociality, i.e. groups formed by individuals of multiple species, has been largely ignored in group-living theory and empirical research. This is despite the fact that heterospecific sociality is widely prevalent in nature and is known to occur in many different contexts, in a variety of taxa and in both marine and terrestrial habitats. My dissertation focuses on one of the best-known examples of heterospecific sociality, namely heterospecific foraging associations of terrestrial insectivorous birds (commonly called mixed-species flocks; flocks hereon). Flocks are found all over the world, in a variety of habitats, and include a unique suite of species in each area. Although flocks are the best-studied among different types of heterospecific associations known, most of the research has been descriptive. In other words, while we have descriptions of the richness, size and composition of flocks from many areas, we know little about why and how flocks form. Therefore, one broad objective of this dissertation was to better understand the causes of flock formation. Birds are thought to join flocks either to obtain direct foraging benefits or better protection from predators. I used different approaches to understand which of these two reasons is likely to be more important. Additionally, to situate heterospecific sociality within sociality in general, I also examined whether the mechanisms underlying flocks are similar to single-species groups or unique to a mixed-species condition. In other words, are flocks a different route to obtain the same benefits as single-species groups, or a route to obtain benefits that conspecifics cannot provide? In the previous section, I described why understanding flocks is important from the point of view of sociality. Flocks are also important for the consequences they might have on community organization. While each flock is a collection of interacting individuals of different species, populations of species are linked in a network of interactions across multiple flocks in an area. The theoretical framework guiding our understanding of community organization is currently dominated by the idea of interspecific competition. Mutualisms or positive interactions, if any, are only expected to occur between members of different trophic levels. Only recently has the need to incorporate positive interactions between members of the same trophic level into ecological theory been emphasized. Flocks and other heterospecific associations present an important example of within-trophic level positive interactions. Therefore, the second broad objective of this dissertation was to examine the consequences of flock formation on community organization. The objectives described above were addressed using multiple approaches in this dissertation. “Why” questions in ecology and evolution are generally tackled using manipulative experiments. Given that experiments are neither feasible nor ethical in the case of multispecies flocks in the wild, I addressed the “why” question by focusing on “who” instead. To understand “why” flocks form, I examined what kinds of species participate in flocks, who associates with whom, and who provides and who receives the benefits. This dissertation uses a combination of methods and data, including questions addressed at a global scale using descriptive information on flocks available from across the world. For other questions that were based on entirely new approaches developed in this dissertation, data were collected in a field site in the Western Ghats. In general, given the two broad objectives of this dissertation, the approaches I used were drawn from both behavioural and community ecology. The dissertation is organized in the following way: Chapter 1: General Introduction The first chapter provides the background to the two broad objectives of this thesis, namely understanding the causes and consequences of heterospecific foraging associations in terrestrial bird communities. Chapter 2 (published in The American Naturalist) Based on a global dataset (55 presence-absence matrices from 24 locations in multiple continents) on the composition of flocks, I asked if flocks largely consist of ecologically similar or dissimilar species. Using null models and randomization tests followed by meta-analysis, I found that the association strength of species in flocks was strongly related to similarity in body size and foraging behaviour, and higher for congeneric compared with non-congeneric species pairs. In other words, flocks seem to consist largely of similar species. Extending group-living and social information use theory to a heterospecific context, I discuss potential behavioral mechanisms leading to positive interactions among similar species in flocks as well as ways in which competition costs are reduced. These findings highlight the need to consider positive interactions along with competition when seeking to explain community organisation. Chapter 3 (published in Animal Behaviour) Two kinds of participants are recognized in flocks: those that join other species (‘followers’) and are therefore likely to be the recipients of the benefits of flock participation and those that are joined (‘leaders’). Through comparative analyses, using a large sample of flocks from around the world, I found (1) ‘followers’ tend to be smaller, more insectivorous, and feed in higher strata than matched species that participate in flocks to a lesser extent and (2) ‘leaders’ tend to be cooperative breeders (which are known to have well-developed anti-predatory systems) more often than matched species that are not known to lead flocks. Furthermore, meta-analyses of published results from across the world showed that bird species in terrestrial mixed-species flocks increased foraging rates and reduced vigilance compared to when they were solitary or in conspecific groups. Moreover, the increase in foraging rates was seen only in the case of flock followers and not flock leaders. These findings suggest a role for predation in the evolution of mixed-species flocking. Species that are vulnerable to predation follow species whose vigilance they can exploit. By doing so, they are able to reduce their own vigilance and forage at higher rates. Chapter 4 (to be submitted to Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology) In this study, conducted in a tropical evergreen forest in the Western Ghats of India, I used intraflock association patterns to generate a community-wide assessment of benefits of flock participation for different species. I assumed that individuals needed to be physically proximate to particular heterospecific individuals within flocks to obtain any direct foraging benefit (flushed prey, kleptoparasitism, copying foraging locations). Alternatively, for all anti-predation benefits, physical proximity to particular heterospecifics is not required, i.e. just being in the flock vicinity will suffice. Therefore, I used the choice of locations within flocks to infer whether individual species are obtaining direct foraging or antipredation benefits. A small subset of the bird community (5/29 species), composed of all members of the sallying guild, showed non-random physical proximity to heterospecifics within flocks. All preferred associates were from non-sallying guilds, suggesting that the sallying species were likely obtaining direct foraging benefits, either in the form of flushed or snatched prey. The majority of species (24/29) chose locations randomly with respect to heterospecifics within flocks, and thus were likely obtaining anti-predation benefits. In summary, my study indicates that direct foraging benefits are important for only a small proportion of species in flocks and therefore that predation is likely to be the main driver of flocking. Chapter 5 (to be submitted to Oecologia) Two types of species – intraspecifically gregarious and sallying species – are thought to play important roles in flocks because studies have shown they attract other flock participants. However, it is not clear why these types of species are attractive, i.e. are they cues for flocks or do they directly provide benefits to other species? It is also not known whether these types are essential for flock formation. In this study, in a tropical evergreen forest in the Western Ghats of India, I used a novel approach to address these questions. Flocks contain anywhere between two and tens of species. My approach focused on the simplest, i.e. two-species, flocks. In two-species flocks, attraction between species must be based on direct benefit to at least one of the species. Therefore, only species combinations that result in benefit to at least one species will occur as two species flocks. Further, by examining leading and following behaviour in these combinations, I could also determine the direction of benefit-flow. Finally, given that all flocks pass through a two-species step, examining which two-species combinations are joined by other species helped understand species roles in flock formation. I found that intraspecifically gregarious species, but not sallying species, were disproportionately represented in two-species flocks, always provided the benefits when present, and that flocks containing them were joined significantly more often. Therefore, intraspecifically gregarious species, but not sallying species, play a role in providing flock benefits and flock formation. Moreover, given that most (7/8) intraspecifically gregarious species in my study site played these roles, the intraspecifically gregarious species guild can be considered an example of a within-trophic level “keystone”. Chapter 6 (“in press” in Oikos) There is a growing recognition of the need to integrate non-trophic interactions into ecological networks for a better understanding of whole-community organization. To achieve this, the first step is to build networks of individual non-trophic interactions. In this study, I analyzed the network of interdependencies among bird species that participated in flocks in an evergreen forest site in the Western Ghats, India. I found that flock networks contain a small core of highly important species that other species are strongly dependent on, a pattern seen in many other biological networks. Further, I found that structural importance of species in the network was strongly correlated to functional importance of species at the individual flock level. Finally, comparisons with flock networks from other Asian forests showed that the same taxonomic groups were important in general, suggesting that species importance was an intrinsic trait and not dependent on local ecological conditions. Hence, given a list of species in an area, it may be possible to predict which ones are likely to be important. Chapter 7: Conclusions In this section, I provide a summary of the main findings of this dissertation, discuss the main conclusions with regard to each of the two broad objectives and finally suggest future lines of investigation to further understand the causes and consequences of flock formation and heterospecific sociality in general. In summary, the work presented in this dissertation provides a picture of how and why flocks form and their likely consequences for community organization. The main driver of flock formation seems to be protection from predators, although a few species do obtain direct foraging benefits. Additionally, given that I found flocks to largely be groupings of similar species, the mechanisms through which benefits are obtained are likely to be similar to those in single-species groups. In other words, flocks are possibly a way for species that are unable to group with conspecifics, to obtain group-living benefits. My finding, that flocks largely consisted of similar species, also questions the stereotyping of interactions between similar species in communities as competitive. Other results from this study demonstrate the importance of intraspecifically gregarious species in flocks. Such species are the main providers of benefits to other flock participants and seem essential for flock formation. Finally, network analysis showed that a small core of species, mainly including species known to provide benefits at the individual flock level, are disproportionately important in the emergent community-level network of interdependencies. Such species are possibly one of the first examples of within-trophic level “keystones” discovered. Apart from the findings, this study also provides a set of new approaches and analytical frameworks that can be used to examine other multispecies foraging groups and heterospecific foraging associations in other contexts.

No description available.

The specific objectives of this study were to determine the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) antibody titres from the chicken sera collected from various districts and provinces of Zambia and to determine the seroprevalence of ND in Zambian backyard chickens. Results showed that 73.9 % of the birds sampled tested positive for Newcastle disease (ND) antibodies. The seroprevalence of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in Zambian backyard chicken flocks varied among the five provinces sampled, ranging from 82.6 % in Eastern Province to 48.3 % in Luapula Province. The seroprevalence of the virus also varied among the 11 districts sampled, ranging from 91.3 % in Monze District of Southern Province to 22.8 % in Mufulira District of the Copperbelt Province. The results indicated that the seroprevalence of ND in Zambia has increased since the last survey conducted in 1994. The data generated is expected to contribute towards a more clear understanding of the epidemiology of NDV that would ultimately contribute towards an improved ND control programme to benefit all stakeholders in Zambia. An improved ND control programme is expected to enhance flock numbers and ultimately improve the dietary requirements and income needs of many poor households in the country. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Veterinary Tropical Diseases / unrestricted

This study is of the social organization of the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia Sennett) on the Welder Wildlife Refuge in southern Texas. The earliest turkey nests hatched in April, with the peak of hatching a month or more later. These poults may remain with their mother until winter. This brood flock, however, often combined with other brood flocks to form composite brood flocks when the poults were a few weeks old. Hens not successful in rearing young combined into broodless flocks. The juvenile males left the brood flocks in late fall or winter. They remained a distinct unit, the sibling group. These sibling groups attempted to join adult male flocks which were composed of older sibling groups. Most often the juvenile sibling groups were forced to join others their own age to form juvenile male winter flocks. Female flocks, after losing their juvenile males, combined with other female flocks to form large bands of up to 200 females. In spring the adult male flocks split into sibling groups for breeding. The sibling groups joined the female bands on display grounds. Only the dominant male of the dominant sibling group mated while hens were on the display ground. Later in the breeding season the female bands split into their flocks and returned to former nesting areas. Resident flocks continued to use the display ground, but later broke up into nesting groups of 2-5 females localized near their nests. The male sibling groups accompanied the females from the display ground, but did not become territorial. Incubation or nest loss broke down the female nesting group. This in turn led to formation of brood flocks or broodless flocks of hens.

2009 metais devyniolikoje (su padaliniais dvidešimt viename) Lietuvos žuvininkystės ūkių buvo vykdomi gulbių nebylių sankaupų gausos, formavimosi sezoninės dinamikos ir pasiskirstymo ypatumų tyrimai. Tyrimai užpildo eilę spragų ankstesniuose tyrimuose apie gulbių nebylių sankaupų formavimąsi žuvų tvenkiniuose. Sankaupų formavimosi laikotarpiu žuvų auginimo tvenkiniais naudojasi apie tris tūkstančius neperinčių gulbių nebylių. Paukščiai čia apsistoja sezoninių migracijų metu. Taip pat čia susirenka šertis nesiveisiantys individai. Gulbių buvimo žuvininkystės ūkių tvenkiniuose trukmę apsprendžia tvenkinių pripildymo (balandžio mėn.) ir nuleidimo (intensyviausiai rugsėjo antroje - spalio pirmoje pusėje) laikotarpiai. Sankaupos gausiausios pavasario pabaigoje - vasaros pradžioje, visų pirma birželio mėnesį, tačiau jų dydis atskiruose ūkiuose ženkliai svyruoja ir gali piką pasiekti ir kitais sezono laikotarpiais, ypač rudeniop. Stabiliai pagrindiniu, sankaupų dydį konkrečiuose žuvų ūkiuose apsprendžiančiu, veiksniu yra bendras tvenkinių, kuriuose buvo beriami žuvų pašarai, plotas. Ūkiuose (jų grupėse), kuriuose šio faktoriaus skaitinė reikšmė didelė, gulbių nebylių sankaupos taip pat didelės ir atvirkščiai. Tačiau atsitiktinė natūralių buveinių su gausiomis gulbių nebylių sankaupomis (pavyzdžiui Kuršių Marių) kaimynystė (geografinis faktorius), gali nusverti anksčiau minėto faktoriaus poveikį. Gulbės sankaupose naudoja didžiąją dalį konkretaus, ūkio tvenkinių (paprastai 50-70 %) –... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / In 2009, research was carried out on abundance of mute swan flocks, its formation, seasonal dynamics and distribution characteristics in nineteen (with branches in twenty-one) fish farms in Lithuania. This research fills-in a number of gaps of previous studies on mute swan flocks formation in fish farm ponds. Around three thousand non breeding mute swans are using fish farming ponds during flock’s formation season. Birds stay here during seasonal migrations. Also non breeding swans gather here to moult. The duration of stay of swans in fish farm ponds is determined by the time of filling up (in April) and draining (most intensive in the second half of September and in the first half of October) of ponds. The most numerous flocks are at late spring - early summer, particularly in June, but the size of individual flocks vary considerably and may reach peak during other periods of the season, especially in autumn. The most stable factor determining size of the specific flock in fish farm ponds is area of the pond where fish are fed. Flocks are more numerous in farms (or groups of farms) in which value of this factor is higher and vice versa. However, random natural dwellings of mute swan flocks with large populations (for example neighborhood of Kuršių Marios – geographical factor) may outweigh the above factor’s impact on mute swans flock size in fish ponds. Flocks of mute swans cluster during the mobilization period and use most part of the fish farm pond (usually 50-70%) –... [to full text]

O presente estudo avaliou a composição de bandos mistos de aves em uma paisagem de Floresta Atlântica, verificando se há estratificação entre os bandos de acordo com o estrato vertical vegetacional utilizado pelas espécies, e como os aspectos da paisagem influenciam a composição dos bandos mistos. Onze remanescentes florestais localizados na Bacia do rio Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brasil, foram caracterizados pelo grau de conectividade com outras áreas florestais, sendo divididos em três categorias: 1) maciço; 2) conectado; e 3) isolado. Foram obtidas informações referentes à intensidade da perda de hábitat no entorno imediato das áreas. Foram registradas 117 espécies de aves, em uma média de 8,68 espécies por bando. A Ordem Passeriformes correspondeu a 88,89% das espécies amostradas, em sua maioria representantes das famílias Tyrannidae, Thraupidae, Thamnophilidae e Furnariidae. Outras ordens registradas foram Cuculiformes, Apodiformes, Trogoniformes e Piciformes. Mais de 70% das espécies ocorreram ocasionalmente nos bandos mistos. Basileuterus culicivorus, Xiphorhynchus fuscus, Sittasomus griseicapillus, Habia rubica, Philydor atricapillus e Dysithamnus mentalis obtiveram os maiores valores de FO. Basileuterus culicivorus foi a única espécie-núcleo dos bandos mistos. Os bandos não apresentaram divisão clara quanto ao estrato utilizado para forrageio. As áreas de estudo formaram dois grupos distintos quanto à composição de espécies participantes dos bandos mistos, porém, não foi verificada relação com possíveis efeitos da fragmentação florestal. Os grupos diferiram quanto à altitude, reforçando a sugestão de que os bandos mistos são reflexo do pool de espécies local. / This paper examined the composition of mixed-species bird flocks in an Atlantic Forest landscape, evaluating the vertical vegetative stratification of the mixed-species flocks, and how landscape aspects influence the mixed-species flocks composition. Eleven forest remnants were selected and characterized according to their degrees of connectivity with other fragments, and divided in three categories: 1) massive; 2) connected; and 3) isolated. It was obtained information about the intensity of loss of habitat around the remnants. It was registered 117 bird species, in an average of 8.68 species per flock. The Passeriformes accounted 88.89% of the records, the majority Tyrannidae, Thraupidae, Thamnophilidae, and Furnariidae. Other orders recorded were Cuculiformes, Apodiformes, Trogoniformes, and Piciformes. More than 70% of the species were registered as occasional mixed-flocks. Basileuterus culicivorus, Xiphorhynchus fuscus, Sittasomus griseicapillus, Habia rubica, Philydor atricapillus, and Dysithamnus mentalis obtained the highest values in occurrence frequency (OF). Only Basileuterus culicivorus was considered nuclear-species to the mixed flocks. The mixed-species bird flocks did not have a clear division among foraging stratus. The remnants formed two distinct groups to the mixed flocks species composition, but it was not checked relationship with forest fragmentation effects. The groups presented altitudinal difference, suggesting that the mixed flocks are a reflection to the local species pool.

O presente estudo avaliou a composição de bandos mistos de aves em uma paisagem de Floresta Atlântica, verificando se há estratificação entre os bandos de acordo com o estrato vertical vegetacional utilizado pelas espécies, e como os aspectos da paisagem influenciam a composição dos bandos mistos. Onze remanescentes florestais localizados na Bacia do rio Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brasil, foram caracterizados pelo grau de conectividade com outras áreas florestais, sendo divididos em três categorias: 1) maciço; 2) conectado; e 3) isolado. Foram obtidas informações referentes à intensidade da perda de hábitat no entorno imediato das áreas. Foram registradas 117 espécies de aves, em uma média de 8,68 espécies por bando. A Ordem Passeriformes correspondeu a 88,89% das espécies amostradas, em sua maioria representantes das famílias Tyrannidae, Thraupidae, Thamnophilidae e Furnariidae. Outras ordens registradas foram Cuculiformes, Apodiformes, Trogoniformes e Piciformes. Mais de 70% das espécies ocorreram ocasionalmente nos bandos mistos. Basileuterus culicivorus, Xiphorhynchus fuscus, Sittasomus griseicapillus, Habia rubica, Philydor atricapillus e Dysithamnus mentalis obtiveram os maiores valores de FO. Basileuterus culicivorus foi a única espécie-núcleo dos bandos mistos. Os bandos não apresentaram divisão clara quanto ao estrato utilizado para forrageio. As áreas de estudo formaram dois grupos distintos quanto à composição de espécies participantes dos bandos mistos, porém, não foi verificada relação com possíveis efeitos da fragmentação florestal. Os grupos diferiram quanto à altitude, reforçando a sugestão de que os bandos mistos são reflexo do pool de espécies local. / This paper examined the composition of mixed-species bird flocks in an Atlantic Forest landscape, evaluating the vertical vegetative stratification of the mixed-species flocks, and how landscape aspects influence the mixed-species flocks composition. Eleven forest remnants were selected and characterized according to their degrees of connectivity with other fragments, and divided in three categories: 1) massive; 2) connected; and 3) isolated. It was obtained information about the intensity of loss of habitat around the remnants. It was registered 117 bird species, in an average of 8.68 species per flock. The Passeriformes accounted 88.89% of the records, the majority Tyrannidae, Thraupidae, Thamnophilidae, and Furnariidae. Other orders recorded were Cuculiformes, Apodiformes, Trogoniformes, and Piciformes. More than 70% of the species were registered as occasional mixed-flocks. Basileuterus culicivorus, Xiphorhynchus fuscus, Sittasomus griseicapillus, Habia rubica, Philydor atricapillus, and Dysithamnus mentalis obtained the highest values in occurrence frequency (OF). Only Basileuterus culicivorus was considered nuclear-species to the mixed flocks. The mixed-species bird flocks did not have a clear division among foraging stratus. The remnants formed two distinct groups to the mixed flocks species composition, but it was not checked relationship with forest fragmentation effects. The groups presented altitudinal difference, suggesting that the mixed flocks are a reflection to the local species pool.

O presente estudo avaliou a composição de bandos mistos de aves em uma paisagem de Floresta Atlântica, verificando se há estratificação entre os bandos de acordo com o estrato vertical vegetacional utilizado pelas espécies, e como os aspectos da paisagem influenciam a composição dos bandos mistos. Onze remanescentes florestais localizados na Bacia do rio Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brasil, foram caracterizados pelo grau de conectividade com outras áreas florestais, sendo divididos em três categorias: 1) maciço; 2) conectado; e 3) isolado. Foram obtidas informações referentes à intensidade da perda de hábitat no entorno imediato das áreas. Foram registradas 117 espécies de aves, em uma média de 8,68 espécies por bando. A Ordem Passeriformes correspondeu a 88,89% das espécies amostradas, em sua maioria representantes das famílias Tyrannidae, Thraupidae, Thamnophilidae e Furnariidae. Outras ordens registradas foram Cuculiformes, Apodiformes, Trogoniformes e Piciformes. Mais de 70% das espécies ocorreram ocasionalmente nos bandos mistos. Basileuterus culicivorus, Xiphorhynchus fuscus, Sittasomus griseicapillus, Habia rubica, Philydor atricapillus e Dysithamnus mentalis obtiveram os maiores valores de FO. Basileuterus culicivorus foi a única espécie-núcleo dos bandos mistos. Os bandos não apresentaram divisão clara quanto ao estrato utilizado para forrageio. As áreas de estudo formaram dois grupos distintos quanto à composição de espécies participantes dos bandos mistos, porém, não foi verificada relação com possíveis efeitos da fragmentação florestal. Os grupos diferiram quanto à altitude, reforçando a sugestão de que os bandos mistos são reflexo do pool de espécies local. / This paper examined the composition of mixed-species bird flocks in an Atlantic Forest landscape, evaluating the vertical vegetative stratification of the mixed-species flocks, and how landscape aspects influence the mixed-species flocks composition. Eleven forest remnants were selected and characterized according to their degrees of connectivity with other fragments, and divided in three categories: 1) massive; 2) connected; and 3) isolated. It was obtained information about the intensity of loss of habitat around the remnants. It was registered 117 bird species, in an average of 8.68 species per flock. The Passeriformes accounted 88.89% of the records, the majority Tyrannidae, Thraupidae, Thamnophilidae, and Furnariidae. Other orders recorded were Cuculiformes, Apodiformes, Trogoniformes, and Piciformes. More than 70% of the species were registered as occasional mixed-flocks. Basileuterus culicivorus, Xiphorhynchus fuscus, Sittasomus griseicapillus, Habia rubica, Philydor atricapillus, and Dysithamnus mentalis obtained the highest values in occurrence frequency (OF). Only Basileuterus culicivorus was considered nuclear-species to the mixed flocks. The mixed-species bird flocks did not have a clear division among foraging stratus. The remnants formed two distinct groups to the mixed flocks species composition, but it was not checked relationship with forest fragmentation effects. The groups presented altitudinal difference, suggesting that the mixed flocks are a reflection to the local species pool.