A percepção e interpretação da interação de indivíduos e populações com o ambiente e a forma como tal relação condiciona sua distribuição espacial é questão-chave e recorrente em estudos ecológicos. Padrões de uso de área observados para populações emergem em ultima análise da variabilidade entre seus indivíduos em selecionar habitats e interagir com os mesmos. Este estudo teve como foco o uso de área pela população do boto-cinza, Sotalia guianensis, e sua variabilidade individual no estuário de Cananeia, localizado na costa sudeste do Brasil (25°03\' S; 47°55\' W), durante o verão e o inverno de 2015 e o verão de 2016. Parâmetros ambientais e geográficos (distâncias da desembocadura de rios, da entrada do estuário e de áreas urbanas, profundidade, maré e autocorrelação espacial) foram testados para explicar a distribuição da população e de seus indivíduos a partir de funções de probabilidade de seleção de recursos (RSPF) em modelos aditivos generalizados (GAM). Onze indivíduos fotoidentificados com 18 ou mais recapturas foram avaliados com o uso de modelos individuais de ocupação e sua interpretação foi subsidiada por estimativas de áreas domiciliares obtidas a partir de kerneis fixos de densidade. Nas três temporadas a população apresentou densidades de grupos desiguais ao longo do estuário e todas as variáveis, com exceção da distância de áreas urbanas, explicaram as probabilidades de presença observadas. Análises individuais revelaram discrepâncias nos tamanhos e disposição geográfica de áreas domiciliares e diferenças na composição e estimativa dos parâmetros selecionados para cada indivíduo. A variabilidade individual na população deve ter papel fundamental em termos de utilização do espaço e seleção de habitat pelo boto-cinza no estuário local. / Understanding and interpreting the interaction of individuals and populations with the environment and how this relationship outlines their spatial distribution is a key question common in ecological studies. Area use patterns observed for populations are ultimately an outcome from individual variability in habitat selection and their interaction with such environments. Are use and habitat selection by the population of Guiana dolphins, Sotalia guianensis, and its individual variability were accessed in the Cananeia estuary (25°03\' S; 47°55\' W), southeastern Brazil, during the summer and winter of 2015 and the summer of 2016. Environmental and geographic parameters were estimated aiming to explain population distribution and differences within individuals. For this purpose, resource selection probability functions (RSPF) were applied in generalized additive models (GAM). Covariates tested included: distance to river mouths, distance to the estuary entrance, distance to urban areas, depth and tide. Geographic coordinates were used to model spatial autocorrelation. Eleven photo-identified individuals had their occupancy modelled and accessed in relation to their home range obtained from fixed kernel densities estimates. The population exhibited patchy group densities throughout the estuary in all seasons. Except from distance to urban areas all variables were selected in our final model for the population\'s RSPF. Individual analysis revealed discrepancies in size and location of home ranges which lead to remarkable differences in the composition and estimates of parameters selected in the models for each individual.

La plasticité comportementale et les interactions entre organismes sont connues pour avoir une influence sur l’utilisation de l’espace, notamment la sélection de l’habitat de chasse. Dans l’Atlantique Nord-Est, les phoques gris et veaux marins vivent en sympatrie. Ces deux espèces sont réparties dans différentes colonies où les interactions entre organismes (liées à la taille de la colonie et à la présence simultanée ou non des deux espèces) ainsi que la disponibilité de l’habitat (et donc des proies) varient localement. L’objectif de cette thèse était d’étudier l’utilisation spatiale et la sélection d’habitat de chasse à l’échelle locale de ces deux espèces dans des situations contrastées de dynamique de colonies. Pour cela, plusieurs individus de différentes colonies situées en Irlande, en Écosse et en France ont été équipés de balises GPS/GSM. Les données récoltées ont permis de caractériser leurs trajets en mer ainsi que d’identifier les zones de chasse permettant par la suite la sélection d’habitat. Contrairement aux veaux marins, qui ont réalisé des déplacements restreints aux alentours des colonies, la plupart des phoques gris se sont déplacés entre différentes colonies. Ainsi, l’étude de la sélection d’habitat à l’échelle individuelle pour les individus se déplaçant entre différentes colonies a mis en évidence l’influence de la plasticité comportementale et suggéré celle de la personnalité de l’animal. A l’échelle de la colonie, chez les deux espèces, les résultats ont mis en évidence l’influence de la disponibilité de l’habitat (et indirectement de la disponibilité des proies) ainsi que des interactions intra-spécifiques (liée à l’effet de densité dépendance) sur l’utilisation spatiale et la sélection de l’habitat de chasse. Cependant, la sélection de l’habitat de chasse était principalement liée à la distance au reposoir et la bathymétrie. Ces deux paramètres sont liés aux caractères de chasseur à place centrale et benthique des phoques. Cette étude a également mis en évidence, pour les sites où les deux espèces étaient présentes, une certaine ségrégation spatiale et des différences de sélection d’habitat entre les deux espèces. / The behavioural plasticity and the interactions between organisms are known to influence foraging habitat selection and spatial usage. In the Northeast Atlantic, greyand harbour seals live in sympatry. These two species are spread into different colonies where interactions between organisms (linked to the colony size et and the presence of one or both species) and habitat availability (linked to the prey distribution) vary locally. The objective of this PhD was to study the spatial usage and foraging habitat selection of these two species at the local scale, in contrasted situations of population dynamics. Several individuals were tagged with GPS/GSM tags in different colonies located in Ireland, Scotland and France. Telemetry data was used to characterize the seals’ trips at sea and to identify their foraging areas in order to model foraging habitat selection. While harbour seals only performed trips restricted around their haulout sites, grey seals moved between colonies. Studying habitat selection at the individual scale, for individuals moving between colonies, highlighted the influence of behavioural plasticity and suggested the influence of individual personality. At the colony scale, for both species, results highlighted the influence of habitat availability (indirectly linked to prey availability) and intra-specific interactions (linked to density dependence effects) on spatial usage and foraging habitat selection. However, the foraging habitat selection was mainly explained by the distance from the last haulout and the bathymetry. These two parameters are linked to the central place forager and benthic feeder characteristics of the seals. Furthermore, this study also highlighted, for study sites where both species occur, a spatial segregation and differences in foraging habitat selection between grey and harbourseals.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-22T22:12:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Erika Portela de Lima Silva.pdf: 770664 bytes, checksum: b6b83b117ec0ee88c1214d68278a1c6f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-30 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The study of the interaction between pairs of species is the basis for understanding the coexistence in biological communities. The ability to select habitats may be important in the coexistence of competing species and in the interactions between predators and prey. This selection is often associated with the capacity of perception of chemical cues of prey and structural components of the habitat. The perception and response to chemical cues have been demonstrated for wandering spiders, but only for the family Lycosidae in temperate regions. The soil is among the structural factors that affect habitat selections in spiders, but this has been demonstrated only for burrowing spiders. In tropical forests, high biological diversity and the rapid degradation may hinder the recognition of cues from multiple species of predators and prey. Habitat selection based on different soil types may be important in this ecosystem where drastic soil alternations are common between nearby sites, especially if the soil type is related to some important resource. We assessed the response of two species of wandering spiders in a forest in central Amazonia, Ctenus amphora Melo-Leitão 1930 and Ctenus crulsi Melo-Leitão 1930 (Araneae, Ctenidae) (1) to chemical cues from potential prey, crickets Gryllus assimilis (Fabricius, 1775) (Orthoptera, Gryllidae) and termites Syntermes Holmgren, 1910 (Isoptera, Termitidae), (2) to chemical cues from predators, spiders Phoneutria Perty, 1833 (Araneae, Ctenidae) and army ants Labidus praedator (Fr. Smith, 1858 ) (Formicidae, Ecitonini), (3) and two soil types, sandy and clay soils on which the distribution and abundance of these species diverge. For the first two evaluations we compared the proportion of time on filter paper with and without the chemical cues, to the third evaluation we compared the proportion of time on the two types of soil. These observations were performed over 09 hours with 54 observations per spider at intervals of 10 minutes. A total of 65 spiders were observed in the experiment with prey (termites cues, crickets cues and control), 36 in the experiment with predators Phoneutria (Phoneutria cues and control), 15 in the experiment with army ants (army ants cues and control) and 67 spiders in the soil experiment. The two species spent significantly longer time on the filter paper with chemical cues from the 9 prey, which indicates that the perception of cues can be important for the foraging of the two species. Although C. crulsi consumes far more Syntermes termites in natural conditions, the two species did not differ in the proportion of time on the cues from termites in comparison to the time on cues from crickets, sugesting that they do not differ in the ability to detect the chemical from these prey. No antipredator response was detected for the two species of Ctenus. Therefore, there is no evidence that the coexistence of these species is facilitated by differences in the perception of chemical cues. Only C. crulsi presented preference to a type of soil, the clay soil, which coincides with the type of soil where it is found in abundance in nature. This response of C. crulsi can influence the distribution of C. amphora, due to interactions of these species. Therefore, the perception of soil type is probably an important proximal factor in determining the distribution patterns and dynamics of coexistence of these species. / O estudo da interação entre pares de espécies é uma das bases para a compreensão da coexistência em comunidades biológicas. A capacidade de selecionar habitats pode ser importante tanto na coexistência de espécies que competem entre si como nas interações entre predadores e presas. Esta seleção está muitas vezes associada à capacidade de percepção de pistas químicas de presas e de componentes estruturais do habitat. A percepção e resposta a pistas químicas já foram demonstradas para aranhas errantes, mas somente para a família Lycosidae em regiões temperadas. O solo está entre os fatores estruturais que influem na seleção de habitat em aranhas, mas isto apenas foi demonstrado para aranhas construtoras de toca. Em florestas tropicais, a alta diversidade biológica e a rápida degradação podem dificultar o reconhecimento de pistas das múltiplas espécies de predadores e de presas. A seleção de habitat com base nos diferentes tipos de solo pode ser importante neste ecossistema em que são comuns alternâncias drásticas de solos entre locais próximos, especialmente se o tipo de solo estiver relacionado com algum recurso importante. Avaliamos a resposta de duas espécies de aranhas errantes de uma floresta na Amazônia central, Ctenus amphora Melo-Leitão 1930 e Ctenus crulsi Melo-Leitão 1930 (Araneae, Ctenidae) (1) às pistas químicas de potenciais presas, grilos Gryllus assimilis (Fabricius, 1775) (Orthoptera, Gryllidae) e cupins Syntermes Holmgren, 1910 (Isoptera, Termitidae); (2) às pistas químicas de predadores, aranhas Phoneutria Perty, 1833 (Araneae, Ctenidae) e formigas de correição Labidus praedator (Fr. Smith, 1858) (Formicidae, Ecitonini); (3) e dois tipos de solo, solo arenoso e argiloso, sobre os quais a distribuição e abundância destas espécies diverge. Para as duas primeiras avaliações, comparamos a proporção de tempo sobre recortes de papel filtro com e sem as pistas químicas, para a terceira avaliação comparamos a proporção de tempo sobre os dois tipos de solo. Estas observações foram realizadas ao longo de 09 horas com 54 observações por aranha realizadas em intervalos de 10 minutos. Foram observadas 65 aranhas no experimento com as presas (pistas de cupins, grilos e controle), 36 aranhas no experimento com Phoneutria (pistas de Phoneutria e controle), 15 no experimento com formigas de correição (pistas de 7 formiga e controle), e 67 aranhas no experimento de solos. As duas espécies permaneceram significativamente mais tempo sobre as pistas de presas, indicando que a percepção de pistas pode ser importante para o forrageio das duas espécies. Apesar de C. crulsi consumir muito mais cupins Syntermes em condições naturais, as duas espécies não diferiram na proporção do tempo sobre as pistas de cupins em comparação ao tempo sobre pistas de grilos, indicando que não diferem na capacidade de detectar quimicamente estas presas. Não foi detectada resposta antipredatória pelas duas espécies de Ctenus. Portanto, não encontramos evidências que a coexistência destas duas espécies seja facilitada por diferenças na percepção de pistas químicas. Apenas para C. crulsi foi encontrada resposta de preferência a um dos tipos de solo, o argiloso, que coincide com o tipo de solo onde ela é encontrada em maior abundância na natureza. A resposta de C. crulsi pode influir na distribuição de C. amphora, em função das interações destas duas espécies. Portanto, a percepção do tipo de solo provavelmente é um fator proximal importante a determinar os padrões de distribuição e a dinâmica da coexistência destas espécies.

Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) breed from coast to coast in North America and build open-cup nests in trees. They have been extensively studied across most of their range and have only on occasion been documented to reuse a nest from a previous season. However, at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR), located in southeastern Oregon, ~10 % of female Eastern Kingbirds reuse old nests of mainly American Robins (Turdus migratorius). In an attempt to address why nest reuse is so common at MNWR, I used artificial nests to evaluate two hypotheses as to why nest reuse is common in this breeding population. The first hypothesis states that Eastern Kingbirds reuse nests to save time and/or energy (TES) and the second one states nest reuse occurs because there is a shortage of suitable nest sites (NSS). I was able to reject the TES hypothesis because artificial nests provided no apparent reproductive benefits to Eastern Kingbirds, except that if a nest had failed it took less time to lay a replacement clutch after an initial failure if an artificial nest was used instead of building a new nest. A more reasonable explanation is that Eastern Kingbirds face a limited availability of suitable nest sites. With this in mind, I took vegetation measurements to address the hypothesis that Eastern Kingbirds make adaptive choices when selecting a nest site, in which case they would choose sites that increase their probability of breeding successfully. Successful nests, both natural and artificial, were placed higher in a tree and on a steeper angled nest branch than their failed counterparts. Those findings suggest that Eastern Kingbirds make adaptive choices when selecting a nest site.

Bellbirds (Anthornis melanura) are one of two endemic honeyeaters in New Zealand. They are still common in many parts of the country, but also rare and absent in some areas where they were abundant before. Together with tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandia) bellbirds are responsible for avian pollination of several native plants in New Zealand. Habitat fragmentation and geographical constraints prevent bellbirds from re-occupying formerly inhabited areas. After translocations birds often disperse; some just disappear, some are thought to fly back to their source site and probably many die. Supplementary feeding provides energy rich food, which helps to ensure birds are well-nourished until they can discover natural food sources at the release sites. Conspecific song playback as an attractant for many bird species can be used as public information about high habitat value and additionally lure birds to good food sources and nest sites. Artificial feeding stations were set up at 18 locations in Kennedy's Bush, Port Hills, Canterbury, New Zealand. Feeders filled with sugar water were available for five to six consecutive days and during observation hours the effect of song playback was tested. Variation in bird numbers resulting from experimental treatments was recorded using five-minute bird counts prior to treatments and additional counts every minute of observation time. Bellbird numbers varied strongly with habitat types, showing highest numbers for dense and tall bush areas and close to creeks and lowest for open areas besides pasture and in post-flowering flax fields. Bellbird numbers increased when song was broadcast, with the strongest effect in areas where bellbird numbers were moderate or low, but not in areas where bellbirds were absent. Feeding stations were not observed to be used by bellbirds. The strong response in bellbird numbers to conspecific song playback proved the attractiveness of song for bellbirds. Nevertheless, its function as a lure for bellbirds to artificial feeding stations was not shown. This contrasting result indicates that the use of bellbird song as an enticement for bellbirds has to be investigated further.

The fitness of female Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) with respect to breeding behavior can be partitioned into at least four components: survival to reproduction, competition for breeding sites, success of egg incubation, and suitability of the local environment near breeding sites for early rearing of juveniles. Accordingly, breeding sites should exhibit predictable habitat features linked to these components. In this study, I evaluated the relative influences of habitat features linked to fitness components on selection of breeding sites by coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). I also evaluated associations between breeding site selection and additions of large wood, as the latter were introduced into the study system as a means of restoring habitat conditions to benefit coho salmon. I used a model selection approach to organize specific habitat features into groupings reflecting fitness components and influences of large wood. The relative likelihood of each of these models was then evaluated based on how coho salmon were observed to select breeding sites. Specific variables examined within these models included depth at the redd, width to depth ratio, stream network location, proximity to other redds, maximum depth, proximity to a pool tail, and the count of naturally occurring and artificially placed large wood. Results of this work suggest that female coho salmon most likely select breeding sites based on habitat features linked to all four hypothesized fitness components. Linkages between large wood and breeding site selection were less clear, likely due to mismatches between the scale at which availability was quantified relative to the geomorphic influences of wood, insufficient time for wood to have geomorphic influences on habitat, or the directionality in which geomorphic effects are currently manifested (i.e., upstream, downstream, or bi-directional influences). Future work focused on geomorphic processes in this system could reveal stronger linkages between instream wood and the habitat features that coho salmon select for breeding. / Graduation date: 2013

Increased afforestation and protective legislation in the latter half of the 20th Century allowed the British pine marten Martes martes population to recover from near extinction. Although still largely confined to northern Scotland, the marten population is expanding its size and range by utlising coniferous plantation forests which have become increasingly available. However, little is known about the marten’s ecology in plantation forestry, and less about how they may adapt to changing silvicultural trends. This study investigated aspects of pine marten ecology within Morangie forest, a managed plantation in NE Scotland, with the ultimate aim of formulating management guidelines for modern plantation forests. During the course of the study 11 pine marten were radiotracked and their home ranges mapped to examine marten-habitat associations at several spatial scales. Compositional analysis of habitat based on dominant vegetation type showed that martens established their home ranges in areas dominated by mature forest, whilst showing relative avoidance for open heath moor and grazed pasture. Within home ranges, foraging martens utilised patches of graminoid vegetation, such as those typically associated with Microtus voles, in areas with little or no tree canopy cover. These findings provide unequivocal evidence that fine-scale patches of non-forested habitat provide crucial foraging resources for marten, and therefore ought to be provisioned for in forest management plans. To assist the implementation of these requirements in forest planning, a model was developed to predict the fine scale distribution of Microtus-rich foraging habitat for marten using GIS-based habitat variables that are routinely available to forest managers: topographic wetness index, stand tree height and stand basal area. Management recommendations of ways to improve wind-firm plantation forests as habitats for pine marten are provided. To augment the investigation of marten spatial ecology, the diet of martens was examined seasonally through the analysis of contents from c. 2450 scats, 86 % of which were genetically identified as being pine marten in origin. Marten diets displayed marked seasonality, but small mammals, berries and small birds were the principal foods consumed based on both frequency of occurrence and estimated weight of biomass ingested. Comparison of the relative composition of small mammal species in the diet with those available in the environment revealed that marten displayed an indisputable preference for Microtus voles. Such habits demonstrate that the niche of Scottish martens has diverged from those in mainland populations which predominantly prey upon Clethrionomys voles. A comparison of the marten’s winter diet with those found in studies at similar latitudes (58°N) demonstrated that the Scottish diet was more similar to diets at more southerly latitudes as they contained more fruit and fewer large mammals than typically boreal diets. Investigation of inter-annual variation of the marten’s spring diet from five successive years revealed that Microtus were consistently the most important prey species in the diet each year. Indirect evidence of the relative abundance of Microtus suggested that Microtus populations were non-cyclic. Findings are discussed with reference to the unique ecological circumstances confronting marten in the Scotland; typical of insular populations the UK has a depauperate native fauna in comparison with mainland Europe, in addition to this, mild climatic conditions, particularly over winter, and a historically fragmented landscape appear to have allowed the niche of the Scottish marten to diverge from that considered typical elsewhere in its range. The Scottish marten is dependent on both forested and open habitats, and is both a Microtus specialist and trophic generalist.

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No description available.

I investigated Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) foraging and anti-predator behaviour. My goals were to understand: (1) The role of environmental change on foraging and anti-predator behaviour trade-offs. (2) The relative cost/benefit trade-off between escape behaviour and cover-seeking behaviour. (3) How development of several independent morphological traits affects anti-predator behaviours. I used simulated river mesocosms to study Lake Sturgeon behavioural ecology under controlled conditions. I found: (1) Foraging intensity was significantly higher during the night than the day as well as in turbid environments versus clear environments, indicating that decreased turbidity alone, may in part drive anti-predator behaviour and constrain foraging activity. (2) In high-risk clear-water environments, Lake Sturgeon responded to danger by evoking an escape response and seeking cover in rocky microhabitats. However, in low-risk turbid environments, Lake Sturgeon responded to danger by seeking cover in rocky microhabitats, but not fleeing to a significant degree. Cover-seeking behaviour may therefore be a relatively low-cost/high-benefit anti-predator strategy. (3) Strong evidence for trait co-dependence between escape responses and body size, where larger fish were able to elicit stronger escape responses. I also found that cover-seeking behaviour exhibited a complex multi-tiered relationship, representing a mixture of trait compensation and trait co-specialization that is dependent on specific combinations of morphological traits. These findings are important because they help us understand: (1) The degree to which anti-predator behaviour can be influenced by changing environmental conditions. (2) The relative cost/benefit trade-off between two common anti-predator behaviours. (3) How behaviour and morphology interact in species with a complex anti-predator phenotype.