Cannibalism is a seemingly aberrant interaction, appearing counter to the fitness of individuals. Yet cannibalism is not overly uncommon, and naturally occurs among aquatic organisms, including larval amphibians. In temporary wetlands larval amphibians are in a race to complete metamorphosis before their aquatic habitat disappears. When intraspecific competition intensifies, eating conspecifics may represent a beneficial if not necessary strategy. The research presented within this thesis aims to characterize factors that influence cannibalism within populations of larval amphibians. Wood frog tadpoles (Lithobates sylvaticus) were used to test potential benefits of cannibalism as a diet, determine if dietary quality and nutritional stress influence cannibalism, and investigate the roles of competition and chemical cues in influencing cannibalism. Larval long-toed salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum), and ringed salamanders (A. annulatum) were used to investigate a functional link between trophic polymorphism and cannibalism in natural populations. Results suggest that perceived increases in competition may stimulate some individuals to become less risk averse, and more aggressive, which may in turn facilitate cannibalistic behaviour. Cannibalism itself provided only conditional benefits to larval wood frogs, rather than the optimal growth that would be expected from an ideal diet. However, this may have been the result of individual variation in response to the diet and/or conspecific cues as opposed to a nutritional deficit. In conditions where tadpoles could perceive increased competition they altered their behaviour and morphology in ways that may improve their foraging success and potentially promote cannibalism. Finally, a functional link appears to exist between head morphology and cannibalism in natural wetlands. However, the appearance of this morphology appears related to conditions that may facilitate increased population densities through rapid pond drying.

No description available.

Despite the fact that there seems to be no direct link between the works of Nikolai Gogol and those of Oscar Wilde, Gogol’s novella, Портрет (The Portrait) and Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, share many elements in common, most notably the device of the predatory portrait. This report explores the parallels that exist between these two texts and argues that they mutually derive from elements found in Goethe’s Faust and the trope of the literary vampire. / text

Heterotrophic microorganisms are important for the flow of carbon and nutrients in the sea. Bacteria, nanoflagellates and ciliates are relevant components of the pelagic food web. In order to be able to predict the outcome of e.g. eutrophication or climate change we need to know how the different components of the pelagic food web are regulated. With the focus on the northern Baltic Sea food web, this thesis deals with limitation and control of heterotrophic protists, the effect of resource heterogeneity on food web efficiency and diversity of nanoflagellates. In-situ microcosm experiments showed that the net growth of heterotrophic flagellates were resource limited throughout the year. Field data confirmed that the abundance of flagellates was bottom-up controlled. Furthermore, field data also showed that the annual average biomass of protists, flagellates and ciliates increased with primary productivity. On a smaller seasonal scale temperature and bacterial biomass were able to explain most of the variation in flagellate biovolume. The temporal variation in ciliate biovolume could not be explained by any bottom-up factors like bacterial biomass, flagellate biomass or chlorophyll a. This and an in-situ microcosm experiment implied that the seasonal dynamics of ciliates were more regulated by predators like mesozooplankton. The food web efficiency i.e. how much of production at the resource level is converted to production at the top trophic level, may be affected by specific size or type of resource. Indoor mesocosms revealed that the food web efficiency was 11 times lower when heterotrophic bacteria dominated basal production instead of nano- and micro-sized phytoplankton. This was due to a lengthening of the food web when pico-sized bacteria constituted the main resource. The PCR-DGGE molecular biological method was used to study the diversity of heterotrophic or mixotrophic chrysomonads. The focus was set on chrysomonads due to their relatively large contribution to the nanoflagellate community. Group-specific PCR primers were optimized for the target group. A field survey in the northern Baltic Sea showed that a handful of chrysomonad sequences were present throughout the year. Significantly more chrysomonads were recorded in the basin with higher primary productive and salinity. In total 15-16 different chrysomonad sequences were recorded. Most of them matched uncultured chrysomonad clones.

Il est maintenant reconnu que les changements climatiques ont des impacts importants sur l’ensemble des organismes vivants. Parmi les facteurs de ces changements, la température occupe une place prépondérante pour les organismes ectothermes car elle régule leur métabolisme. Toutefois, bien que les effets de la température sur les individus d’une espèce soient largement connus, les connaissances demeurent limitées quant aux conséquences sur les interactions trophiques. Dans ce contexte, notre étude s’intéresse aux effets de la température sur un système biologique composé d’une plante, le poivron Capsicum annuum L., d’un herbivore, le puceron Myzus persicae Sulzer (proie extraguilde), ainsi que de deux de ses ennemis naturels : la coccinelle maculée Coleomegilla maculata lengi Timberlake (prédateur intraguilde) et la cécidomyie prédatrice Aphidoletes aphidimyza Rondani (proie intraguilde). Dans ce but, nous avons opté pour une approche multiple comprenant : (1) la modélisation des interactions prédateur-proie et intraguilde (prédation entre deux compétiteurs d’espèces différentes qui exploitent une même ressource), (2) la réalisation d’expériences empiriques en laboratoire permettant de tester les prédictions des modèles et de caractériser l’effet de la température et de ses variations sur les composantes du système biologique étudié. Conformément aux prédictions d’un premier modèle, nous mettons en évidence que, lorsque la température augmente, C. maculata est plus efficace pour trouver et manipuler ses proies, ce qui augmente le taux de prédation. En revanche, à haute température son efficacité de recherche décroît, ce qui entraîne une diminution du taux de prédation. L’activité de prédation se limite donc à une fenêtre thermique en dehors de laquelle elle est réduite ou nulle. Par la suite, nous comparons un modèle linéaire et un modèle non-linéaire (saturant à haute densité de proies) afin de déterminer lequel de ces deux modèles décrit le mieux la réponse fonctionnelle d’un prédateur intraguilde, c’est-à-dire la relation entre le nombre de proies consommées et la densité de proies. Nos résultats expérimentaux démontrent que les prédictions du modèle non-linéaire correspondent bien aux observations empiriques, tandis que le modèle linéaire surestime largement le nombre de proies consommées et la fréquence des interactions intraguildes. Par la suite, nous dérivons le modèle non-linéaire afin d’y inclure l’effet de la température. Comme prédit par ce dernier modèle, la prédation intraguilde devient plus fréquente lorsque la température augmente mais diminue lorsqu’il y a davantage de proies extraguildes. Dans une dernière étude, nous soumettons le système biologique à des pics de température. Nos résultats démontrent que ces pics diminuent la fécondité des pucerons, l’accroissement de leurs populations, le poids des larves de coccinelles et le contrôle des pucerons par les coccinelles mais n’ont pas d’effets sur la plante et les relations plante-insecte. Le système biologique s’avère également plus résistant aux pics de température en présence de coccinelles qu’en leur absence. En conclusion, notre étude souligne l’importance de considérer la température dans les interactions trophiques puisqu’elle influence le comportement des organismes et la fréquence de leur interaction, ce qui se répercute au niveau des populations et des communautés. / There are several pieces of evidence that climate change significantly impact plants, herbivores, and predators. For ectotherms, temperature is the most important factor associated with these changes as it regulates their metabolism. Although the effects of temperature on individual organisms or populations have been well documented, our understanding about their consequences on trophic and guild interactions remains limited. In this context, we investigated the effects of temperature on complex interactions between a plant, the pepper Capsicum annuum L.; an herbivore, the aphid Myzus persicae Sulzer (extraguild prey); and two of its natural enemies, the ladybeetle Coleomegilla maculata lengi Timberlake (intraguild predator) and the predatory midge Aphidoletes aphidimyza Rondani (intraguild prey). We combined two approaches: (1) modeling predator–prey and intraguild (predation between two species that compete for the same resource) interactions, and (2) testing model predictions and characterizing the effects of temperature on components of our biological system through laboratory experiments. As predicted by the first model, we found that when temperature rises, C. maculata is more efficient at finding and handling prey, which increases predation rate. However, search rate decreases at high temperatures, leading to a reduction in predation. The predatory activity is therefore limited to a temperature window outside of which predation is reduced or absent. The next objective was to compare two models, one linear and one nonlinear, to determine which one best describes the functional response (the relationship between the number of prey consumed and prey density) of an intraguild predator. Results indicated that predictions of the nonlinear model (i.e., saturating at high prey densities) fit empirical observations well while the linear model greatly overestimates the number of prey consumed and the incidence of intraguild predation. Subsequently, we derived the nonlinear model to include the effect of temperature. As predicted by this model, we found that the incidence of intraguild predation increases with temperature but decreases when extraguild prey are more abundant. In a last experiment, we investigated the effects of temperature peaks on each component of our biological system. Results showed that temperature peaks reduce aphid fecundity and thereby population growth, decrease the weight of ladybeetle larvae, and decrease aphid control by ladybeetles, but have no effect on plants or plant–insect relationships. We also observed that the food chain is more resistant to temperature peaks when ladybeetles are included in the system than when they are absent. This suggests that ecosystems with predators exerting strong biotic control on prey population should be more resistant to climate change than ecosystem lacking them. In conclusion, our study highlights the importance of considering temperature in trophic and guild interactions since it influences the behavior of organisms as well as the frequency of interactions that affect population and community dynamics. / Doctorat réalisé en cotutelle entre l'Université de Montréal et l'Université Paul Sabatier-Toulouse III

L'augmentation de populations de cerfs pose d'importants problèmes écologiques et socio-économiques à l'échelle locale et mondiale. Des signes de densité-dépendance sont souvent observés, mais les cerfs restent abondants malgré l'importante dégradation du milieu qu'ils provoquent. Ceci soulève la question de l'ajustement des cerfs aux changements de milieu qu'ils créent ? Nous avons abordé cette question en recherchant comment les cerfs gèrent leur ressource alimentaire en fonction du risque de prédation. La prédation, en plus de son effet consommateur (élimination de proie), peut moduler le comportement et la physiologie des proies (effet non consommateur) qui doivent balancer le fait de se nourrir et le risque de prédation. Cette étude contribue à mieux comprendre comment les cerfs maintiennent d'abondantes populations dans des milieux qu'ils ont eux-mêmes appauvris.Notre projet s'est intéressé au cerf-à-queue-noire Sitka (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) sur trois îles de l'archipel d'Haïda Gwaii (B.C., Canada). Ces îles sont dépourvues des principaux prédateurs naturels du cerf (loup et puma) et ont été colonisées par les cerfs il y a plus de 60 ans. Lors de notre étude, ces îles présentaient des niveaux contrastés de nourriture et de risque de prédation : sur deux îles, les cerfs vivaient sans prédateur mais avaient fortement appauvri leur milieu (îles sans risque/pauvre). Sur la troisième île, les cerfs étaient chassés et bénéficiaient d'un sous-bois forestier partiellement restauré comme nourriture (île risquée/riche).Dans ce cadre, nous avons étudié : 1) sur quelles ressources les cerfs pouvaient maintenir de denses populations dans des milieux très abroutis ?; 2) comment le stress alimentaire ou le risque de prédation influençaient la réponse physiologique au stress des cerfs?; 3) les cerfs naïfs à la prédation ont-ils maintenu des niveaux de vigilance dans des milieux très abroutis et comment répondaient-ils à des stimuli olfactifs de prédateurs ?; et 4) comment, dans des milieux très abroutis, les cerfs naïfs à la prédation répondaient-ils à une chasse expérimentale pour faire peur et comment cela affectait la végétation ?Notre étude a montré que : 1) les chutes de feuilles de la canopée et la pousse annuelle de plantes rhizomateuses offraient une grande quantité d'énergie pour les cerfs et contribuaient au maintien de denses populations de cerfs dans des milieux appauvris ; 2) La présence de stress alimentaire ou de risque de prédation n'affectaient pas la réponse physiologique au stress des cerfs, suggérant l'existence d' ajustements comportementaux et/ou physiologiques permettant de réduire l'exposition des cerfs à ces deux stresseurs ; 3) sur les îles sans risque/pauvre, les cerfs ont maintenu la vigilance malgré 60 ans d'isolation à la prédation. En outre, les cerfs naïfs à la prédation évitaient de manger en présence d'urine de loup (dangereux) mais pas en présence d'urine d'ours (moins dangereux), suggérant que les cerfs présentaient une stratégie innée de nourrissage sensible au risque. Les cerfs restaient aussi moins longtemps aux stations d'appâtage en présence d'urine de loup mais n'augmentaient pas leur niveau de vigilance, suggérant qu'ils géraient le risque spatialement plutôt que par la vigilance ; 4) En réponse à une chasse expérimentale pour faire peur réalisée sur une des îles sans risque/pauvre, seuls les cerfs les moins tolérant à la perturbation humaines évitaient la zone chassée. Ceci souligna l'importance de la sélection des traits comportementaux induis par l'homme dans la gestion de la faune et de la flore. Nous avons aussi suivi la croissance de quatre espèces de plantes côtières à croissance rapide et avons montré que notre chasse expérimentale favorisait la croissance de la moitié d'entre elles, soulignant l'interaction complexe entre le comportement de nourrissage et les caractéristiques des plantes, ainsi que l'importance des objectifs dans le choix des outils de gestion.

No description available.

The chevron skink (Oligosoma homalonotum) is one of the largest, yet least observed skink species in New Zealand. The species was thought to have once been widespread in Northern New Zealand, however currently it is only found on Great Barrier and Little Barrier Islands. Great Barrier Island is the apparent stronghold for the species although it appears to be in decline there, despite a net increase in habitat. Recent studies have increased the understanding of the general ecology of the species, however little is known about the threats to the survival of this species. This study had two main objectives; the first was to establish if rats are a threat to chevron skinks, and the second was to increase current knowledge of the species ecology. The research was undertaken in an area of extensive rodent control (Glenfern Sanctuary) and an adjacent unmanaged reserve in Port Fitzroy, on Great Barrier Island in 2008. The first objective of this study involved confirming that rat densities in the treatment (Glenfern Sanctuary) were sufficiently different to allow meaningful comparisons of chevron skink population characteristics between sites. This was achieved by determining absolute rat densities using Zippin’s removal method at four sites, and correlating these with a relative abundance measure (tracking rates) to give confidence in the observed trends. Rat densities were high (1.94 - 3.00 rats ha-1) in the control, and low (0.00 and 0.06 rats ha-1) in the treatment sites, and these correlated well with tracking rates. In light of these clear differences between the treatment and control, the population structure and condition of chevron skinks were compared between sites. The population structure showed erosion of juvenile and sub-adult size categories, which indicated differences in vulnerabilities between size categories. Physical evidence of failed rat predation was also observed in adult skinks in the unmanaged control, which confirmed that rats were interacting with chevron skinks. Although the adults survived the attacks they suffered injuries including eye damage, punctures, cuts and tail loss. Smaller skinks would be unlikely to survive such attacks due to the severity and scale of the injuries, supporting the assertions of the population structure that smaller skinks may be more vulnerable than adults. The extent of tail loss was converted to a condition index to determine if failed rat predation was more widespread in the population, than was observed by conspicuous injuries. This condition index (body-tail condition index) was stable through all size categories in the treatment, but significantly reduced in adults in the unmanaged sites. That there was no reduction in the condition of smaller skinks in the unmanaged control sites despite high rat densities suggests that interactions between rats and smaller skinks are fatal, and thus not represented in the data. Nine chevron skinks were radio-tracked to determine habitat use, home range and ranging behaviour. Habitat use of chevron skinks was similar to a previous study and demonstrated that trees, crevices and logs were important refuge sites. Chevron skinks were more likely to be found at sites with trees, crevices and debris dams. Chevron skink home ranges indicated that adults moved further away from streams than previously anticipated at this time of year, and skinks demonstrated site fidelity. There was also overlap in home ranges between individuals, and skinks with overlapping home ranges shared common refuges. During flooding events, chevron skinks exhibited an arboreal response that appears to be a behaviour specific to stream associated animals, which allows them to avoid being taken by floodwaters.

Rodents often colonise agricultural lands and become pests that cause economic loss and crop damage. Eradicating or regulating pest numbers has economic and environmental costs and has always been of great interest to farmers and nature conservationists. To reduce rodent numbers poison baits are used more often than biological control. However, poisoning has adverse environmental impacts and ignores the underlying biological factors that influence pest abundance. This study examined the interactions of the common rat species of oil palm plantations, namely Rattus rattus diardii, R. argentiventer and R. tiomanicus, with their food resource, habitat structure and introduced predators in an attempt to provide a better understanding and approach for their control. To investigate the interrelationships among rodents, owls and oil palms, rodent trapping was conducted simultaneously with pellet collection and assessment of the breeding of owls over six study plots and seven trapping intervals in one oil palm plantation. Trapping records suggested that relative abundances of rodent species differed in plots with palms of differing ages. There were more R. r. diardii as a proportion of the total captures in older palms (seven years old) while R. argentiventer was the most common rat captured in younger palms (three years old). The abundance of R. tiomanicus remained low throughout trapping sessions for palms of all ages. A numerical response of rats to fruit availability in older palms was demonstrated by a positive and significant correlation between the numbers of fruit bunches present and the total number of rats captured. This relationship was observed in both older and younger palms only for R. argentiventer but not R. r. diardii or R. tiomanicus in either age of palms. This suggests that the competitiveness of R. argentiventer may be higher than that of the other two species providing that there were no factors other than food availability that limit the numbers of other two species. However, the levels of damage to palm fruit were significantly correlated with the relative abundance of R. argentiventer only in younger palms, not in older ones where R. r. diardii were more abundant. The more terrestrial nature of R. argentiventer may have restricted their acquisition of food when the palms became taller. In addition to differences in feeding niche, habitat heterogeneity may also be important in determining the rat species compositions at different ages of palms. Vegetation cover may act as a refuge for rats; the overall occurrence of rats, and especially R. argentiventer, was positively correlated with vegetation cover and height, and even certain vegetation associations. This study supported the continued use of the barn owl Tyto alba javanica for biological control of rodent pests in the palm oil plantations. The numbers of different rat species consumed by owls, as measured by pellet numbers, were proportional to prey captures with R. r. diardii dominating the prey items. Weights and sexes of rats, based upon sizes of bones recovered from owl pellets, indicated that the birds did not preferentially prey on any size or sex classes of rats. Although there was no differential predation by the owls, a functional, and possibly a numerical, response of the birds to changes in rat numbers was demonstrated. A functional response of barn owls to prey abundance was evidenced by a significant positive relationship between the relative abundance of rats captured and numbers of pellets collected. Some form of numerical response of barn owls was suggested by higher breeding records when rat abundances were significantly higher. Since both functional and numerical responses are important determinants of whether predators are likely to be able to regulate prey numbers, the role of barn owls as a practical biological control agent in oil palm plantations was supported. This study suggested that the regulation of rodent pests in oil palm plantations should not be limited to chemical measures but can be complemented by other biological factors including interspecific interactions, manipulation of the availability and density of food and habitat structure, in addition to predation by barn owls. The findings suggested that an integrated approach to rodent control, considering all biological factors that influence rat numbers, should be properly applied if an environmentally friendly and possibly cost effective approach is to be applied for the palm oil industry.

Interactions between non-native yabbies (Cherax albidus) and indigenous marron (Cherax tenuimanus) in the south-west of Western Australia are not well understood. While there is abundant evidence to suggest that invasive freshwater crayfish are detrimental to native species, the nature and degree of impact on marron populations by exotic yabbies remains unclear. Researchers have hypothesized that invasive species make faster and more appropriate use of information about their environment than native species. This greater behavioural plasticity can result in displacement of indigenous species, successful colonisation by invaders, and subsequent disturbance to natural ecosystems and representative biodiversity. / The research presented in this thesis examines the behavioural responses of an indigenous crayfish (C. tenuimanus) and an invasive crayfish (C. albidus) to waterborne odours derived from food, alarm sources and finfish predators. This study was undertaken to assist in the understanding of predatory and competitive interactions between indigenous and non-indigenous crayfish and fish predators, with particular relevance to Western Australia. Predation and competition are major forces influencing community structure in ecosystems; therefore knowledge of competitive and predatory interactions will be of benefit when considering future translocation policies. / Behavioural trials were conducted in two culture systems (54 L aquaria and a 70,000 L mesocosm), where marron and yabbies were exposed to a range of water-borne odours from finfish predators (silver perch and Murray cod), with and without competition from conspecific and heterospecific crayfish. A number of variables likely to influence crayfish behaviour were investigated: strength of chemical odour; crayfish size, gender, diurnal and nocturnal activity patterns; predator size; prior-residence; suitable habitat/shelter; and feed availability. / A key innovation in this research was the high replication in the aquarium-based observation trials using a Latin Cube design, which resulted in greater statistical strength and lower variability. More importantly, this research deviated from the tradition of exclusively using the ‘individual crayfish’ approach for odour-detection experiments and tested these results in a 70,000 L communal observation tank. This was an important development in crayfish behavioural experimentation, particularly as several key findings from the individual crayfish approach were confirmed in a multi-species environment. / Results from this study supported the hypothesis that invasive crayfish species make more appropriate use of a wider range of information about their environment than native crayfish species. Yabbies were found to possess behavioural characteristics not present in marron, such as clearer behavioural modifications to food and heterospecific odour, and cautionary behaviour in the presence of odour from a finfish predator. During simulated daylight conditions, marron displayed behaviours conducive to predation that were not present in yabbies, including less time spent in shelter and more time spent in locomotory activity. However, during specialised night-time observational studies developed during this research, these differences were not evident. This would not seem to be an unusual result, given that crayfish naturally forage at night and become more active; however, it may have important implications for future behavioural studies of crayfish, indicating a bias associated with day-time approaches. Crayfish size also played a role in behavioural modifications to water-borne odours. Larger marron displayed clearer changes in behaviour and were more responsive to heterospecific alarm odour than juveniles. Furthermore, juveniles of both species were more active than adults and sub-adults. / The expansion of the yabby population into Western Australian habitats occupied by marron has been facilitated through translocation for aquaculture, and biological characteristics of the species, some of which are typical of other invasive crayfish species including: tolerance of a variety of conditions; rapid growth; early sexual maturity; burrowing to escape drought and predation; capable of multiple spawns in a growth season; and aggressiveness. Another characteristic of invasive crayfish species also shared by yabbies, as supported by the results of this study, is high behavioural plasticity. / Although marron do not share the same level of behavioural plasticity found in yabbies, their larger body size increases their success in competitive interactions. The comparatively smaller body size of yabbies may be the major factor limiting their population expansion in the presence of marron, especially in water-bodies where shelter is a limited resource. / Marron are an important endemic species in Western Australia, but their conservation is threatened by competition and predation from exotic species. The research presented in this thesis indicates that invasive yabbies are more receptive to chemical stimuli and better equipped to respond to predation risk than marron. This information will be of benefit when considering future translocation policy in Western Australia and highlights the need for a cautious approach to species introductions.