The hydrological and topographical variation of wetlands can affect the behavior, population growth, and local densities of aquatic species, which in turn can drive the behavior and density dynamics of gleaning predators. Prey availability, primarily determined by prey density and water depth in wetlands, is an important limiting factor for nesting wading bird populations, top predators in the south Florida Everglades. The Everglades is able to support large colonies of nesting wading birds because of the microtopographic variation in the landscape. Some types of prey concentrate in flat, shallow sloughs or become trapped in isolated pools as they move down from higher elevation ridges with receding water levels. Manipulations to the hydrology and landscape of the Everglades has negatively impacted nesting wading bird populations in the past, and may continue to be detrimental by allowing flat, shallow sloughs to be intersected by deep canals, a potential refuge for wading bird prey. In addition, the subtle elevation differences between the ridge and slough landscape may be an important mechanism for increasing slough crayfish (Procambarus fallax) prey availability for the most abundant and seemingly depth-sensitive Everglades wading bird, the White Ibis (Eudocimus albus). I implemented a 2-year experimental study in four replicated manmade wetlands with controlled water recession rates in order to determine the effects of proximate deep water (akin to canals) on fish prey concentrations in the sloughs, as water levels receded similarly to a natural Everglades dry season. I also calculated average daily wading bird densities with game cameras (Reconyx PC800 Hyperfire) using timelapse imagery over 60 days to determine when and where wading birds responded to changing prey concentrations. I completed an additional observational study on White Ibis and slough crayfish prey from the first year of data (2017). Crayfish make up the majority of the diet for nesting White Ibis, and literature has suggested crayfish are most abundant at slough depths much deeper than previously proposed foraging depth limitations for White Ibis. This study specifically compared recent determinations about crayfish movement dynamics in the ridge and slough system with White Ibis foraging behavior and depth limits. Results from the first experimental study suggest that canals might be an attractive refuge for relatively large prey fishes (> 3 cm SL) in sloughs, but it is uncertain if the fencing blocked all prey fish movement. The second observational study determined White Ibis foraging activity was primarily driven by a down-gradient crayfish flux from ridge to slough, with the majority of foraging activity occurring at much deeper slough depths than previously suggested water depth limitations for White Ibis. Results from both of these studies support the importance of preserving the ridgeslough landscape of the Everglades to sustain high prey availability for wading birds. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Após anos do estudo moderno da ecologia e comportamento dos primatas, a juventude, definida como o período entre o desmame e a maturidade sexual, permanece sendo uma das fases menos compreendidas do ciclo de vida destes animais. Existem quatro teorias gerais para explicar os padrões de forrageamento e escolha da dieta de primatas juvenis. A primeira afirma que os juvenis adotam uma estratégia de aversão ao risco, evitando a competição por alimento, a segunda, que os padrões alimentares dos imaturos serão determinados pelas oportunidades de observação de outros indivíduos do grupo, a terceira afirma que as diferenças nos padrões alimentares entre imaturos e adultos se dão em virtude da falta de força e habilidade desses indivíduos para explorar recursos de difícil acesso e a quarta afirma que jovens e adultos exploram diferentes itens com base na demanda nutricional associada aos custos de crescimento cerebral e do corpo. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo investigar diferenças sexo/etárias nos padrões comportamentais e alimentares de um grupo de Cebus nigritus selvagem em uma área de Mata Atlântica no Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, com enfoque nos imaturos, em especial nos juvenis, à luz das quatro teorias. Os resultados mostraram que as fêmeas e os infantes preferem frutos que são ricos em carboidratos, os machos preferem as folhas, que são um recurso abundante, enquanto os jovens preferem os invertebrados que são importantes fontes de proteínas e gordura. O comportamento alimentar dos jovens no PECB foi mais bem explicado pela teoria da demanda nutricional para crescimento do cérebro e corpo, mas alguns resultados também apóiam as teorias de aversão ao risco e oportunidade de aprendizagem. / After years of modern study of ecology and behavior of primates, juvenility, defined as the period between weaning and sexual maturity, remains one of the least understood stages of the life cycle of these animals. There are four general theories to explain the foraging patterns and diet choice in young primates. The first states that juveniles adopt a strategy of risk aversion, avoiding competition for food. The second states that the feeding patterns of immature will be determined by different opportunities for observational learning of other individuals in the group. The third states that the differences in feeding patterns between immature and adults is due to the lack of strength and ability of immature individuals to exploit difficult to access resources. The fourth states that young explore various items based on the nutrient demand associated with the costs of brain growth and body. This study aimed to investigate age/sex differences in feeding and foraging patterns of a group of Cebus nigritus wild in an area of Atlantic Forest in the Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, focusing on immatures, especially in juveniles, in the light of four theories. The results showed that females and infants prefer fruits that are rich in carbohydrates, males prefer the leaves, which are an abundant resource, while young prefer the invertebrates, that are important sources of protein and fat. The feeding behavior of young PECB was best explained by the theory of nutrient requirements for growth of the brain and body, but some results also support theories of risk aversion and learning opportunity.

Classical experiments on honey bee time-memory showed that foragers trained to collect food at a fixed time of day return the following day with remarkable time-accuracy. Previous field experiments revealed that not all foragers return to a food source on unrewarded test days. Rather, there exist 2 subgroups: “persistent” foragers reconnoiter the source; “reticent” foragers wait in the hive for confirmation of source availability. To examine how these foragers contribute to a colony’s ability to reallocate foragers across sources with rapidly changing availabilities, foragers were trained to collect sucrose during a restricted window for several days and observed over 3 days throughout which the feeder was empty. In 2 separate trials, activity monitoring revealed a high level of activity apparently directed at other food sources. This “extracurricular” activity showed extensive temporal overlap with visits to the feeder, indicating that honey bees can manage at least 2 different overlapping time memories.

I examined the population trends of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) using an age-specific metapopulation model that allowed migration between rookeries. Mortality and birth rates were modified to simulate future population trends. I also examined the early migratory behavior and habitat associations of pups from Bering Island (BI), Russia. I instrumented 35 pups with Mk10-AL satellite tags and stomach temperature telemeters which provided diving, foraging and location data. I hypothesized that some aspects of pup behavior from the stable BI population differed from the behavior of pups from the unstable Pribilof Islands (PI). The population model revealed that emigration did not contribute significantly to the current PI population decline. However, large source populations contributed significantly to population growth in newly colonized rookeries. A stabilization of the PI population was predicted with a 10 to 20 percent reduction in both juvenile and adult female mortality rates. The diving behavior of pups showed a general progression towards longer and deeper dives as pups aged, particularly between 1600 – 0400 (local time), that was similar to PI pup behavior. However, unlike pups from the PI, I found three main diving strategies among BI pups: 1) shallow daytime divers (mean depth = 3.56 m), 2) deep daytime divers (mean depth = 6.36 m) and 3) mixed divers (mean depth = 4.81 m). The foraging behavior of pups showed that most successful ingestion events occurred between 1600 – 0400, with successful ingestion events lasting 25.36 plus/minus 27.37 min. There was no significant difference among the three strategies in the depth of successful foraging dives. I also examined the foraging search strategies in adult females and pups. Both pups and adults conducted Levy walks, although pups foraged in smaller patches (1 km scales). Using a logistic model to determine habitat associations, I found that pup locations were positively correlated with increasing chlorophyll a concentrations, distances from shore, and sea surface temperatures, and were negatively correlated with depth. There was no significant relationship between all pup locations and the regions (peripheries or centers) or types (cyclonic or anti-cyclonic) of eddies, but ingestion event locations were related to mesoscale eddy peripheries.

Free-living vertebrates likely encounter many stressors throughout their lifetime, from fighting off a predator to coping with unpredictable weather. As a result, vertebrates will mount an acute response to the stressors. Here, we outline previous research conducted in behavioral endocrinology and stress physiology as it relates to our research. We then discuss our study with white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys) in Tioga Pass Meadow, in which we examined how the acute stress response affects foraging behavior 24 hours after a stressor. In birds that underwent a stress series, we found there to be a significant 57% decrease in foraging behavior 24 hours following the stressor. Additionally, we found no significant difference in foraging of unstressed birds during this same time frame. Our findings suggest that the acute stress response in this species causes a reduction in foraging activity 24 hours following a stressful event.

I investigated the differences in male and female foraging behavior of the african carpenter bee Xylocopa flavescens (Hymenoptera: Apidae). This species is important big pollinator in study area as observed. The pollen loads from the 20 male and 20 female bees were compared for the analysis of the foraging pattern. The principal differences and trends were found for the range of flowers visited by each sex.

Doctor of Philosophy / Division of Biology / John M. Briggs / Anthony Joern / Foraging decisions by native grazers in fire-dependent landscapes reflect fire-grazing interactions. I assessed behavioral responses associated with the attraction of grazers to recently burned areas at multiple spatial scales. (a) I focused on feeding in the area between steps in a foraging bout – the feeding station – where forage quality and vegetation architecture underlie these fine-scale decisions. The ‘forage maturation hypothesis’ (FMH) predicts the distribution of large herbivores based on the temporal dynamics of forage quality and quantity, but does not address herbivore responses to inter-patch variation caused by fire-induced increases of forage quality. The ‘transient maxima hypothesis’ (TMH) also predicts variable forage quality and quantity, but in response to intermittent disturbance from fire. I described the effects of variable spring burn history to bison foraging and their spatio-temporal distribution at Konza Prairie. Forage attributes met predictions of the TMH to explain how forage maturation affects foraging behavior across watersheds with varying burn frequency. At sites burned in the spring after several years without burning, intake rate increased with increasing vegetation biomass at a greater rate during the early growing season than during the transitional mid-summer period. This foraging behavior occurred in response to a non-equilibrial pulse of high quality resource that set the stage in the burned area, and was then retained by repeated grazing over the growing season. Thus, bison responded increased forage resource availability resulting from transient maxima in infrequently-burned watersheds burned that spring and they intensely used these areas until forage availability and forage regrowth was not possible. (b) At the patch scale, bison selected areas of low-to-moderate grass cover in which to feed and avoided areas of high forb cover in the growing season. During the dormant season, however, bison selected feeding-sites with uniformly high canopy cover in watersheds that were not burned. (c) At the landscape-scale, infrequently burned watersheds (compared to watersheds that were not burned) provided the strongest significant predictor of bison space use in all early growing- and transitional-season months. (d) The probability of habitat selection was driven by availability of high foliar, protein and low-to-intermediate herbaceous biomass throughout the growing season. These results explain the hierarchy of foraging by a dominant consumer in an experimental landscape by linking two prominent hypotheses, TMH-FMH, proposed to explain spatial variation in forage quality and quantity at local and landscape scales.

I investigated the differences in male and female foraging behavior of the african carpenter bee Xylocopa flavescens (Hymenoptera: Apidae). This species is important big pollinator in study area as observed. The pollen loads from the 20 male and 20 female bees were compared for the analysis of the foraging pattern. The principal differences and trends were found for the range of flowers visited by each sex.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / O objetivo desta tese foi investigar a viabilidade da utilizaÃÃo dos meliponÃneos, jandaÃra (Melipona subnitida) e Scaptotrigona sp. nov. na polinizaÃÃo e produÃÃo de frutos de minimelancia (Citrullus lanatus) com e sem semente, sob cultivo protegido. Para tanto, foram investigados a biologia floral, os requerimentos de polinizaÃÃo das variedades de minimelancia, bem como o comportamento de adaptaÃÃo e forrageamento, e a eficiÃncia de polinizaÃÃo desses meliponÃneos sob ambiente protegido. O experimento foi conduzido em uma casa de vegetaÃÃo localizada no municÃpio de Fortaleza-CE. Os resultados revelaram que as variedades estudadas eram plantas monÃicas com flores dÃclinas, e que o estigma de suas flores pistiladas permaneceu receptivo durante toda antese, a qual foi de 05:25 h Ãs 14:20 h. As variedades com semente produziram frutos por meio da geitonogamia e da xenogamia, dentro da mesma variedade e entre diferentes genÃtipos diplÃides. Diferentemente, os genÃtipos sem semente apenas formaram frutos por meio da polinizaÃÃo cruzada com pÃlen proveniente de variedades com semente. A abelha jandaÃra nÃo demonstrou nenhum interesse pela cultura diante das condiÃÃes experimentais. Por outro lado, a abelha Scaptotrigona sp. nov. se adaptou bem ao confinamento e coletou recursos florais desde o segundo dia apÃs sua introduÃÃo. Scaptotrigona sp. nov. mostrou comportamento essencial para a polinizaÃÃo da minimelancia, pois visitou, para coleta direta de nÃctar, flores estaminadas e pistiladas tanto dos genÃtipos diplÃides quanto dos genÃtipos triplÃides. A quantidade e qualidade dos frutos resultantes da polinizaÃÃo por essa abelha nÃo diferiram significativamente da obtida pela polinizaÃÃo manual (P > 0,05). Conclui-se que a espÃcie de abelha M. subnitida nÃo se adaptou ao cultivo de minimelancia em ambiente protegido com sistema de arrefecimento, e que a introduÃÃo de colÃnias Scaptotrigona sp. nov., para fins de polinizaÃÃo, Ã viÃvel na exploraÃÃo comercial da minimelancia com e sem semente em ambiente protegido. / The aim of this thesis was to investigate the viability of using the stingless bees, Melipona subnitida and Scaptotrigona sp. nov. for pollination and fruit production of seeded and seedless mini watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) under greenhouse conditions. To this end, the floral biology and pollination requirements of seeded and seedless mini watermelon varieties were investigated, as well as the adaptive and foraging behavior of both meliponines. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse situated in the city of Fortaleza-CE. The results revealed that the varieties studied were monoecious plants with diclinous flowers, and that the stigma of its pistillate flowers remained receptive throughout the anthesis, which was from 05:25 h to 14:20 h. The seeded varieties set fruits by geitonogamous and xenogamous pollination, within the same variety and between different diploid genotypes. In contrast, the seedless genotypes set fruits only by cross-pollination with pollen from seeded varieties. M. subnitida did not show any interest in the crop, under the experimental conditions. On the other hand, Scaptotrigona sp. nov. adapted well to the confinement and collected floral resources since the second day after its introduction. Scaptotrigona sp. nov. showed an essential behavior for the pollination of mini watermelon, as they visited, for direct collection of nectar, staminate and pistillate flowers of both diploid and triploid genotypes. The quantity and the quality of fruits resulting from the pollination of this bee did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) from the hand pollination. It was concluded that M. subnitida did not adapt to the mini watermelon cultivation in protected environment with cooling system, and the introduction of Scaptotrigona sp. nov. colonies, for pollination purposes, is viable in the commercial exploitation of seeded and seedless mini watermelon under greenhouse conditions.

O cleptoparasitismo é uma interação entre animais que consiste no furto ou roubo de itens alimentares já coletados ou processados. Este tipo de interação ocorre em diversos táxons animais. Entre aranhas, a subfamília Argyrodinae (Theridiidae) é um dos grupos com mais espécies cleptoparasitas. Neste estudo, apresentamos um apanhado de ações que o cleptoparasita Argyrodes elevatus foi capaz de realizar nas teias de aranhas hospedeiras. As principais espécies de hospedeiras observadas foram Latrodectus curacaviensis, Latrodectus geometricus e Achaearanea tepidariorum (Theridiidae); destas, apenas A. tepidariorum é uma hospedeira natural de A. elevatus. A maioria das observações se deu em laboratório, mas também relatamos dados de campo. Registramos que A. elevatus pode, na teia de sua hospedeira, furtar presas sem ser percebido ou roubá-las coercivamente. Ele pode ainda furtar ootecas; capturar presas por si próprio e até mesmo predar a aranha hospedeira. Em seguida, apresentamos as sequências de categorias comportamentais que A. elevatus executa durante o furto de presas em teias da hospedeira L. curacaviensis. A partir destas sequencias, o programa EthoSeq nos mostra os conjuntos de categorias com mais probabilidade de conexão entre si (rotinas comportamentais) e nos permite a elaboração de um fluxograma do comportamento de furto de presas. Posteriormente, comparamos as categorias e as rotinas comportamentais que ocorrem no furto de presas com as categorias e rotinas que ocorrem no forrageamento de aranhas não cleptoparasitas. Com isto, demonstramos que A. elevatus tem maior plasticidade comportamental e capacidade cognitiva mais alta que espécies não cleptoparasitas da mesma família. Esta maior plasticidade comportamental está associada à execução, em contexto de aquisição de alimento, de comportamentos que são típicos de outros contextos, como agonismo ou exploração de novos ambientes. A. elevatus, portanto, é adaptado a lidar simultaneamente com diferentes contextos na teia de uma hospedeira. Pudemos, desta maneira, acrescentar elementos às propostas atuais que procuram explicar a evolução do cleptoparasitismo em Argyrodinae, em especial no que se refere à plasticidade comportamental. Por fim, propomos um modelo que mostra que a causa imediata do aumento da capacidade cognitiva de A. elevatus pode ser um aumento na interação entre diferentes módulos cognitivos nesta espécie. / Kleptoparasitism is an animal interaction consisting in stealth of collected or processed food items. It occurs on many animal taxa. Among spiders, the subfamily Argyrodinae (Araneae) is one of the groups with more kleptoparasite species. In this study, we present a set of different actions that the kleptoparasite Argyrodes elevatus can do in host spiders webs. Observed host species were mainly Latrodectus curacaviensis, Latrodectus geometricus and Achaearanea tepidariorum (Theridiidae), but only A. tepidariorum is a natural host of A. elevatus. Most observations were made in laboratory, but we also included field data. We registered that A. elevatus, in a host web, can steal a prey item without being perceived by the host spider, or rob it coercively. We also observed A. elevatus stealing eggsac, capturing preys by himself, and killing the host spider. We present sequences of behavioural units that A. elevatus performs during the stealth of preys in L. curacaviensis webs. From these sequences, the software EthoSeq shows the sets of behavioural units with higher probability of connection. These sets are called behavioural routines. After that, we could build an ethogram and compare the units and routines of A. elevatus prey stealth behaviour with the units and routines of non-kleptoparasite spiders prey capture behaviour. With this comparison we show that A. elevatus has a higher behavioural plasticity and cognitive ability than non-kleptoparasite theridiid spiders. The higher behavioural plasticity is related to the occurrence; during foraging bouts, of behaviours typical of other contexts, such as agonism or site selection. Therefore, A. elevatus is adapted to behave in many different contexts simultaneously in a host web. Our results improve the current hypothesis concerning evolution of kleptoparasitism in Argyrodinae through the discovery of further plasticity in the taxa. Furthermore, we propose a model for the increase in the cognitive ability of A elevatus. In this model, cognitive increase is obtained through the interaction between distinct cognitive modules in this species.