To investigate how depth and bottom color affect prey selectivity in Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), we developed several experimental procedures using captive birds. We used 20 young kingfishers to test depth (25 or 50cm) and color (natural gravel or white) effects on foraging behavior. Live freshwater fish were used as target prey. To assess differences resulting from the natural behavior of different fish, we chose bottom-dwelling [Ebro barbel (Barbus graellsii)] and open-water benthopelagic species [Ebro nase (Parachondrostoma miegii) and Pyrenean minnow (Phoxinus bigerri)]. The number of attempts and captures, as well as the effects of hunger and experience, were assessed relative to feeding behavior. The effect of fish behavior, as observed in grouped vs. isolated fish, on the kingfisher's performance was also tested. The results showed a significant effect of depth, with more attacks and greater success in shallow waters. No significant differences in catch success between natural- and white-colored bottoms were observed. Hunger had no effect on fishing success, but experience had a positive effect in shallow waters and on white bottoms. Both bottom- and open-water species were consumed equally. Kingfishers preyed more often upon grouped prey than upon isolated prey, although capture success did not vary between the two cases. Our results suggest that kingfishers prey upon the most accessible types of prey.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2013.04.012 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Basic Science and Pathogenesis.
Alzheimers Dement
December 2024
VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.
Background: T-cell infiltration into the brain parenchyma is associated with hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) accumulation in neurodegenerative diseases. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive tauopathy caused by exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI). CTE is defined by the perivascular accumulation of p-tau at the cortical sulcal depths and can be stratified into mild and severe pathological stages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCo-culture of natural killer cells and tumor spheroids on a heterogeneous multilayer paper stack.
J Zhejiang Univ Sci B
December 2024
Key Laboratory of Luminescence Analysis and Molecular Sensing, Ministry of Education, Institute for Clean Energy and Advanced Materials, School of Materials and Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
Multilayer paper-based cell culture, as an in vitro three-dimensional (3D) cell culture method, has been frequently used to research drug bioavailability, therapeutic efficacy, and dose-limiting toxicity in malignant tumors. This paper proposes a heterogenous multilayer paper stacking co-culture system to establish a model of natural killer (NK) cells moving through the endothelium layer and attacking tumor spheroids. This system consists of three layers: a bottom tumor-spheroid layer, a middle invasion layer, and a top endothelium layer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnvironmental drivers of fish bycatch composition in small-scale shrimp trawling along the southern Brazilian coast.
Environ Monit Assess
December 2024
School of the Sea, Science and Technology, Universidade Do Vale Do Itajaí (Univali, Rua Uruguai, 458, Itajaí, SC, CP 360, Brazil.
Small-scale shrimp trawling is crucial for the economy and culture of coastal communities worldwide, providing several ecosystem services. However, bottom trawling is well-known for its negative impacts on habitat structure and marine communities. Bycatch, or the accidental capture of non-target species during fishing, can offer valuable insights into the composition and variation of fish assemblages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutrient loading as a key cause of short- and long-term anthropogenic ecological degradation of the Salton Sea.
Sci Rep
December 2024
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
The Salton Sea (SS), California's largest inland lake at 816 square kilometers, formed in 1905 from a levee breach in an area historically characterized by natural wet-dry cycles as Lake Cahuilla. Despite more than a century of untreated agricultural drainage inputs, there has not been a systematic assessment of nutrient loading, cycling, and associated ecological impacts at this iconic waterbody. The lake is now experiencing unprecedented degradation, particularly following the 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement-the largest agricultural-to-urban water transfer in the United States.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong time series of velocity profiles collected by up-looking acoustic profilers in the westernmost sill of the Strait of Gibraltar show an unexpected pattern in the deepest ∼80 m of the water column, consisting in an appreciable diurnal weakening of the measured horizontal velocity. A harmonic analysis performed on long time series reveals a surprising magnitude of S constituent (exactly 1 cpd of frequency) in the horizontal velocity and echo amplitude, which prevails over the rest of diurnal constituents within this depth range, including K, despite being around 200 times smaller than it in the tide generating potential. High resolution echograms collected by a new instrument recently installed in the mooring line, point at the diel vertical migration of living acoustic scatterers (zooplankton) as the most reasonable cause.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!