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At least 415 records · Page 23Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Chirocentrodon bleekerianus (Teleostei: Clupeiformes: Pristigasteridae), a small predaceous herring with folded and distinctively oriented prey in stomach.

Predaceous fish-eating species of the order Clupeiformes have a large mouth with well-developed teeth, and reach the greatest sizes within their families (up to 90 cm). We found that the pristigasterid Chirocentrodon bleekerianus, a small clupeiform (about 10 cm) from the tropical SW Atlantic, is able to prey on proportionally large clupeoid fishes and caridean shrimps. Fish preys are folded in the stomach of this herring, their heads and tails pointing toward the predator's head. This distinctive orientation of fish prey is also recorded for some small to medium-sized, fish-eating species of the tropical freshwater order Characiformes with canine-like teeth similar to those found in C. bleekerianus.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Effects of Microphallus turgidus (Trematoda: Microphallidae) on the predation, behavior, and swimming stamina of the grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio.

The effect of the trematode Microphallus turgidus on its second intermediate host, the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, was tested. To do so, we measured the susceptibility of infected and uninfected shrimp to predation by the mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus. Shrimp behavior was compared in the presence and absence of a fish predator, and the swimming stamina and backthrust escape responses of infected and uninfected shrimp were measured. Infected shrimp were more likely to be eaten by a predator than uninfected shrimp, had lower swimming stamina, and spent more time swimming and less time motionless in the presence of a predator. There was no difference between backthrust distances traveled in response to a stimulus by either infected or uninfected shrimp. Thus, M. turgidus may increase the predation of P. pugio in the wild, possibly by affecting the swimming stamina and predator avoidance responses of the shrimp.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2006

Indirect effects of large herbivores on snakes in an African savanna.

Many large mammal species are declining in African savannas, yet we understand relatively little about how these declines influence other species. Previous studies have shown that the removal of large herbivorous mammals from large-scale, replicated experimental plots results in a dramatic increase in the density of small mammals, an increase that has been attributed to the relaxation of competition between rodents and large herbivores for food resources. To assess whether the removal of large herbivores also influenced a predator of small mammals, we measured the abundance of the locally common olive hissing snake, Psammophis mossambicus, over a 19-mo period in plots with and without large herbivores. Psammophis mossambicus was significantly more abundant in plots where large herbivores were removed and rodent numbers were high. Based on results from raptor surveys and measurements of vegetative cover, differences in snake density do not appear to be driven by differences in rates of predation on snakes. Instead, snakes appear to be responding numerically to greater abundances of small-mammal prey in areas from which large herbivores have been excluded. This is the first empirical demonstration of the indirect effects of large herbivores on snake abundance and presents an interesting example of how the influence of dominant and keystone species can move through a food web.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Songbird abundance and parasitism differ between urban and rural shrublands.

Many studies have examined differences in avian community composition between urban and rural habitats, but few, if any, have looked at nesting success of urban shrubland birds in a replicated fashion while controlling for habitat. We tested factors affecting nest survival, parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), and species abundance in shrubland habitat in rural and urban landscapes. We found no support for our hypothesis that nest survival was lower in urban landscapes, but strong support for the hypothesis that survival increased with nest height. We found strong support for our hypothesis that cowbird parasitism was greater in urban than rural landscapes; parasitism in urban sites was at least twice that of rural sites. We found strong support for an urban landscape effect on abundance for several species; Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) and Brown-headed Cowbirds were more abundant in urban landscapes, whereas Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) and Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora pinus) were more abundant in rural sites. There was support for lower abundances of Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) and Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) with increased housing density. For six other species, edge and trail density or vegetation parameters best explained abundance. Lower abundances and greater parasitism in habitat patches in urban landscapes are evidence that, for some species, these urban landscapes do not fulfill the same role as comparable habitats in rural landscapes. Regional bird conservation planning and local habitat management in urban landscapes may need to consider these effects in efforts to sustain bird populations at regional and local scales.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Factors controlling the expansion behavior of favia favus (Cnidaria: Scleractinia): effects of light, flow, and planktonic prey.

Colonies of the massive stony coral Faviafavus were exposed to different flow speeds and levels of light, and to the addition of zooplankton prey. The relative importance of each factor in controlling polyp expansion behavior was tested. The coral polyps fully expanded when they were exposed to low light intensity (0-40 micromol m(-2) s(-1)) and high flow speed (15 cm s(-1)), regardless of prey presence. They also partially expanded under low and medium light (40-80 micromol m(-2) s(-1)) at medium flow speed (10 cm s(-1)). The corals expanded their polyps only when they were exposed to light levels below compensation irradiance (Icom: light level at which photosynthesis = respiration), which was determined to be about 107 +/- 24 micromol m(-2) s. The results presented here indicate that high flow, low light, and the presence of planktonic prey induce coral expansion. There is a hierarchy of response to these stimuli, in which light level and flow speed are dominant over prey presence. Coral response to these three factors is probably due to the relative importance of gas exchange and zooplankton prey.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

The behavioral effects of lesions of the septum: a review.

Many investigations have been conducted in an effort to deduce the nature of septal function. This paper is an overview of the work done by several researchers in their attempt to find the possible connections between overt behaviors and septal structures in the rat.

Aggression↗
PubMed1976

Biology of the snail-killing fly, Sepedon spangleri Beaver (Diptera: Sciomyzidae). II. Ability of the larvae to kill snails of medical importance in Thailand.

S. spangleri larvae preferred five species of non-operculate snails; Gyraulus convexiusculus Hutton, Segmentina hemisphaerula Benson, Hippeutis umbilicalis Benson, Indoplanorbis exustus Larambergue, and Trochobis trochoideus Benson. They occasionally consumed the operculate snails: Melanoides tuberculata Muller, Lithoglyphopsis aperta, Hubendickia siamensis Brandt, Lacunopis munensis Brandt, Tarebia granifera, Lamarch and Viviparus sp. but were innocuous to Bithynia laevis Lea.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Adaptive change in the resource-exploitation traits of a generalist consumer: the evolution and coexistence of generalists and specialists.

Mathematical models of consumer-resource systems are used to explore the evolution of traits related to resource acquisition in a generalist consumer species that is capable of exploiting two resources. The analysis focuses on whether evolution of traits determining the capture rates of two resources by a consumer species produce one generalist, two specialists, or all three types, when all types are characterized by a common fitness function. In systems with a stable equilibrium, evolution produces one generalist or two specialists, depending on the second derivative of the trade-off relationship. When there are sustained population fluctuations, the nature of the trade-off between the consumer's capture rates of the two resources still plays a key role in determining the evolutionary outcome. If the trade-off is described by a choice variable between zero and one that is raised to a power n, polymorphic states are possible when n > 1, which implies a positive second derivative of the curve. These states are either dimorphism, with two relatively specialized consumer types, or trimorphism, with a single generalist type and two specialists. Both endogenously driven consumer-resource cycles, and fluctuations driven by an environmental variable affecting resource growth are considered. Trimorphic evolutionary outcomes are relatively common in the case of endogenous cycles. In contrast to a previous study, these trimorphisms can often evolve even when new lineages are constrained to have phenotypes very similar to existing lineages. Exogenous cycles driven by environmental variation in resource growth rates appear to be much less likely to produce a mixture of generalists and specialists than are endogenous consumer-resource cycles.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Basomedial amygdaloid lesions and p-CPA induced muricidal aggression.

Bilateral lesions of basomedial amygdaloid nuclei are capable of significantly inhibiting muricidal aggression induced by oral p-chlorophenylalanine (p-CPA) in male rats. Rats lesioned in extra-amygdaloid structures or sham-lesioned show the usual p-CPA-induced muricidal activity, which ranges from 70 to 80% of treated animals. The results obtained indicate that basomedial amygdaloid nuclei play an important role in regulating p-CPA-induced muricidal aggression, even though the effect lasts for a relatively limited period of time. This fact is probably due to the intervention of still unidentified compensatory mechanisms.

Amygdala↗
PubMed1977

Preclinical effects: unlearned behavior.

The cannabinoids produce a variety of effects on unlearned behavior in different animal species. The voluminous literature pertaining to cannabis and unlearned behavior has been reviewed in the five previous Marihuana and Health Reports (1971 through 1975). The present chapter relies heavily on these previous reports for background and focuses primarily on the relevant literature which has appeared during the past two years, although a continuing attempt is made to consider the more recent literature in the context of previous findings. As in the 1975 Marihuana and Health Report, the present chapter is organized for expository purposes around four categories of unlearned behavior: gross behavior; activity and exploration; consummatory behavior; and aggressive behavior.

Aggression↗