Search results for "saalistus"
showing 10 items of 53 documents
Passive sinking into the snow as possible survival strategy during the off-host stage in an insect ectoparasite
2015
Abiotic and biotic factors determine success or failure of individual organisms, populations and species. The early life stages are often the most vulnerable to heavy mortality due to environmental conditions. The deer ked (Lipoptena cervi Linnaeus, 1758) is an invasive insect ectoparasite of cervids that spends an important period of the life cycle outside host as immobile pupa. During winter, dark-coloured pupae drop off the host onto the snow, where they are exposed to environmental temperature variation and predation as long as the new snowfall provides shelter against these mortality factors. The other possible option is to passively sink into the snow, which is aided by morphology of …
Geographic variation in the warning signals of the wood tiger moth (Parasemia plantaginis; Arctiidae)
2013
Invasive catfish in northern Italy and their impacts on waterbirds
2022
Predatory fish have occasionally been observed preying on birds, sometimes repeatedly, but few studies were able to unravel the overall significance of avian prey in fish diet and the predation impacts on bird populations. We used a control/impact study setup, using a Nature Reserve in northern Italy and a nearby control area, to determine: 1) the contribution of waterbirds to wels catfish diet in the Reserve, 2) the population density of wels catfish in the Reserve and control area and 3) the potential impacts of waterbird depredation by wels catfish on waterbird population trends. Our stable isotope Bayesian mixing model indicated that birds contributed 12.2% (5–27.9%, 50% confidence inte…
Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways
2022
The ability of wild animals to navigate and survive in complex and dynamic environments depends on their ability to store relevant information and place it in a spatial context. Despite the centrality of spatial memory, and given our increasing ability to observe animal movements in the wild, it is perhaps surprising how difficult it is to demonstrate spatial memory empirically. We present a cognitive analysis of movements of several wolves (Canis lupus) in Finland during a summer period of intensive hunting and den-centered pup-rearing. We tracked several wolves in the field by visiting nearly all GPS locations outside the den, allowing us to identify the species, location and timing of ne…
Exposure to Chemical Cues from Predator-Exposed Conspecifics Increases Reproduction in a Wild Rodent
2018
Abstract Predation involves more than just predators consuming prey. Indirect effects, such as fear responses caused by predator presence, can have consequences for prey life history. Laboratory experiments have shown that some rodents can recognize fear in conspecifics via alarm pheromones. Individuals exposed to alarm pheromones can exhibit behavioural alterations that are similar to those displayed by predator-exposed individuals. Yet the ecological and evolutionary significance of alarm pheromones in wild mammals remains unclear. We investigated how alarm pheromones affect the behaviour and fitness of wild bank voles (Myodes glareolus) in outdoor enclosures. Specifically, we compared th…
Sex-specific genetic differences in endurance swimming of Trinidadian guppies
2015
Swim performance is considered a main fitness-determining trait in many aquatic organisms. Swimming is generally the only way most aquatic prey can escape predation, and swimming capacity is directly linked to food capture, habitat shifts, and reproduction. Therefore, evolutionary studies of swim performance are important to understand adaptation to aquatic environments. Most studies, however, concentrate on the importance of burst-swim responses to predators, and little is known about its effect on endurance. Even fewer studies associate differences in organism swim capabilities to key gender-specific responses. In this experiment, we assess the gender-specific genetic basis of swimming en…
Interannual variation in littoral benthic macroinvertebrate communities under contrasting crayfish predation in a large boreal lake
2014
Long term studies are widely used nowadays in many fields of ecology. For instance, records over years represent a valuable tool to monitor and comprehend environmental changes. In freshwater ecology, long term studies are often applied in restoration effect assessments using a before-after-control-impact design. Little is known about the long term effects of freshwater predators on their prey, for example of how crayfish as omnivorous predators affect macroinvertebrate prey communities. Bottom substrate of stony littoral shores in three sites of Lake Päijänne, in Central Finland, were sampled for macroinvertebrates (MI) during five consecutive years and identified mainly to species. Of the…
Manipulating Individual Decisions and Environmental Conditions Reveal Individual Quality in Decision-Making and Non-Lethal Costs of Predation Risk
2012
Habitat selection is a crucial decision for any organism. Selecting a high quality site will positively impact survival and reproductive output. Predation risk is an important component of habitat quality that is known to impact reproductive success and individual condition. However, separating the breeding consequences of decision-making of wild animals from individual quality is difficult. Individuals face reproductive decisions that often vary with quality such that low quality individuals invest less. This reduced reproductive performance could appear a cost of increased risk but may simply reflect lower quality. Thus, teasing apart the effects of individual quality and the effect of pr…
Cormorant predation mortality of perch (Perca fluviatilis) in coastal and archipelago areas, northern Baltic Sea
2021
Abstract Perch (Perca fluviatilis) is an important prey species of the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) in the coastal waters of the northern Baltic Sea. The annual predation mortality caused by cormorants was estimated based on the consumed numbers of perch in relation to the abundance of perch in vulnerable age groups in the sea. We used existing stock assessment data (Archipelago Sea) or a simple population model in other areas (Gulf of Finland, Bothnian Sea, and Quark), based on commercial and recreational perch catches, and estimated fishing and natural mortalities, with distributions describing our understanding about the likelihood of different values for every variable…