The influence of prey distribution on the foraging strategy of the lizard Oligosoma grande (Reptilia: Scincidae)

The grand skink, Oligosoma grande, is a diurnal rock-dwelling lizard from the tussock grasslands of Central Otago, New Zealand, whose diet includes a variety of arthropods and fruit. We conducted a field experiment to examine the influence of prey distribution on foraging behavior and spacing patterns. On sites where prey distribution was unaltered (control sites), males and females differed in diet and foraging behavior. Most male feeding attempts were directed at large strong-flying insects, and males used a saltatory search pattern that involved relatively infrequent moves of long duration. Females spent more effort catching small weak-flying insects and visiting fruiting plants. Their search behavior involved frequent moves of short duration. The placement of meat-bait on experimental sites led to a redistribution of large flies without influencing other prey types. Experimental females switched foraging strategy by adopting a search pattern of relatively infrequent moves of long duration, increasing the frequency of attempts to capture large prey, and reducing the importance of fruit in their diet. The experimental manipulation appeared to influence space use. On control sites, both sexes had comparably sized home ranges. On experimental sites, male home ranges were significantly larger than female home ranges. Received: 3 November 1997 / Accepted after revision: 13 December 1998     

Immigration pattern and success in red squirrels

Summary We studied the characteristics of immigrants and the effects of immigration on reproductive activity and spacing behaviour in red squirrels living in high-quality woodlands. Male immigration peaked in spring, female immigration in autumn. There was no sex bias in dispersal distance of local recruits or in the proportion of male/female immigrants, but more subadults than adults immigrated on the study plots. Hence, hypotheses explaining sex-biased dispersal were irrelevant in explaining immigration patterns in our study populations. Immigrant females were not in breeding condition, nor had they produced a litter prior to immigration. Hence breeding dispersal did not occur. Red squirrels are promiscuous, and females defend intrasexual territories while males have overlapping home ranges with a dominance hierarchy (Wauters et al. 1990; Wauters and Dhondt 1992). Site fidelity is very important to reproductive success and most parents still have a high residual reproductive value after having produced a litter. Under such circumstances, the resident fitness hypothesis (RFH; Anderson 1989) predicts that parents can benefit by forcing emigration of offspring if the latter are likely to find nearby vacancies. The settlement pattern of successful immigrants, which had a higher probability of becoming established when they had high body mass and when they were settling in plots with reduced intrasexual competition, agreed with the RFH and with the proximate dispersal mechanism suggested by Gliwicz (1992), that dispersal tendency in both sexes depends on the degree of intrasexual competition under local conditions. The fact that close inbreeding was never observed could indicate that random immigration of both sexes, within the social environment of a partly territorial, relatively long-lived species, has evolved not only to reduce competition for resources between parents and offspring but also as an inbreeding avoidance mechanism. Correspondence to: L. Wauters     

Spacing and group coordination in a nocturnal primate, the golden brown mouse lemur (Microcebus ravelobensis): the role of olfactory and acoustic signals

In order to remain stable, dispersed social groups have to solve two fundamental problems: the coordination of movement and cohesiveness within a group and the spacing between the groups. Here, we investigate mechanisms involved in intra-group coordination and inter-group spacing using the golden brown mouse lemur, Microcebus ravelobensis, as a model for a nocturnal, solitary foraging mammal with a dispersed social system. By means of radiotelemetry and bioacoustics we studied the olfactory and vocal behaviour during nocturnal dispersal and reunion of five sleeping groups.All groups used 3–17 sleeping sites exclusively, suggesting a sleeping site-related territoriality and competition for them. The occurrence of olfactory and vocal behaviour showed an asymmetrical temporal distribution. Whereas marking behaviour was observed exclusively during dispersal, a particular call type, the trill, was used by all groups during reunions. Interestingly, these trills carried group-specific signatures.Our findings provide the first empirical evidence for nocturnal primates in a natural environment that olfactory signals represent an important mechanism to regulate the distribution of different groups in space, whereas acoustic signals control intra-group cohesion and coordination.     

Ecological and social determinants of spacing behaviour in desert baboon groups

This paper investigates the determinants of individual spacing behaviour in a desert baboon population (Papio cynocephalus ursinus). Patterns of neighbour proximity and neighbour density were examined among adults in four groups under different ecological and social conditions (through instantaneous sampling during focal follows). Initial analysis of these data shows that (1) the use of vertical substrates (refuges such as tall trees and cliff faces) can confound patterns of spacing, and (2) individual differences in spacing can depend on the spatial scale over which it is measured. To minimise these substrate and scale effects, this analysis focuses on animals which are off refuges and examines spacing behaviour through its underlying statistical `dimensions' (identified through factor analysis). Analysis of these dimensions indicates that sex, group size, activity-habitat and female reproductive state can all have independent effects on spacing: (1) males are more dispersed than females in smaller groups, (2) male and female dispersion increases with time spent in foraging habitats, and (3) female dispersion is reduced during lactation. According to the hypotheses tested, these results indicate that feeding competition only affects spacing behaviour during foraging while predation risk plays little or no role in spacing. Most aspects of spacing behaviour are best explained by male reproductive strategies and their social repercussions. Received: 25 May 1998 / Accepted after revision: 18 July 1998     

Determinants of male spacing behavior in microtines: an experimental manipulation of female spatial distribution and density

Theory on microtine mating systems predicts that male spacing behavior will be related to female spatial and temporal distribution. However, data from a natural population of field voles, Microtus agrestis, indicated a potential influence of female density on the spacing behavior of males. Therefore, I experimentally investigated the relative importance of female density and female spatial distribution for the spacing behavior of males in M. agrestis. Males were radio-tracked in enclosed natural habitats in which females at different densities were placed in two different spatial arrangements: clumped versus even distribution. Female density was the main factor determining male spacing behavior. At the high female density males had smaller home ranges and moved shorter distances between radio-tracking recordings. Also, home ranges were more exclusive at high female density. However, since there was a significant positive correlation between home range size and range overlap, range exclusiveness seemed to be influenced by female density indirectly through the effect of range size. Female spatial distribution, on the other hand, had no influence on male home range exclusiveness.     

Viewer preference for spatial arrangement of park trees: An application of video-imaging technology

Research on perception of parks and recreation settings has examined several important tree attributes that influence people's visual preferences. This research, however, has usually not considered the spatial arrangement of the trees, partly because of the lack of adequate methods for representing tree arrangements with systematically manipulated geometries. In the study reported here, computer video-imaging techniques were used to construct simulated landscape scenes that varied on specific dimensions of the spatial configuration of trees. The simulations were rated for visual preference by three respondent groups: a university class, a bicycle club, and a women's civic group. Preference ratings were significantly influenced by the number of trees in the scene, by the number of clumps into which trees were grouped, and by the diameter of the clumps. The video-imaging technology implemented in this study offers important methodological advantages for the design of carefully controlled experiments to study human response to variation in landscape treatments.