Size-based predation by kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae) on lizards (Eulamprus tympanum: Scincidae): what determines prey vulnerability? |
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Authors: | S P Blomberg R Shine |
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Institution: | (1) School of Biological Sciences A08, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia, AU |
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Abstract: | Lizards and birds are both popular ”model organisms” in behavioural ecology, but the interactions between them have attracted
little study. Given the putative importance of birds as predators of diurnal lizards, it is of considerable interest to know
which traits (of lizards as well as birds) influence the outcome of a predatory attempt. We studied predation by giant terrestrial
kingfishers (kookaburras, Dacelo novaeguineae: Alcedinidae) on heliothermic diurnal lizards (highland water skinks, Eulamprus tympanum: Scincidae), with particular reference to the role of prey (lizard) size. Our approach was twofold: to gather direct evidence
(sizes of lizards consumed in the field, compared to those available) and indirect evidence (size-related shifts in lizard
behaviour). We quantified the size structure of a natural population of skinks (determined by an extensive mark-recapture
program), and compared it to the sizes of wild lizards taken by kookaburras (determined by analysis of prey remains left at
the birds’ nests). Kookaburras showed size-based predation: they preyed mainly on small and medium-sized rather than large
lizards in the field. However, the mechanism producing this bias remains elusive. It is not due to any distinctive behavioural
attributes (locomotor ability, activity level, habitat usage) of the lizards of the size class disproportionately taken by
the kookaburras. The greater vulnerability of subadult lizards may reflect subtle ontogenetic shifts in ecological and behavioural
traits, but our data suggest that great caution is needed in inferring patterns of vulnerability to predation from indirect
measures based on either the prey or the predator alone. Instead, we need direct observations on the interaction between the
two.
Received: 30 May 2000 / Revised: 29 July 2000 / Accepted: 26 August 2000 |
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Keywords: | Predation Eulamprus lizard Bird selection |
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