Length of feeding day and body weight of great tits in a single- and a two-predator environment |
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Authors: | Indriķis Krams |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Sciences, Daugavpils University, Vienıˉbas iela 13, LV-5400 Daugavpils, Latvia e-mail: krams@apollo.lv Fax: +371-54-22890, LV |
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Abstract: | The risk of predation may influence the acquisition of energy and the feeding activity of animals. Feeding activity and body
reserves of wintering great tits Parus major in response to the priority to food access were studied in two areas differing in incidence of predators. The one-predator
area contained sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus only, whereas the two-predator area contained both sparrowhawks and pygmy owls Glaucidium passerinum, whose hunting periods overlap at dawn and dusk. In the two-predator area dominant great tits arrived at feeders significantly
later in the morning, and left earlier in the evening, than their subordinate flock-mates. Hence, feeding day length of dominants
was found to be significantly shorter. The reverse was true for the one-predator area. In addition, dominants carried significantly
greater reserves than subordinates in the area inhabited by two predators. Factors constraining subcutaneous energy reserves
were also studied in removal experiments. After the removal of dominant individuals, subordinate great tits did not reduce
their body reserves in the two predator area. In contrast, subordinate great tits significantly reduced evening body reserves
in the single-predator area. I concluded that the presence of the two predators increases unpredictability in feeding conditions
for great tits. Dominant individuals responded to this by shortening their feeding day and increasing body reserves at dusk.
Received: 8 December 1999 / Received in revised form: 15 March 2000 / Accepted: 31 March 2000 |
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Keywords: | Predator-prey interactions Birds Foraging activity Body reserves |
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