Niche compression: Two tests of an hypothesis using narrowly sympatric predator species

Dickman, Chris R.

doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.1986.tb01383.x

Cited by 40 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Fisher and C. R. Dickman, personal observations). Dasyurids are generally opportunistic predators that take prey in proportion to their availability; diet may follow seasonal changes in prey availability (Statham 1982, Fox and Archer 1984, Dickman 1986b, Green 1989.…”

Section: Species and Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Field observations of dasyurids were made at 20 (Dickman 1 986a, b, 1988a, 1991, Fisher 1989, Dickman et al 1991.…”

Section: Species and Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Traps were opened in the late afternoons and checked within 2 h of nightfall to coincide with the beginning of the normal foraging period (Rigby 1972, Read 1987, Dickman 1988a, for 3-7 consecutive nights in each study area. Animals were weighed and sexed, and most were individually marked by toe-clipping or ear-notching.…”

Section: Trappingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Microhabitat differences in prey size distributions have also been documented in communities of planktivores, granivores, and insectivores (Werner and Mittlebach 1981, Price and Reichman 1987, Dickman 1988a, Brown 1989). However, differential foraging in these microhabitats by different-sized predators can be affected by a variety of factors, including competition (Dickman 1988a), risk of predation (Kotler 1984, Longland andPrice 1991), and fasting endurance (Millar and Hickling 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…and the Tasmanian devil Sarcophilus harrisii due to the partly carnivorous habits of these species (Green 1967, Blackhall 1980. Small dasyurids are particularly suitable study animals because mobile, ground-dwelling invertebrates comprise the bulk of the diet (Hall 1980, Fox and Archer 1984, Dickman 1986a, b, Read 1987, their foraging behavior is easy to observe, and their prey are particulate and readily measured.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Body Size‐Prey Relationships in Insectivorous Marsupials: Tests of Three Hypotheses

Fisher¹,

Dickman²

1993

Ecology

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There is a strong positive correlation between the body sizes of dasyurid marsupials and the mean sizes of the invertebrate prey. This study tests three hypotheses proposed to explain this relationship, using 21 species of dasyurids (body mass range: 5–200 g) throughout continental Australia: (1) the maximum prey size that can be physically handled increases with dasyurid size due to the restricted gapes of forces of biting of smaller dasyurids; (2) the prey size that maximizes rate of energy intake varies with dasyurid size, with animals preferentially consuming the most profitable prey; and (3) prey sizes encountered during foraging vary with dasyurid size. Field observations of dasyurids were made at 20 study areas between January 1980 and February 1991. Most dasyurids were live—trapped, weighed, and sexed before being released at the trap site. We then tracked each animal and sampled potential prey in their foraging microhabitats. Dasyurids diets were examined using scats analysis. We measured rate of energy intake for captive dasyurids by offering different—sized cockroaches, measuring processing times, and calculating the energy content of cockroaches used. The first hypothesis was rejected. Both large and small dasyurids could grasp and pierce the largest prey offered in the laboratory, which were similar in size to the largest prey potentially available in the field. The second and third hypotheses were supported. Individuals of the smaller species maximized rates of energy gain in captivity by feeding preferentially on small prey, and their foraging trails in the field traversed microhabitats where mean potential prey size encountered was small (2–4 mm long). In contrast, larger dasyurids preferred large prey, obtained a greater rate of energy gain from them, and foraged in microhabitats where prey lengths averaged @>6 mm. There was a tendency for larger dasyurids to include progressively larger prey in their diets than were available, on average, along their foraging trails. This may reflect increasing selectivity for larger prey. However, it may also reflect a reduced susceptibility to predation on increased competitive ability for large dasyurids in productive microhabitats, and hence reflect a size—based advantage in encountering large prey. These results indicate that net energy yield and the use of microhabitats with different prey sizes are the most important determinants of the body size—prey size relationship in dasyurid marsupials.

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Section: Species and Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Field observations of dasyurids were made at 20 (Dickman 1 986a, b, 1988a, 1991, Fisher 1989, Dickman et al 1991.…”

Section: Species and Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Trappingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Body Size‐Prey Relationships in Insectivorous Marsupials: Tests of Three Hypotheses

Fisher¹,

Dickman²

1993

Ecology

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Landscape simplification reduces classical biological control and crop yield

Grab

Danforth

Poveda

et al. 2018

Ecological Applications

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Agricultural intensification resulting in the simplification of agricultural landscapes is known to negatively impact the delivery of key ecosystem services such as the biological control of crop pests. Both conservation and classical biological control may be influenced by the landscape context in which they are deployed; yet studies examining the role of landscape structure in the establishment and success of introduced natural enemies and their interactions with native communities are lacking. In this study, we investigated the relationship between landscape simplification, classical and conservation biological control services and importantly, the outcome of these interactions for crop yield. We showed that agricultural simplification at the landscape scale is associated with an overall reduction in parasitism rates of crop pests. Additionally, only introduced parasitoids were identified, and no native parasitoids were found in crop habitat, irrespective of agricultural landscape simplification. Pest densities in the crop were lower in landscapes with greater proportions of semi-natural habitats. Furthermore, farms with less semi-natural cover in the landscape and consequently, higher pest numbers, had lower yields than farms in less agriculturally dominated landscapes. Our study demonstrates the importance of landscape scale agricultural simplification in mediating the success of biological control programs and highlights the potential risks to native natural enemies in classical biological control programs against native insects. Our results represent an important contribution to an understanding of the landscape-mediated impacts on crop yield that will be essential to implementing effective policies that simultaneously conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services.

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Using eDNA metabarcoding to understand the effect of fire on the diet of small mammals in a woodland ecosystem

Wanniarachchi

Swan

Nevill

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Food acquisition is a fundamental process that drives animal distribution and abundance, influencing how species respond to changing environments. Disturbances such as fire create significant shifts in available dietary resources, yet, for many species, we lack basic information about what they eat, let alone how they respond to a changing resource base. In order to create effective management strategies, faunal conservation in flammable landscapes requires a greater understanding of what animals eat and how this change following a fire. What animals eat in postfire environments has received little attention due to the time-consuming methodologies and low-resolution identification of food taxa. Recently, molecular techniques have been developed to identify food DNA in scats, making it possible to identify animal diets with enhanced resolution. The primary aim of this study was to utilize eDNA metabarcoding to obtain an improved understanding of the diet of three native Australian small mammal species: yellow-footed antechinus (Antechinus flavipes), heath mouse (Pseudomys shortridgei), and bush rat (Rattus fuscipes). Specifically, we sought to understand the difference in the overall diet of the three species and how diet changed over time after fire. Yellow-footed antechinus diets mostly consisted of moths, and plants belonging to myrtles and legume families while bush rats consumed legumes, myrtles, rushes, and beetles. Heath mouse diet was dominated by rushes. All three species shifted their diets over time after fire, with most pronounced shifts in the bush rats and least for heath mice. Identifying critical food resources for native animals will allow conservation managers to consider the effect of fire management actions on these resources and help conserve the species that use them.

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Niche compression: Two tests of an hypothesis using narrowly sympatric predator species

Cited by 40 publications

References 51 publications

Body Size‐Prey Relationships in Insectivorous Marsupials: Tests of Three Hypotheses

Body Size‐Prey Relationships in Insectivorous Marsupials: Tests of Three Hypotheses

Landscape simplification reduces classical biological control and crop yield

Using eDNA metabarcoding to understand the effect of fire on the diet of small mammals in a woodland ecosystem

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