Niche overlap and resource partitioning among five sympatric bufonids (Anura, Bufonidae) from northeastern Argentina
01 Jun 2009-Phyllomedusa: Journal of Herpetology (Melopsittacus Publicações Científicas)-Vol. 8, Iss: 1, pp 27-39
TL;DR: Studying the diet behaviors and trophic parameters of sympatric species provides important data for understanding the community and for the development of conservation guidelines.
Abstract: Niche overlap and resource partitioning among five sympatric bufonids (Anura, Bufonidae) from northeastern Argentina. The niche overlap and resource partitioning were analyzed for five sympatric bufonids from Northeastern Argenti- na: Rhinella schneideri, R. bergi, R. fernandezae, R. granulosa, and Melanophryniscus cupreuscapularis. The primary objectives were to analyze the diet and pattern of coexistence relative to the microhabitats among species. The bufonids, which are primarily terrestrial, exhibited a preference for small, hard prey such as formicids or coleopterans. The smallest species preferably consumed ants, while R. schneideri preferred beetles. Significant differences were detected for the diets of these five species. In addition, significant overlap in the trophic niche was noted for all species except between R. granulosa and R. schneideri. Studying the diet behaviors and trophic parameters of sympatric species provides important data for understanding the community and for the development of conservation guidelines.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the importance of current and historical factors (phylogenetic) in the organization of an anuran assemblage in temporary ponds in a Caatinga area in Northeastern Brazil was investigated.
Abstract: Based on data on diet and microhabitat use, we investigated the importance of current (ecological) and historical factors (phylogenetic) in the organization of an anuran assemblage in temporary ponds in a Caatinga area in Northeastern Brazil. The objective of this study was to verify how diet and microhabitat use influence the community structure, and their determinants. Niche breadth based on microhabitat use was relatively low for all species; thus, we also observed a spatial segregation between Hylidae and other families. The closely related species exhibit a more similar diet; the main prey categories used by Caatinga anurans were Coleoptera, insect larvae and Formicidae. The pseudo-community analysis based on diet and microhabitat use revealed that the observed niche overlap did not differ statistically from random, indicating a lack of detectable competition for these resources. The Canonical Phylogenetic Ordination (CPO) analyses revealed no significant phylogenetic effect on the assemblage, neither for diet nor for microhabitat use. Results suggest that predation and hydroperiod may be the most important factors in determining assemblage patterns, but more studies are needed to support this hypothesis. Keywords: community, Amphibia, ecological factors, historical factors.
9 citations
TL;DR: The results suggest that there are no ontogenetic changes in the diet of A. nebulosus and there is high dietary overlap of all groups (sexes and age classes) within both populations, and adult beetles, ants, orthopterans and spiders were most frequently preyed upon.
Abstract: Previous studies have shown that diet varies among seasons and age classes of lizard species inhabiting contrasting environments. The purpose of our study was to compare feeding habits between seasons (wet and dry), sexes (males and females), and age classes (juvenile and adult) of the arboreal lizard Anolis nebulosus from two different environments: a Pacific island (San Pancho Island) and the mainland Pacific Coast (Biological Field Station Chamela) of Mexico. Anolis nebulosus from island and mainland were generalist insectivores. During the dry season, the prey number consumed by lizards from island was lower than for lizards from mainland. With respect to numerical and volumetric data of prey items consumed by females and males for both age classes (adults and juveniles) in both populations (island and mainland), adult beetles, ants, orthopterans (grasshopper and crickets), and spiders were most frequently preyed upon. These results suggest that there are no ontogenetic changes in the diet of A. nebul...
8 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The similarities in natural history aspects among members of the R. margaritifera species group indicate a case of ecological niche conservatism.
Abstract: Correspondence: L.M.B. Brito (lucasmb15@yahoo.com) We studied the natural history of the leaf-litter toad, Rhinella hoogmoedi Caramaschi & Pombal, 2006, in a rain forest located in an altitudinal rocky remain within the Brazilian caatinga biome. Rhinella hoogmoedi was more abundant during the first half of the wet season, when recruitment of new cohorts was observed. Leaf litter was the most commonly used substrate and activity was mainly diurnal. There was a positive relation between maximum prey size (length/volume) and predator size; ants and mites were the predominant prey in adults and froglets, respectively. The following defensive strategies were registered: cryptic and polymorphic colour pattern, immobility, thanatosis, generation of distress calls and production of a foamy substance by the paratoid glands. The similarities in natural history aspects among members of the R. margaritifera species group indicate a case of ecological niche conservatism.
8 citations
Cites background from "Niche overlap and resource partitio..."
...The lack of a significant relationship between number of prey items and SVL detected for R. hoogmoedi has been observed in other species (Duré et al., 2009; Lima et al., 2010)....
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...hoogmoedi has been observed in other species (Duré et al., 2009; Lima et al., 2010)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the importance of scale has been explored when testing environmental influences and estimatin the spatial scale of the analysis of the spatial distribution of the environmental influence in the environment.
Abstract: Detecting ecological patterns is highly dependent on the spatial scale of the analysis. However, the importance of scale has been poorly explored when testing environmental influences and estimatin...
7 citations
TL;DR: The diet of Leptodactylus podicipinus in South Pantanal is described and a post-metamorphic individual of Rhinella schneideri is recorded, the first record of batracophagy for this species.
Abstract: In this study, we describe the diet of Leptodactylus podicipinus in South Pantanal. We analysed the stomach content of 30 individuals collected in September 2017 in the Miranda sub-region, Mato Grosso do Sul. We identified 19 prey categories to Order level, out of which Coleoptera was the most representative group and the most important prey category, followed by Orthoptera and Hemiptera. We recorded a post-metamorphic individual of Rhinella schneideri in the diet of L. podicipinus, the first record of batracophagy for this species. Our results provide evidence for the opportunistic and generalist feeding behaviour of L. podicipinus.
7 citations
Cites background from "Niche overlap and resource partitio..."
...Amphibians play important roles in the food webs of ecosystems because they represent a link between terrestrial and aquatic environments [2,3]....
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References
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Book•
01 Jan 1948
TL;DR: The Mathematical Theory of Communication (MTOC) as discussed by the authors was originally published as a paper on communication theory more than fifty years ago and has since gone through four hardcover and sixteen paperback printings.
Abstract: Scientific knowledge grows at a phenomenal pace--but few books have had as lasting an impact or played as important a role in our modern world as The Mathematical Theory of Communication, published originally as a paper on communication theory more than fifty years ago. Republished in book form shortly thereafter, it has since gone through four hardcover and sixteen paperback printings. It is a revolutionary work, astounding in its foresight and contemporaneity. The University of Illinois Press is pleased and honored to issue this commemorative reprinting of a classic.
10,215 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a new multivariate analysis technique, called canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), was developed to relate community composition to known variation in the environment, where ordination axes are chosen in the light of known environmental variables by imposing the extra restriction that the axes be linear combinations of environmental variables.
Abstract: A new multivariate analysis technique, developed to relate community composition to known variation in the environment, is described. The technique is an extension of correspondence analysis (reciprocal averaging), a popular ordination technique that extracts continuous axes of variation from species occurrence or abundance data. Such ordination axes are typically interpreted with the help of external knowledge and data on environmental variables; this two—step approach (ordination followed by environmental gradient identification) is termed indirect gradient analysis. In the new technique, called canonical correspondence analysis, ordination axes are chosen in the light of known environmental variables by imposing the extra restriction that the axes be linear combinations of environmental variables. In this way community variation can be directly related to environmental variation. The environmental variables may be quantitative or nominal. As many axes can be extracted as there are environmental variables. The method of detrending can be incorporated in the technique to remove arch effects. (Detrended) canonical correspondence analysis is an efficient ordination technique when species have bell—shaped response curves or surfaces with respect to environmental gradients, and is therefore more appropriate for analyzing data on community composition and environmental variables than canonical correlation analysis. The new technique leads to an ordination diagram in which points represent species and sites, and vectors represent environmental variables. Such a diagram shows the patterns of variation in community composition that can be explained best by the environmental variables and also visualizes approximately the "centers" of the species distributions along each of the environmental variables. Such diagrams effectively summarized relationships between community and environment for data sets on hunting spiders, dyke vegetation, and algae along a pollution gradient.
5,689 citations
"Niche overlap and resource partitio..." refers methods in this paper
...Relationships between microhabitat and diet and foraging strategy for these five species were tested through a canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) (Ter Braak 1986, 1987)....
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31 Dec 1968
TL;DR: Professor Levins, one of the leading explorers in the field of integrated population biology, considers the mutual interpenetration and joint evolution of organism and environment, occurring on several levels at once.
Abstract: Professor Levins, one of the leading explorers in the field of integrated population biology, considers the mutual interpenetration and joint evolution of organism and environment, occurring on several levels at once. Physiological and behavioral adaptations to short-term fluctuations of the environment condition the responses of populations to long-term changes and geographic gradients. These in turn affect the way species divide the environments among themselves in communities, and, therefore, the numbers of species which can coexist. Environment is treated here abstractly as pattern: patchiness, variability, range, etc. Populations are studied in their patterns: local heterogeneity, geographic variability, faunistic diversity, etc.
3,628 citations
"Niche overlap and resource partitio..." refers methods in this paper
...For numerical data we calculated niche breadth using the Levins Index (Levins 1968): Nb Pij= ∑ −( )2 1 , where Pij represents the probability of finding the item i in the sample j....
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...For numerical data we calculated niche breadth using the Levins Index (Levins 1968):...
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TL;DR: To conclude with a list of questions appropriate for studies of resource partitioning, questions this article has related to the theory in a preliminary way.
Abstract: To understand resource partitioning, essentially a community phenomenon, we require a holistic theory that draws upon models at the individual and population level. Yet some investigators are still content mainly to document differences between species, a procedure of only limited interest. Therefore, it may be useful to conclude with a list of questions appropriate for studies of resource partitioning, questions this article has related to the theory in a preliminary way. 1) What is the mechanism of competition? What is the relative importance of predation? Are differences likely to be caused by pressures toward reproductive isolation? 2) Are niches (utilizations) regularly spaced along a single dimension? 3) How many dimensions are important, and is there a tendency for more dimensions to be added as species number increases? 4) Is dimensional separation complementary? 5) Which dimensions are utilized, how do they rank in importance, and why? How do particular dimensions change in rank as species nuimber increases? 6) What is the relation of dimensional separation to difference in phenotypic indicators? To what extent does the functional relation of phenotype to resource characteristics constrain partitioning? 7) What is the distance between mean position of niches, what is the niche standard deviation, and what is the ratio of the two? What is the niche shape?
3,626 citations
"Niche overlap and resource partitio..." refers background in this paper
...The degree of niche differentiation among species in the same trophic level depends on many factors, been prey availability one of the most relevant (Pianka 1969, Schoener 1974, 1989)....
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TL;DR: The topic here is the structure of lizard communities in this somewhat loose sense of the word (perhaps assemblage would be a more accurate description), with emphasis on the niche relationships among such sympatric sets of lizard species, especially as they affect the numbers of species that coexist within lizard communities.
Abstract: Strictly speaking, a community is composed of all the organisms that live together in a particular habitat. Community structure concerns all the various ways in which the members of such a community relate to and interact with one another, as well as community-level properties that emerge from these interactions, such as trophic structure, energy flow, species diversity, relative abundance, and community stabil ity. In practice, ecologists are usually unable to study entire communities, but instead interest is often focused on some convenient and tractable subset (usually taxonomic) of a particular community or series of communities. Thus one reads about plant communities, fish communities, bird communities, and so on. My topic here is the structure of lizard communities in this somewhat loose sense of the word (perhaps assemblage would be a more accurate description); my emphasis is on the niche relationships among such sympatric sets of lizard species, especially as they affect the numbers of species that coexist within lizard communities (species den sity). So defined, the simplest (and perhaps least interesting) lizard communities would be those that contain but a single species, as, for instance, northern populations of Eumeces msciatus. At the other extreme, probably the most complex lizard commu nities are those of the Australian sandridge deserts where as many as 40 different species occur in sympatry (20). Usually species densities of sympatric lizards vary from about 4 or 5 species to perhaps as many as 20. Lizard communities in arid regions are generally richer in species than those in wetter areas; therefore, because almost all ecological studies of entire saurofaunas have been in deserts (l8, 20, 25), this paper emphasizes the structure of desert lizard communities. As such, I review mostly my own work. Other studies on lizard communities in nondesert habitats are, however, cited where appropriate. Historical factors such as degree of isolation and available biotic stocks (particu larly the species pools of potential competitors and predators) have profoundly shaped lizard communities. Thus one reason the Australian deserts support such very rich lizard communities may be that competition with, and perhaps predation pressures from, snakes, birds, and mammals are reduced on that continent (20).
2,406 citations
"Niche overlap and resource partitio..." refers methods in this paper
...We calculated dietary overlaps in two ways by considering the food proportions and the volume of each prey with the formula (Pianka 1973): O P P P P jk ij ik i n ij ik i n i n = = == ∑ ∑∑ 1 2 2 11 , where Pij and Pik are the proportions of utilization of the ith food resource by the jth and kth…...
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...We calculated dietary overlaps in two ways by considering the food proportions and the volume of each prey with the formula (Pianka 1973):...
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