Shelter-seeking Behavior Research Articles

Effects of experience with shelter in hatchery-reared juvenile European lobsters Homarus gammarus

Hatchery-reared lobsters will be highly dependent on shelter after release, and the ability of training to enhance quick shelter-seeking behaviour was investigated. Single, emergent-phase lobsters were released in tanks, either with or without shelter present, to determine whether the lobsters reached the shelter position by chance or not. They were recovered after two days and re-released into either identical tanks or tanks without shelter. All lobsters were observed for at least 10 min after each release; walking direction from the release position and time elapsed before they entered the shelter were recorded. In additional treatments, some lobsters were exposed to a mock predator, in the form of a series of short touches, and times before they reached shelter were compared with those of lobsters not so touched. Hatchery-reared lobster juveniles adapted to new environments and shelters. Experienced juveniles were quicker to find shelter. Time to reach shelter decreased in touched lobsters. Search time increased in experienced lobsters after removal of shelter.

Reproductive diapause in Typhlodromus doreenae Schicha (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Reproductive females of Typhlodromus doreenae held at 20°C and 10 h photophase (P) for one month failed to oviposit when exposed to summer-like (25°C/ 15 h P) conditions. Overwintering females were nonreproductive, inactive, aggregative, dorsoventrally flattened, pale colored and showed shelter-seeking behavior. Females sampled during late April to late June (mid autumn to early winter) took 19.4 – 22.3 days to oviposit when held at 25°C/15 h P. Females sampled in late July and late August had significantly shorter preoviposition periods (6.6–13.6 days). Morphological, behavioral and physiological characteristics of overwintering T. doreenae indicate the presence of reproductive diapause. The overwintering biology of T. doreenae is discussed in reference to its role in biological mite control in Australian vineyards.

Responses of Golden Shiner Minnows to Chemical Cues from Snake Predators

AbstractStudies of a limited number of species of fish in the superorder Ostariophysi have shown they they exhibit strong antipredator behaviour to conserved alarm substance in feces and in other byproducts from predatory fish that have consumed ostariophysans. Our experiments examined the ability of a previously untested ostariophysan to recognize chemical cues from two species of snake predators. In Experiment 1, shoals of golden shiners (Notemigonus chrysoleucas) exhibited strong shelter-seeking responses to water which contained waste byproducts from either a sympatric snake or an allopatric snake which had been fed golden shiners but not to a distilled water control. There was no difference in response to the sympatrie snake predator, northern water snakes (Nerodia sipedon), compared to the allopatric snake predator, black-bellied garter snakes (Thamnophis melanogaster). In Experiment 2, individual shiners exhibited vigourous dashing when presented with water which contained waste byproducts from N. sipedon fed golden shiners but exhibited a much weaker response to water which contained waste byproducts from N. sipedon fed green swordtails (Xiphophorus helleri, a non-ostariophysan) or to a water control. These results suggest that the alarm substance produced in the epidermis of the golden shiners is conserved in snake waste byproducts. Experiment 3 showed that there was little difference in shelter-seeking behaviour by shoals of shiners when presented with water in which N. sipedon had soaked, water in which T. melanogaster had soaked, or a distilled water control. Thus it appears that secretions from the skin of these predators may not be chemically labelled.

The value of tethering fishes (winter flounder and tautog) as a tool for assessing predation rates

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 163:45-51 (1998) - doi:10.3354/meps163045 The value of tethering fishes (winter flounder and tautog) as a tool for assessing predation rates Mary Carla Curran1,*, Kenneth W. Able2 1University of South Carolina Beaufort, 801 Carteret St., Beaufort, South Carolina 29902, USA 2Marine Field Station, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, 800 Great Bay Blvd, c/o 132 Great Bay Blvd, Tuckerton, New Jersey 08087-2004, USA *E-mail: ibfrt34@vm.sc.edu We evaluated the effect of tethering 2 species of juvenile fishes on their behaviour and susceptibility to predation under laboratory conditions in order to determine whether these fishes can be effectively used in field studies designed to assess predation rates. More specifically, this laboratory study investigated: (1) the effect of tethering, which required puncturing the body, on 2 mobile fish prey: the winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus (42 to 85 mm total length, TL), and the tautog Tautoga onitis (47 to 91 mm TL); and (2) whether the predators, the summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus and the blue crab Callinectes sapidus, preferentially preyed upon tethered individuals. The behaviour of tethered individuals varied between species. Tethered P. americanus buried more extensively (i.e. greater percentage of body covered by sand) than untethered individuals. Therefore, tethering this species may reduce predation by visual predators because individuals are less visible. Tethered T. onitis were more likely than untethered individuals to occupy open areas of the experimental pool rather than to be found near shelter. In this case, tethering may increase potential predatory attacks because tethered fish are more accessible. Despite differences in behaviour caused by tethering P. americanus, there was no significant difference between the rates of predation by P. dentatus on tethered versus untethered individuals. However, as predicted by the change in T. onitis behaviour, P. dentatus preyed more frequently on tethered individuals than untethered ones. C. sapidus, a predator that uses olfactory cues, preferentially selected tethered P. americanus. The preference for tethered individuals may depend in part upon the release of prey body fluids and subsequent detection by predators that use olfactory cues. Furthermore, tethered individuals may change their shelter-seeking behaviour, and thus confound potential habitat-specific differences in relative predation rates. As a result, tethering as a tool to determine predation rates should be used cautiously for fishes. At a minimum, laboratory observations to detect tethering artifacts should be conducted before field experiments. Tethering · Predation · Prey behaviour · Prey susceptibility Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 163. Publication date: March 12, 1998 Print ISSN:0171-8630; Online ISSN:1616-1599 Copyright © 1998 Inter-Research.

Artificial shelters (casitas) as habitats for juvenile spiny lobsters Panulirus argus in the Mexican Caribbean

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 158:217-224 (1997) - doi:10.3354/meps158217 Artificial shelters (casitas) as habitats for juvenile spiny lobsters Panulirus argus in the Mexican Caribbean Ana Minerva Arce1,*, William Aguilar-Dávila1, Eloy Sosa-Cordero1, John F. Caddy2 1El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Chetumal Zona Ind. No. 2, Carr. Chetumal-Bacalar, CP 77050 Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico 2Fisheries Department, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy *E-mail: anamarce@ecosur-qroo.mx The cryptic and shelter-seeking behaviour of spiny lobsters Panulirusargus Latreille prompted the use of artificial shelters to examine the juvenile population structure at Cayos-Contoy, Quintana Roo, Mexico. We tested the hypothesis that habitat type had no influence on shelter occupancy. The artificial shelters used were concrete structures with a PVC frame (mini-size casitas). Macrofauna and potential predators associated with the mini-casitas were also quantified. The size of the lobsters harbored by these structures emphasized the importance of the Cayos-Contoy as a nursery habitat for P. argus. Differences in mini-casita occupancy by juveniles and the association between habitat and lobster size groups suggest that availability of natural habitats had an influence on casita occupancy. The periodic removal of all lobsters from the mini-casitas resulted in the vacancies being occupied mostly by a size-specific group of juveniles. Transitional (16 to 25 mm carapace length, CL) and post-algal (26 to 35 mm CL) juvenile stages recruited mainly to vegetated habitats, with larger lobsters occupying patch reef habitats. Mini-casita occupancy was dominated by transitional and post-algal early juvenile stages (41.1 and 34.6% respectively). The fact that the highest percentage of mini-casita occupancy is by transitional juvenile P. argus is considered to represent a 'population bottleneck' effect. Artificial shelters · Spiny lobsters · Panulirusargus · Mexican Caribbean Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 158. Publication date: November 17, 1997 Print ISSN:0171-8630; Online ISSN:1616-1599 Copyright © 1997 Inter-Research.

SHORT COMMUNICATION: Importance of adequate shelters for crayfishes maintained in aquaria

In short term experiments with different combinations of shelter types and sizes, shadow is the primary factor influencing shelter-seeking behaviour of both juvenile and non-breeding adult Orconectes rusticus and Procambarus clarkii

Assessment of a severe-weather warning system and disaster preparedness, Calhoun County, Alabama, 1994.

Tornado preparedness warning system effectiveness, and shelter-seeking behavior were examined in two Alabama areas after tornado warnings. In the area without sirens, only 28.9% of 194 respondents heard a tornado warning of these, 73.2% first received the warning from radios or television. In the area with sirens, 88.1% of 193 respondents heard a warning, and 61.8% first received the warning from a siren. Knowledge of warnings, access to shelter, and education were key predictors for seeking shelter. Our findings indicate that installing sirens, providing access to shelter, and teaching appropriate responses to warnings are important elements of an effective disaster prevention system.

Behavioural approaches to demonstrate the ecological significance of exposure of juvenile Pacific salmon (genus Oncorhynchus) to the antisapstain fungicide TCMTB

Simulated stream conditions were used to expose underyearling Pacific salmon (genus Oncorhynchus) to sublethal doses of TCMTB (2-thiocyanomethylthio) benzothiazole; a fungicide used by the lumber industry to protect against discolouration by sapstain fungi. Observed changes in schooling, swimming, and respiration were studied in more detail utilizing progressively more complex and ecologically relevant experimental designs. Laboratory troughs (600 litre) were used to quantify innate shelter-seeking behaviour and susceptibility to predation during salinity stress. Swimming speed, schooling behaviour and responses to salinity and hypoxia were studied in a 4500-litre Water Column Simulator under vertically stratified conditions (fresh water overlying sea water). Finally a similarly stratified 15,500-litre outdoor tank was designed to compare susceptibility to predation during a volitional salinity challenge. Relative to controls, TCMTB-exposed underyearling salmon exhibited a reduction in cover response, were slower to seek shelter from bright light, were more erratic in their swimming behaviour and more likely to be eaten by marine predators. Videotape analyses confirmed that TCMTB reduced exploratory behaviour and swimming speed under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions in the WCS. The ecological consequences of these overt behavioural changes were experimentally linked to a clear increase in risk from predation by yellowtail rockfish (Sebastes flavidus) inhabiting the marine zone below the halocline of the 15,500-litre tank. These techniques illustrate our most recent efforts to correlate cumulative sublethal physiological stress with ecologically meaningful behavioural dysfunction.

Habitat restrictions in early benthic life: experiments on habitat selection and in situ predation with the American lobster

In shallow marine environments, many animals that eventually attain large body size and range widely are restricted to refugia early in life. A prime example is the American lobster Homarus americanus Milne Edwards. During the first few years of benthic life, lobsters are most strongly associated with shelter providing habitats (e.g., cobble) but this association is less frequent as they grow. The restricted distribution of such early benthic phase lobsters (5- ≈ 40 mm carapace length, CL) may be reinforced by predation, but experiments to quantify predators and predation rates in situ have not been reported. This study confirms previous habitat selection studies in showing that shelter-seeking behavior is likely the proximate cause of the association, but that predation probably reinforces the association until lobsters outgrow their most vulnerable size. Field predation experiments and video observation show that tethered early benthic phase lobsters were attacked by demersal fishes and crabs significantly more often when unsheltered by cobble, and that this vulnerability declines dramatically with increasing body size. Moreover, many of the species of fish and crab predators observed by video were common at the five sites censused in mid-coast Maine, and occur throughout the range of the American lobster. There is strong evidence that lobsters and their macruran (large abdomened) allies in shallow marine and aquatic environments are similarly restricted to shelter-providing habitats early in their benthic life, possibly because of their inability to avoid predators by rapidly burying themselves in sediment.

Winter Browse Availability and Use by White-Tailed Deer in Southeastern Indiana

Browse availability and use by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in southeastern Indiana were studied during winter 1978-79. Significant positive regressions were found between browse use and availability for the entire study area (habitat ignored) and within mature forests and second-growth woods. These data support the hypothesis that deer forage nonselectively in winter. No relationship was found between use and availability in oldfields. Browse use was lower in oldfields than in mature forests and secondgrowth woods, but the availability of browse did not differ between habitats. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 49(1): 120-124 White-tailed deer have evolved numerous physiological and behavioral adaptations for survival during the thermal and nutritional stresses of winter. Conservation of energy is achieved through lower metabolic rates, reduced activity, restricted home-range size, increased shelter-seeking behavior, and greater insulating properties of winter pelage (Mautz 1978, Moen 1978). In addition, insulation and energy are provided by fat reserves deposited during summer and autumn when food resource availability and quality are favorable (Short 1975, Mautz 1978). Winter forage is frequently poorly digested (Robbins and Moen 1975, Short 1975, Mautz et al. 1976), but is necessary to slow the catabolism of finite fat deposits (Mautz 1978). Nudds (1980) suggested that northern deer should adopt a generalist foraging strategy during winter in response to low food availability and quality. With such a strategy, relative use of food types is approximately equal to relative availability. He argued that energy acquisition should become the critical factor for survival and optimization of the diet for other nutrients should be relaxed. Data from Wetzel et al. (1975) were reanalyzed by Nudds (1980) and supported the hypothesis of diet generalization in winter. We examined the availability and use of woody browse by white-tailed deer in southeastern Indiana during winter (Dec-Mar). We tested the hypothesis that browse use is positively related to availability. We thank T. D. Nudds and L. D. Vangilder for reviewing earlier drafts of this manuscript. STUDY AREA The 2.5-km2 study area encompassed the Brookville Ecology Research Center and adjacent agricultural and state park lands south of Liberty, Union County, Indiana. A diversity of habitats was present, including upland and bottomland mature forest, second-growth woods, oldfields, and cropland. Topography varied with steep slopes rising from river bottoms to level upland. Dominant features of the landscape included the man-made impoundments of Brookville and Whitewater lakes. Population density of white-tailed deer in the study area was estimated at ~14 individuals/km2 (LaGory 1979). Mature forest occupied 50% of the study area and consisted of mixed deciduous hardwoods. Major canopy species in upland sites were oak (Quercus), white ash (Fraxinus americana), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), and American be ch (Fagus grandifolia). American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), boxelder maple (A. negundo), and eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) were common canopy species in bottomland forests. Abandoned agricultural cropland and pasture existed as oldfields (26% of the study area) and second-growth woods (7%). Herbaceous plants included goldenrod (Solidago), aster (Aster), milkweed (Asclepias), wild carrot (Daucus carota), ragweed (Ambrosia), and several native and domesticated grasses. Shrubs and young trees common to oldfields and second-growth woods included osage-orange (Maclura pomifera), common honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos), wild cherry (Prunus), dogwood (Cornus), elm (Ulmus), white

Selection and migration in two distinct phenotypes of Littorina saxatilis in Sweden.

Two distinct phenotypes of the marine snail L. saxatilis, the 'E morph' from exposed rocky habitats, and the 'S morph' from nearby sheltered boulder shores, were released and survivors recaptured at 3-monthly intervals. Survival rate of E morphs was significantly higher than that of S morphs in the exposed habitat, whilst the revers was true for the sheltered site. When released in an environment intermediate between the exposed and sheltered habitats, both morphs survived equally well. However, snails native of this area, 'I morphs', survived better than both E and S morphs here. Recapture rates were highest in spring. Large snails of both phenotypes were selected against in the exposed habitat. In the sheltered environment, small E morph snails survived better than large ones, and both sizes of S morphs survived equally well. E morph individuals transplanted to a different exposed locality than their native one, had lower survival rates compared to native individuals. This effect was not found among transplanted S morph snails.Distances migrated since time of release were on average greater in the sheltered than in the exposed habitat, and within the range of 1-4 m per 3 months, for both habitats. In a laboratory experiment, both morphs showed a shelter-seeking behaviour, most pronounced in the E morph.It is proposed that the strong selection differences between the morphs within the two different habitats, the absence of a planktonic larval stage, and a restricted migration among juvenile and adult snails, maintain a genetic polymorphism within the species, responsibel for considerable parts of the large phenotypic differences observed between the two morphs E and S.

Shelter seeking and sucking behaviour of the red deer calf ( Cervus elaphus) in a farmed situation

The reaction of 0–1-day-old calves to handling by man, shelter seeking behaviour of young calves, and sucking behaviour during the first 2 months after birth were recorded for red deer run in confined areas in 1974–1975. Calves 0–1 day old were easily caught, 43 of 45 calves remaining lying down when approached. However, 14 of the calves ran away after weighing and ear-tagging. Type of shelter (viz., natural scrub, hides constructed of pine branches, or clumps of long grass) had little effect on the reaction of the 0–1-day-old calf to handling. Although many of the 0–1-day-old calves were not found in a sheltered position, older calves were always found in shelter until they joined the herd. In many cases this shelter was close to the camping site of the herd. Calves in the paddock containing hides were 3–4 days older than the calves in the other paddocks when they first ran away at the aproach of man. The number of sucking periods during the day varied from one to seven, although the majority of calves had only one to three sucking periods, and did not change with increasing age of the calf. However, the number of times that a calf sucked its mother during each period, and the mean total duration of sucking during each period, decreased with increasing age of the calf. The mean number of suckings per period declined from 2.8 at 1–7 days of age to 1.2 at 15–28 days of age, and the mean total duration of sucking decreased from 149 s to 82–85 s over the same period, with little change in both values thereafter.

Burrows and Burrowing Behavior of Onychomys leucogaster

A study of the shelter-seeking behavior of captive northern grasshopper mice was made in 15 × 15 × 3 ft sheet metal enclosures. Observations showed that grasshopper mice invariably dug their own burrows. The following types of burrows were recognized: nest burrows, retreat burrows, cache burrows and miscellaneous burrows, including those used for defecation and signposting. Records showed that the burrows provided the mouse with a refuge from extreme fluctuations of temperature. Nest burrows were dug by males with the help of females; individual mice did not dig nest burrows. The burrow entrances were not noticeably raised above the surface, and nest entrances to burrows were not in protected areas.