Brood size manipulations in Great Horned Owls Bubo virginianus: are predators food limited at the peak of prey cycles?
| Autor: | James N. M. Smith, Christoph Rohner |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2008 |
| Předmět: |
Avian clutch size
Bubo biology Ecology Snowshoe hare media_common.quotation_subject biology.organism_classification Brood Predation Nest behavior and behavior mechanisms medicine Seasonal breeder Animal Science and Zoology medicine.symptom Reproduction Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics media_common |
| Zdroj: | Ibis. 138:236-242 |
| ISSN: | 0019-1019 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/j.1474-919x.1996.tb04334.x |
| Popis: | The reproduction of raptors strongly depends on food resources. It is unclear whether predators experience superabundant food during cyclic peaks of prey populations. In order to test this hypothesis, four pairs of Great Horned Owls Bubo virginianus with two young were subjected to brood size manipulations during high densities of cyclic Snowshoe Hare Lepus americanus populations in southwestern Yukon, Canada. Broods older than 35 days were temporarily enlarged by one, and then by two, young. No effects were observed when one owlet was added, but the addition of two young resulted in significant weight losses in manipulated broods. Females with enlarged broods moved farther from their nest sites at night, presumably reflecting increased hunting effort, and also spent less time near the nest during the day. Food additions to enlarged broods returned the parental behaviour to normal. We conclude that these large predators did not experience superabundant food at this stage of the breeding season during a peak in cyclic prey. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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