The goal of this study was to investigate the behaviour of rainbow trout(n=30),Oncorhynchus mykiss,in small raceways when either self-feeders(T2) or hand-feeding(t2) were used.The method of food delivery in T2 was def...The goal of this study was to investigate the behaviour of rainbow trout(n=30),Oncorhynchus mykiss,in small raceways when either self-feeders(T2) or hand-feeding(t2) were used.The method of food delivery in T2 was defensible while that of t2 was indefensible.Fish in both raceways were subjected to restricted feeding(RF) for 25 days.Food was available in the morning(09:00-10:00) in the downstream area and in the afternoon(16:00-17:00) in the upstream area of the raceways.The results showed that the behaviour of rainbow trout was significantly different under interference competition(T2) for food compared with that under scramble competition(t2).RF in T2 fish limited food availability to meal times when feeding rewards were available while t2 fish only responded to the location of food delivery.The aggressive fish in T2 were dominant,and t2 fish at high densities showed intense social interactions under the indefensible pattern of food distribution;these interactions did not dampen to a minimum level to suppress the development of dominance hierarchies.Further,the stocking density did not break down the dominance hierarchies between the T2 fish.This suggests that decreased efficiency in the search for food or inefficient foraging,induced by interference competition at high densities,affected the behaviour of rainbow trout.展开更多
Mammalian carnivores are rarely considered for environmental reconstructions because they are extremely adaptable and their geographic range is usually large. However, the functional morphology of carnivore long bones...Mammalian carnivores are rarely considered for environmental reconstructions because they are extremely adaptable and their geographic range is usually large. However, the functional morphology of carnivore long bones can be indicative of locomotor behaviour as well as adaptation to specific kind of habitats. Here, different long bone ratios belonging to a subsample of extant large carnivores are used to infer palaeoecology of a comparative sample of Plio-Pleistocene fossils belonging to Italian paleo-communities. A multivariate long bone shape space reveals similarities between extant and fossil carnivores and multiple logistic regression models suggest that specific indices （the brachial and the Mt/F） can be applied to predict adaptations to grassland and tropical biomes. These functional indices exhibit also a phylogenetic signal to different degree. The brachial index is a significant predictor of adaptations to tropical biomes when phylogeny is taken into account, while Mt/F is not correlated anymore to habitat adaptations. However, the proportion of grassland-adapted carnivores in Italian paleo-communities exhibits a negative relationship with mean oxygen isotopic values, which are indicative of past climatic oscillations. As climate became more unstable during the Ice Ages, large carnivore guilds from the Italian peninsula were invaded by tropical/closed-adapted species. These species take advantage of the temperate forest cover that was more spread after 1.0 Ma than in the initial phase of the Quaternary （2.0 Ma） when the climate was more arid [Current Zoology 57 （3）： 269-283, 2011].展开更多
文摘The goal of this study was to investigate the behaviour of rainbow trout(n=30),Oncorhynchus mykiss,in small raceways when either self-feeders(T2) or hand-feeding(t2) were used.The method of food delivery in T2 was defensible while that of t2 was indefensible.Fish in both raceways were subjected to restricted feeding(RF) for 25 days.Food was available in the morning(09:00-10:00) in the downstream area and in the afternoon(16:00-17:00) in the upstream area of the raceways.The results showed that the behaviour of rainbow trout was significantly different under interference competition(T2) for food compared with that under scramble competition(t2).RF in T2 fish limited food availability to meal times when feeding rewards were available while t2 fish only responded to the location of food delivery.The aggressive fish in T2 were dominant,and t2 fish at high densities showed intense social interactions under the indefensible pattern of food distribution;these interactions did not dampen to a minimum level to suppress the development of dominance hierarchies.Further,the stocking density did not break down the dominance hierarchies between the T2 fish.This suggests that decreased efficiency in the search for food or inefficient foraging,induced by interference competition at high densities,affected the behaviour of rainbow trout.
文摘Mammalian carnivores are rarely considered for environmental reconstructions because they are extremely adaptable and their geographic range is usually large. However, the functional morphology of carnivore long bones can be indicative of locomotor behaviour as well as adaptation to specific kind of habitats. Here, different long bone ratios belonging to a subsample of extant large carnivores are used to infer palaeoecology of a comparative sample of Plio-Pleistocene fossils belonging to Italian paleo-communities. A multivariate long bone shape space reveals similarities between extant and fossil carnivores and multiple logistic regression models suggest that specific indices （the brachial and the Mt/F） can be applied to predict adaptations to grassland and tropical biomes. These functional indices exhibit also a phylogenetic signal to different degree. The brachial index is a significant predictor of adaptations to tropical biomes when phylogeny is taken into account, while Mt/F is not correlated anymore to habitat adaptations. However, the proportion of grassland-adapted carnivores in Italian paleo-communities exhibits a negative relationship with mean oxygen isotopic values, which are indicative of past climatic oscillations. As climate became more unstable during the Ice Ages, large carnivore guilds from the Italian peninsula were invaded by tropical/closed-adapted species. These species take advantage of the temperate forest cover that was more spread after 1.0 Ma than in the initial phase of the Quaternary （2.0 Ma） when the climate was more arid [Current Zoology 57 （3）： 269-283, 2011].
