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Metabolic costs of reproduction in vertebrates, particularly in reptiles
Kukačková, Dominika ; Kratochvíl, Lukáš (advisor) ; Hořák, David (referee)
Animal reproduction involves energy expenditures for gamete formation, support of offspring development, and associated behavioural changes. Due to high variability in reproductive traits, reptiles are the ideal study group for this field. Investment in reproductive organs and gametes represent costs of sex products production. The next phase of reproduction is gestation, when females support their developing offspring, which results in additional metabolic costs. Metabolism of pregnant female can be viewed as a sum of resting metabolism, which is the same as in non-pregnant animal, of increased metabolism to support pregnancy, and of embryonic metabolism. Separation of each component is crucial for assessing energy costs of reproduction and for comparison of different reproductive strategies. Certain behavioural changes during reproduction can influence total energy balance as well. These changes include increased locomotion costs or shifts in the thermoregulatory behaviour. Estimation of the real costs of reproduction is a complex matter since a reproduction is a very dynamic process and there are many issues that influence the overall energy consumption of reproducing individuals.
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Spatial variability in population structure of wintering Ducks
Prokešová, Erika ; Musil, Petr (advisor) ; Hořák, David (referee)
5 Abstract This thesis is aimed at spatial variability of population structure of our four most common and the most numerous species of ducks wintering in the Czech Republic. These analysed species are Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula), Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) and Northern Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula). The field data were collected by January International Waterbird Census in the Czech Republic between 2004 and 2013. Analysed habitat variables include: type of wetland, altitude, population size, level of urbanisation (size of settlement) and mean January air temperature in the investigated site. There was found no significant effect of type of wetland and local population density on population structure in any of these bird species. The next factor, altitude of sites was confirmed as significant only for Mallards, when increasing altitude decreased proportion of males in the population. Furthermore, effect of urbanization was found also in Mallard, when proportions of males increased with level of urbanization, i.e. in larger cities. Finally, , temperature of sites was confirmed to be significant factor affecting population size in the three analyzed species, i.e. in Mallard, Tufted Duck and Northern Goldeneye. Except Common Merganser, ratio of males grew with...
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Effect of breeding fidelity on reproductive sukccess of diving ducks
Kejzlarová, Tereza ; Musil, Petr (advisor) ; Hořák, David (referee)
Breeding site fidelity and its effect on reproductive success was investigated in two diving ducks species, i.e. Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) and Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) in the Trebon region and the surroundings using caught and individually marked females, searching for nests, and monitoring of marked individuals and its broods. In both studied species, the fidelity ratio (apparent survival, MARK software) was around 65 %. Evaluating the influencing factors, impact of previous reproductive success in the phase of rearing ducklings was found to be the only one statistically significant factor. Furthermore, we compared reproductive parameters (i.e clutch size, laying date, reproductive success) in the first and subsequent year of study. The statistically significant relationship was found between the timing of nesting in the first and in any subsequent year in the Tufted Duck . When comparing the reproductive success in relation to hatched or unhatched clutches and reared or not reared ducklings, we do not confirm any significant shift. Successful females were not able to improve or even repeat their reproductive success in the following years, which could result in subsequent lower degree of fidelity. Subsequently, there is a female dispersion and reduction of the reproductive success of...
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Abundance-distribution relationship: the importance of ecological specialization
Farkač, Jan ; Hořák, David (advisor) ; Reif, Jiří (referee)
6 Abstract The relationship between local abundance and regional distribution is a widespread ecological pattern. It is frequently reported to be positive, however exceptions have been evidenced. But the explanation is not clear at all. There are many of mechanisms explaining this relationship, from those related to statistical issues, those explaining it by metapopulation dynamics, to rates of ecological specialization, which are the most frequently considered. But it is likely that certain mechanisms work together. One of the principal hypotheses is the resource breadth hypothesis, which claims that generalists tend to be more abundant and widespread whereas specialists occur in small range and less abundant. There are two ecological relationships linked to ecological specialization. It is a niche breadth-range size relationship and niche breadth-abundance relationship. While the former is well documented, the information about latter is rather scarce. This thesis sums up existing studies about distribution-abundance relationship with a special focus on importance of ecological specialization. Key words: geographical distribution, local density, niche breadth, ecological specialization
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Ecological links between morphology and habitat selection in passerines
Bovšková, Denisa ; Hořák, David (advisor) ; Klvaňa, Petr (referee)
The thesis is focused on relations between avian morphology and habitat selection. This is a summary of comparative studies, dealing this problematics in closely related groups of passerines. Generally, we can classify species to two main groups according to habitat preferences. Aerial species have longer wings probably as a result of adaptation on move in the air and open spaces. In contrast, ground species have generally longer legs as adaptation for running on the ground and pedal locomotion. Longer tarsi are also documented in ground species living in vegetation cover. Species which prefer tall vegetation have short leg probably for better move in branches. Less pronounced morphological differences further reflect habitat preferences at smaller spatial scales within habitat types mentioned above. In addition, some studies reveal that morphological variation reported frequently as reflecting adaptations to feeding preferences shows some links to environmental variation (substrate structure) independent of diet composition, such as bill morphology. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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Ecological traits of vertebrates along elevations
Schovánková, Hana ; Hořák, David (advisor) ; Kubička, Lukáš (referee)
Animals that live in different altitudes are exposed to different environmental conditions. Among others, ambient temperature, precipitation and availability of resources change along an elevational gradient. An adaptation of vertebrates to these conditions causes that in populations or species that live in higher altitudes individual ecological traits evolves to a different degree than in those that live in lower altitudes. Studies suggest that vertebrates that live in higher altitudes usually have shorter active and breeding season, reach larger body size and weight, have slower growth, have smaller clutches or litters, mature at later age and live longer. However, almost in all traits we can find opposite trends. In all vertebrate groups similar changes in traits occur. However, some traits aren`t explored in all groups, for example grow of birds and mammals. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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Incubation effort in Common Pochard and its determinants
Drekslerová, Šárka ; Hořák, David (advisor) ; Musil, Petr (referee)
Incubation of avian eggs is an energy demanding process. Incubating parent faces a conflict between investment into optimal thermal conditions for developig embryos and meeting of own energy requirements. This applies especially in uniparental incubators such as ducks. During incubation, female utilizes energy from fat storage or actual food intake. The proportion of energy used from food than may reflect the time spent by female on the nest. The utilizing of these both sources ratio plays a role in time spent on nest. The aim of the thesis was to describe an incubation rhythm in females of Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) and relate them to climatic variables and changes in body mass. Data were collecetd for three years in the Poodříí Landscape Protected Area at free-living females. We placed a weighting mechanism under the nest with conected datalogger recording voltage variations, which offered me an information about female body mass and time and duration of recesses. Incubation rhytm of females was described by time spent on time ("incubation constancy"), recess frequency and recess duration. Females left the nest most grequently at night-time and during dawn and dusk. Probable explanation of this pattern is better food availability in the night-time and lower risk of nest predation by predators...
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Relationship between functional and species diversity of birds in South Africa
Džamba, Roman ; Hořák, David (advisor) ; Šímová, Irena (referee)
Species distribution and composition of bird communities of South Africa is not accidental, but is influenced by environmental conditions, habitat structure, and natural history of the area. Functional traits of the species (morphology, dietary strategies or reproductive parameters) give information on how the individuals interact with the environment they live in. The description of the functional characteristics, expose specific adaptations and the role of the species in the studied ecosystem. On the basis of functional characteristics we are able to estimate functional diversity of studied community. The spatial variability of species and functional diversity allocates longitudinal gradient. Regarding the morphological and reproductive parameters that are continuous in nature and more species- specific, we observe a faster increase in functional diversity. Considering the feeding preferences that are categorical and show a limited number of levels, a modest increase in functional diversity apparent is. Dietary functional diversity is more evenly distributed. Relationship between the functional and species diversity can provide us with information about how species are added to the community or answer the question to what extent the higher number of species requires more ecological space. The...
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Hatching synchrony in birds
Tippeltová, Zuzana ; Hořák, David (advisor) ; Riegert, Jan (referee)
This bachelor thesis is about hatching synchrony in birds. Generally, among birds there are two types of hatching - asynchronous and synchronous- and the type of hatching is primarily determined by the time of the onset of incubation. In many bird species, including most precocial ones, incubation does not begin until the last egg has been laid, which results in hatching of all the eggs within a few hours. In synchronously-hatched broods, all the chicks are about the same age. Thus no single individual has an advantage in size or strength over any of its siblings in the nest. The survival probability is then similar for all chicks which maximizes number of fledglings under favourable condition. In contrast many species of birds begin to incubate as soon as the first eggs is laid and hatch their eggs asynchronously over a period of days or weeks, handicapping last-hatched chicks with an age and size disadvantage. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain why female birds start to incubate before clutch completion and some of those suggest that asynchronous hatching is a parental strategy for raising the largest number of offspring that food resources will allow when the abundance of food for the chicks cannot be predicted at the time that eggs are laid. The selective pressures leading to the evolution of...
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