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The role of nest in reproduction of the Great Reed Warbler
Jelínek, Václav ; Procházka, Petr (advisor) ; Krist, Miloš (referee) ; Trnka, Alfréd (referee)
7 Abstract Bird nests protect eggs and nestlings, allowing the parents to leave their offspring and subsequently return to them. Their thermoregulatory properties reduce energetic costs of incubation and brooding of nestlings. For all these reasons, nests are key structures for the reproduction of a majority of avian species and as such they should be subject to natural selection. Several hypotheses describing selection pressures which affect the size of nests or some of their parts have been suggested. In my PhD thesis, I investigated some of them in the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) - an open nesting passerine species with very variable nest size. For this purpose, I used a large dataset of several hundred measured great reed warbler nests, nest enlargement experiments and an experiment with artificial nests. In accordance with previous studies, we did not find that nest size affects the probability of common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) brood parasitism, while it was influenced by other factors, such as timing of breeding, reed density around the nest and nest visibility from the nearest potential cuckoo perch site. More interestingly, we found that cuckoos adjust their nest-searching strategy in relation to availability of host nests. When host nests were scarce, cuckoos parasitized all of...
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Monitoring of invasive spiny-cheek crayfish in Lipno dam and the evaluation of its predation on chosen fish species.
SALON, František
Astacologic survey took place in ÚN Lipno and was conducted in time from 2012 till 2013. For the actual mapping of the occurrence of spiny-cheek crayfish, the locations of total 17 places were detected. These monitoring areas were carried out in two ways for collecting the samples. The trapping of all individuals was achieved with special instruments, like pots or traps by hands or with the help of nets. For the caught specimens of spiny-cheek crayfish, which were determined by sex, the length of carapace was measured and as well if possible, the postorbital carapace length was taken. Throughout the whole monitoring, 228 individuals of spiny-cheek crayfish were caught in the amount of 107 (47%) females (CL = 21.5 ? 7.3 mm) and 121 (53%) males (CL = 20.1 ? 5 mm). Another aim of this work was to demonstrate that crayfish figure in fish food menu. Catches of fish were carried out in two ways, using fishing rods or into the clutches. The stomachs and intestines contents were analyzed at caught fish samples. If the condition of the contents of stomachs or intestines were allowed, it was also identified, what kind of food it was. For our annual issues, were included mainly species of piscivor fish. Spiny-cheek crayfish were identified in the stomachs of two species of fish, namely perch and pike.
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Different effects of planktonic invertebrate predators and fish on the plankton community in experimental mesocosms
ŠORF, Michal
The impact of fish and cyclopoid copepod predation on zooplankton communities was evaluated using large-volume mesocosms (depth 9.5 m; volume 13 m3) in the Římov reservoir (Czech Republic). Two yearling roach and perch individuals introduced into mesocosms represented the fish treatment, which was compared to cyclopoid copepods (initial abundance of 2 ind.L-1) and a control with no initial addition of predators. Our results clearly support the hypothesis that planktivorous fish feeding leads to the suppression of large-bodied cladocerans. In the presence of fish, the cladoceran community changed from a dominance of large-bodied Daphnia spp. at the beginning to dominance by the smaller Bosmina longirostris at the end of the experiment. The overall strong effect of fish over cyclopoid predation suggests the main role of fish predation in the forming of zooplankton communities and in turn impacting phytoplankton biomass in mesocosms.
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Demonstration of the basic characteristics of population dynamics in the school aquarium synchronization of ecdysis and food availability in a model organism.
HROUDOVÁ, Eva
This bachelor thesis is focused on the synchronization of ecdysis and food availability in semiaquatic bugs Microvelia reticulata (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha). Ecdysis, or molting, is a process when an individual sheds the old cuticle and gradually replaces it by a new one. The main task was to determine whether the ecdysis is influenced by the presence of food. It was also necessary to assess whether such an experiment would be feasible within the school environment. There were 18 cohorts with initial number ca 20 individuals each monitored during this experiment. The cohorts were fed every second day and every day the number of molts and deaths was recorded. Three methods of analysis - 2 test, t-test analysis and nested ANOVA were used for determination whether ecdysis depends on food availability. The results show that the food availability may influence the molting, when higher molting rate was usually in the days without food. It is thus possible M. reticulata nymphs are limited by competition and prefer molting during the food shortage. This long-term experiment is not appropriate in a normal school environment, it is very time and space consuming, and failed to show convincing results.
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How predation risk affects the growth and development of dragonfly larvae?
PEROUTKA, Miroslav
Predation and prey responses to predators in aquatic environment are reviewed with emphasis on non-lethal effect of predators on prey life history, antipredator behavior and related mechanisms. The review focuses on dragonfly larvae and other groups of prey with complex life histories, mainly anurans. The review is complemented by laboratory experiments examining the effects of varied food availability and predation risk on a selected species of dragonfly, Sympetrum vulgatum.
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Trophic relationships between insectivorous birds and insect in Papua New Guinea
TVARDÍKOVÁ, Kateřina
The thesis describes diversity of birds along a complete altitudinal gradient and in forest fragments in lowlands of Papua New Guinea. It focuses separately on the diversity of different feeding guilds, and discusses their links to habitat and food resources. More specifically, it focuses on forest insectivorous birds, their predation pressure on arthropods, feeding specializations and preferences, and some of the ways how insectivores search for food.
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The role of species traits in predator-prey interactions and food web structure
KLEČKA, Jan
This thesis deals with the role of species traits in predator-prey interactions and food web structure. I conducted laboratory experiments with predatory aquatic insects and their prey to reveal the traits determining who eats whom in small standing waters. I also focused on the possibility of incorporating the observed dependence of predator-prey interactions on body mass into existing food web models. Further, I developed a simple simulation model to explore the consequences of body mass dependent feeding and dispersal for food web assembly. Last, I show that four common methods for sampling aquatic insects differ in their selectivity, especially on the basis of body mass of sampled insects. In conclusion, I combined laboratory experiments, field work and mathematical models to evaluate the importance of body mass and other species traits, such as foraging behaviour and microhabitat selectivity, in predator-prey interactions and explored selected food web level consequences.
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Antipredation behaviour of meercats (Suricata suricatta) in the group kept in ZOO Jihlava.
ZÍTKOVÁ, Jana
Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) is a mongoose species from South Africa. Insects are the primary food sources of their diet. Meerkat lives in groups of 2?30 individuals with a developed social structure. The group consists of a dominant pair and a different number of helpers of both sexes, which are involved in various forms of cooperation, for example care for cubs, guard service and maintaince of burrow. Meerkats are at risk of predation by mammalian predators, avian predators and snakes. One meerkat always seems to be a sentry and stands guard to keep the gang safe. When the guard senses danger they give a warning bark and the other members run for cover into their burrow. This study was done from June to September 2011 in zoo in Jihlava on a group of meerkats, which consisted of 13 individuals. There was used the method of direct observation by a scanning behaviour (behaviour sampling). Observation was specialized on sentinel behaviour. The main aim of this work was evaluate the results of observation and then compare this results with behaviour in the wild. By monitoring was demonstrably found, that dominant individuals contributed to guarding more frequently and the longest time and the juveniles contributed at least. There wasn´t set order in guarding. The most often was individually guarding or guarding in a group of 2 or 3 individuals.
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Redundant fingerling of perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) in Vír Reservoir and its impact on other trophic levels
VEJŘÍK, Lukáš
The composition and preferences of depth levels and habitats of pelagic fingerling was studied in the canyon-shaped Vír Reservoir during years 2009-2011. The perch (Perca fluviatilis) fingerling was dominant in all three years. The density of fingerling was above the mean in years 2009 and 2010. It was as many as 278 individuals in 100m3(mean is 52 individuals in 100m3). A marked fall on 1,9 individual in 100m3 was registered in 2011. Perch fingerling was mainly observed in metalimnion during the day and also at night, where concentration of oxygen was very low. The highest density of perch fingerling was observed in the middle part within longitudinal profile. A significant difference was found in food composition among the years with high density and low density of fingerling. A predation of carp (Cyprinus carpio) and bream (Abramis brama) was proved during the years with high density of fingerling.
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