Gluttonous predators: how to estimate prey size when there are too many prey

Brazilian Journal of Biology

Ms. Araújo²  A. Pinheiro¹  Sf. Reis² 

[1] ,Universidade Estadual de Campinas Instituto de Biologia Departamento de ParasitologiaCampinas SP ,Brazil

关键词: prey size;    estimation;    precision;    bootstrap;    Eupemphix nattereri;    tamanho de presa;    estimação;    precisão;    bootstrap;    Eupemphix nattereri;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S1519-69842008000200012

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

Prey size is an important factor in food consumption. In studies of feeding ecology, prey items are usually measured individually using calipers or ocular micrometers. Among amphibians and reptiles, there are species that feed on large numbers of small prey items (e.g. ants, termites). This high intake makes it difficult to estimate prey size consumed by these animals. We addressed this problem by developing and evaluating a procedure for subsampling the stomach contents of such predators in order to estimate prey size. Specifically, we developed a protocol based on a bootstrap procedure to obtain a subsample with a precision error of at the most 5%, with a confidence level of at least 95%. This guideline should reduce the sampling effort and facilitate future studies on the feeding habits of amphibians and reptiles, and also provide a means of obtaining precise estimates of prey size.

【 授权许可】

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