|
Titre :
|
Stripping eggs from large mole crabs (Emerita spp.): a feeding strategy in migratory Whimbrels (Numenius hudsonicus) and breeding American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) (2025)
|
|
Auteurs :
|
Lyn A. Brown, Auteur ;
Seabird McKeon, Auteur ;
Erica Nol, Auteur
|
|
Type de document :
|
Article
|
|
Dans :
|
Wilson Journal of Ornithology (The) (137(1) March, 2025)
|
|
Article en page(s) :
|
1-10
|
|
Mots-clés:
|
Digestion rate model
;
ave playera
;
cuello de botella digestivo
;
digestive bottleneck
;
foraging preference
;
invertebrado marino
;
marine invertebrate
;
modelo de tasa digestiva
;
preferencia de forrajeo
;
shorebird
|
|
Résumé :
|
Many shorebirds experience digestive bottlenecks, where they can intake energy at faster rates than they can process it, which forces individuals to take digestive pauses during foraging. Some individuals selectively strip soft-bodied parts of invertebrate prey and leave the exoskeleton uneaten to increase prey digestibility. Here we describe migratory Whimbrels (Numenius hudsonicus) in Oregon, USA, and breeding American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) in Virginia, USA, stripping and eating eggs from mole crabs (Emerita spp.), and explore the relationship between size of the prey and this behavior. We also examined the prevalence of egg stripping in American Oystercatchers and whether it was associated with diet. We lacked data to examine the prevalence of egg stripping in Whimbrels (n = 41 Pacific mole crabs [Emerita analoga]). About 10% of Atlantic mole crabs (Emerita talpoida; n = 554) had their eggs stripped by 11 American Oystercatchers. Both American Oystercatchers and Whimbrels targeted larger mole crabs for egg stripping. Egg stripping did not significantly increase prey handling time for American Oystercatchers, nor was it associated with diet specialization. The low prevalence of egg stripping might be explained by individual prey preferences or the satiation state of individuals. Future research could identify the satiation point at which American Oystercatchers switch from ingesting mole crabs whole to stripping the eggs from mole crabs. Whimbrels and American Oystercatchers appear to follow the digestive rate model of foraging, where they minimize cumulative foraging time by selecting easily digestible mole crab eggs. Highly digestible and nutrient-rich mole crab eggs may help to drive energetically intensive migratory and breeding behaviors in shorebirds.
|
|
En ligne :
|
https://doi.org/10.1080/15594491.2025.2463837
|
