Interspecific competition in birds [[electronic resource] /] / André A Dhondt

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910458003103321
• Autore: Dhondt André A
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Oxford, : Oxford University Press, 2011
• ISBN: 1-283-42679-X; 9786613426796; 0-19-162529-9
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (295 p.)
• Collana: Oxford avian biology series ; ; v. 2
• Disciplina: 598.156
• Soggetti: Birds; Electronic books.
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Cover; Contents; Introduction; 1.1 The study of biotic interactions in nature; 1.2 Criticism as to the importance of interspecific competition; 1.3 Tits to the rescue; 1.4 The paradox of competition as illustrated by Kluijver and Lack; 1.5 The conflict on the importance of interspecific competition in North America; 1.6 Conclusions; 2 Definitions, models, and how to measure the existence of interspecific competition; 2.1 Definitions: effects on individuals or populations?; 2.2 Models and equations: logistic, theta logistic, and Lotka-Volterra; 2.3 Conclusions; 2.4 The structure of the rest of the book 3 Space as a limiting resource; 3.1 Introduction; 3.2 The Buffer Hypothesis was developed from studies of tit populations and is probably generally important; 3.3 Winter social organization determines when space is limiting; 3.4 Interspecific territoriality; 3.5 Conclusions; 4 Food as a limiting resource; 4.1 Introduction; 4.2 The classical case of beech mast: correlation is not causation; 4.3 Experimental evidence that food does actually influence winter survival or the size of the following breeding population; 4.4 Behavioural responses to winter cold and predation risk: costs and benefits of flocking 4.5 Individual responses to managing body fat reserves in the context of food availability and predator presence; 4.6 Pre-breeding food supplementation effects on reproduction; 4.7 Food manipulations during the breeding season; 4.8 Predation by birds and ; other taxa can reduce food availability and thus have indirect effects; 4.9 Food supplementation experiments as a conservation tool; 4.10 Conclusions; 5 Nest sites as a limiting resource; 5.1 Are nest sites limiting in cup-nesting species?; 5.2 Are cavities limiting for cavity nesters? 5.3 Are cavities in natural forests superabundant?; 5.4 Studies of nest web communities; 5.5 Conclusions; 6 The effect of intraspecific competition on population processes; 6.1 Intraspecific competition seems to be generally important in birds; 6.2 Case studies show variation in what processes are affected by density-dependence; 6.3 Density-dependence in introduced populations; 6.4 Mechanisms resulting in density-dependence: the importance of habitat heterogeneity; 6.5 Density-dependence in titmice; 6.6 Conclusion; 7 Studies of foraging niches and food 7.1 The early studies of foraging behaviour emphasized differences between species; 7.2 In the 1970's observational arguments were used to document the existence of interspecific competition. These arguments only convinced the believers; 7.3 Field and cage experiments provided conclusive evidence as to the effect of interspecific interactions on the foraging niches used; 7.4 Measures of fitness-related traits are needed, however, to prove the existence of interspecific competition; 7.5 The story of the coal tit on Gotland: alternative explanations can be right
• Sommario/riassunto: In nature there exist three main types of biotic interactions between individuals of different species: competition, predation, and mutualism. All three exert powerful selection pressures, and all three shape communities. However, the question of how important interspecific competition in nature really is remains controversial and unresolved. This book provides a critical and exhaustive review of the topic. Although the examples are limited mostly to birds (interspecific competition and community structure have been exhaustively studied in this animal group, and a lot of experimental data are a...