Egg predation and egg predator diversity in forest and open habitat of the Monteverde region, August 2006

Alternative Title

La depredación del huevo y la diversidad de depredadores de huevos en el bosque y el hábitat abierto de la región de Monteverde

Creator

Julia Benson

Files

Publication Date

August 2006

Abstract

As habitats continue to be destroyed and fragmentation decreases the number of large predators, intermediate predators are expected to thrive. To further investigate whether the intermediate predator hypothesis applies to open areas in addition to edges, the difference in the amount of egg predation and the egg predator diversity in the forest and open habitat of the Monteverde region was tested. Each night three clusters of eggs with three quail eggs and three fake plasticine eggs were placed in each habitat. Results showed a significant difference between the total number of real eggs removed from the two habitats, (Chi-squared test, 2 = 5.373, p = 0.0205, n = 2) but there was no difference between the number of eggs removed each night between the two habitats (Sign test, p > 0.05). It is thought that fewer eggs are removed from the open area because other, more preferred food sources such as gardens and compost exist in the open area.

Resumen

Como los hábitats siguen siendo destruidos y la fragmentación disminuye el número de los depredadores grandes, se espera que los depredadores intermedios prosperen. Con el fin de investigar si la hipótesis de los depredadores intermedios es valida en áreas abiertas al igual que en los bordes, se examinó la diferencia entre la cantidad de depredación de huevos y la diversidad de depredadores de huevos en el bosque y en el hábitat abierto en la región de Monteverde.

Keywords

Fragmented landscapes, Predatory animals--Ecology, Species diversity, CIEE Summer 2006

Palabras claves

Paisajes fragmentados, Animales depredadores--Ecología, Diversidad de especies, CIEE Verano 2006

Extent

10 pages

Geographic Location

Monteverde (Puntarenas, Costa Rica)

Holding Location

Monteverde Institute

Language

English; Spanish

Media Type

Articles

Format

Digital Only

Identifier

M39-00302

Type

Book

Recommended Citation

Benson, Julia, "Egg predation and egg predator diversity in forest and open habitat of the Monteverde region, August 2006" (2006). Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation. 268.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tropical_ecology/268