Comparative analysis of long-eared owl (Asio otus) winter diet from two european cities – Chisinau (Republic of Moldova) and Bacau (Romania)
Journal Title: One Health & Risk Management - Year 2020, Vol 1, Issue 1
Abstract
ntroduction. Many rodent species are important pests for agriculture and for urban areas. The long-eared owl is a predator that exerts constant pressure on rodent density. Material and methods. The studies were performed in winters of 2011-2013 in the cities of Chisinau and Bacau, where 599 and 82 pellets of Asio otus were collected, respectively. The prey items were identified from cranial bones extracted from pellets. Results. Long-eared owl’s diet in both sites consists of mammals and birds, with rodents being the dominant trophic component. The Microtus species were the main prey with the abundance ≥70% in both sites. In Chisinau a high proportion of Mus species was registered in the diet. The total biomass of prey constituted 43 953 g in Chisinau and 7 038 in Bacau. The highest biomass belongs to Microtus species, with 31 710 g and 5 220 g, respectively. The trophic niche width in Chisinau constituted 0.089 and varied monthly from 0.058 to 0.28. In Bacau the WTNs was of 0.134 and varied slightly among the study months. Conclusions. The rodents were the main trophic source and constituted ≥96% in both sites. The prey diversity was higher in Chisinau, that was due to a larger city territory and to a higher number of wintering long-eared owls. The close values of trophic niche width in Chisinau and Bacau confirmed the high hunting specialization of the long-eared owl.
Authors and Affiliations
Victoria NISTREANU*, Dalia PARASCHIV, Alina LARION
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP683652
- DOI 10.5281/zenodo.3701168
- Views 256
- Downloads 0
Global health education experience of a multidisciplinary curriculum at Rouen school of medicine, France
Introduction. The interest in Global Health (HG) as an academic discipline has increased in the last decade. The Rouen School of Medicine is one of the first to offer a GH curriculum in France. The objective was to ident...
Peculiarities of extraction of β-lactoglobuline in protein mineral concentrates at electroactivation of whey
Introduction. Whey is a by-product and an excellent source of proteins that is rather aggressive due to a large amount of organic substances it contains. The electro-activation of whey applied in the experiments is a was...
The influence of cultivation temperature on some phenotypic traits of yersinia pseudotuberculosis
ntroduction. Some causative agents of sapro-zoonotic infections can multiply in the external environment (water reservoirs, soils, plants), as well as in animals, including microorganisms of the genus Yersinia. Material...
Major behavioral risk factors for road traffic injuries
Introduction. Road traffic injuries are a major public health problem, ranking 8th in the leading causes of death and are forecasted to rank 5th by 2030 worldwide. Children, pedestrians, cyclists and the elderly remain a...
Comparative assessment of clinical-paraclinical manifestations of rotavirus infection versus genotypical variety in infants
Introduction. RVI (rotavirus infection) is the most common cause of dehydration in infants and young children. The implementation of the sentinel surveillance of RVI in infants from 2008 in the Republic of Moldova demons...