Samples of phytobenthos were collected during three different seasons in 2005 along a linear transect of a lowland peat bog at various spatial scales (10 cm, 1 m, 10 m) to investigate the seasonal dynamics, diversity, and factors influencing the spatial patterns of microalgal communities. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), similarity percentage (SIMPER) analyses, ANOSIM, Mantel tests a...

Understanding predator-prey dynamics requires an understanding of how prey assess predation risk. This study tested the effect of microhabitat, moon stages, and mammalian predator urines (Vulpes vulpes [Red Fox], Mustela vison [Mink], and Procyon lotor [Raccoon]) on the degree of predation risk perceived by Peromyscus leucopus (White-footed Mouse). Giving-up densities from artifi cial food patc...

Terrestrial snails choose their microhabitat according to a number of environmental factors. We evaluated the effect of light intensity and substratum complexity on microhabitat preference of the terrestrial snail Helix aspersa using a multi-factorial design. The snails were offered two levels of light intensity and two types of structural complexity, hence 16 treatments in total were used: 12 ...

Phrynus longipes (Pocock 1894) is a top predator among arboreal invertebrates in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico, but many aspects of its ecology remain poorly understood. We sampled four of the most abundant tree species in the Luquillo Mountains during the dry and wet seasons of 2008 to evaluate microhabitat preferences of this species. In the dry season, P. longipes occurred significan...

We investigated the relationship between red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) reproductive success and microhabitat characteristics in a southeastern loblolly (Pinus taeda) and shortleaf (P. echinata) pine forest. From 1997 to 1999, we recorded reproductive success parameters of 41 red-cockaded woodpecker groups at the Bienville National Forest, Mississippi. Microhabitat characteristics ...

—I compared vegetation and substrate characteristics at capture locations of three syntopic species of pocket mice (Chaetodipus: Heteromyidae) to determine differences in microhabitat affinities of these ecologically similar rodents in coastal Baja California, México. Principal components analysis revealed that capture locations of C. spinatus had disproportionately higher cover of medium and l...

The Mediterranean gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) is an introduced nocturnal lizard that often can be seen on and around buildings in the southern United States and in its native Old World range. However, little is known about the factors that determine its selection of microhabitat, except that it does not actively thermoregulate. For example, geckos may forage near lights due to presence of hig...

This study evaluated the ectoparasite distribution on the gill archs of pond-reared pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus Holmberg, 1887), hybrid patinga (P. mesopotamicus female x P. brachypomus (Cuvier, 1817) male), hybrid tambacu (Colossoma macropomum (Cuvier, 1816) female x P. mesopotamicus male) and hybrid surubim (Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum female x P. corruscans Spix & Agassiz, 1829 male). A t...

Species diversity is correlated with structural complexity in many animal communities; however, experimental tests of the mechanisms underlying this important relationship are rare, especially in terrestrial communities. We manipulated physical features of the habitat of gecko lizards and measured the effect on exploitation competition for insects. Increasing both the dispersion of food resourc...