• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.149-155
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the feeding efficiency of the cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) and the intermediate egret (Ardea intermedia) in relation to the stage of rice culture during two breeding seasons, 2006 and 2007, in Asan city, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. Cattle egrets caught mainly small invertebrate prey (insects and spiders, 98.4%) during all stages of rice cultivation, and had a higher prey capture rate in the plowing stage (14.98 prey/min) than in other stages (2.82-3.51 prey/min). Therefore, the biomass intake rate of cattle egrets was highest in the plowing stage. The intermediate egret captured both loaches (43.4%) and small invertebrates (50.6%). The prey capture rates of intermediate egrets increased gradually from the flooding stage (0.38 prey/min) to the planting stage (1.09 prey/min), and decreased in the growing stage (1.04 prey/min). However, intermediate egrets had the highest biomass intake rates in the plowing stage because more loaches were caught in the plowing stage (0.54 loaches/min) than other stages (0.23-0.36 loaches/min). Consequently, both intermediate egrets and cattle egrets had high energy intakes in the plowing stage and rice fields provided an important feeding habitat for both species.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.357-363
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• 2011

To examine factors affecting feeding efficiency of grey herons (Ardea cinerea), the foraging behavior was studied at a reservoir in Asan city, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea during the breeding seasons (from April to July) of 2006 and 2007. Four factors (age of foraging birds, time of day, breeding stage, and microhabitat type) were analyzed. Adults were more efficient foragers than recently fledged juveniles, and they had a higher success rate than juveniles. About half of the adults caught large prey, whereas most juveniles caught only small prey. Adult grey herons had different feeding efficiency according to the breeding stage. Pecking and capture rates were high during the late period (fledging stage), and biomass intake rates were high during the early (incubating stage) and late periods. However, time of day had no significant effect on foraging activity of adult grey herons. Feeding activities of adult grey herons also showed significant variation among microhabitat types. Pecking and capture rates were higher in the submerged plants area, but capture success rate and biomass intake rate were not different according to microhabitat type.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.161-165
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• 1999

Nephila clavata, a golden orb-web spider, was studied at two different field sites with respect to web size, height, and orientation. A majority of spiders at Site 1 (a band of shrub bush) built their webs parallel or nearly parallel to the edge of the bush. Similarly, at Site 2 (near a pond), most webs were aligned with the shoreline of the pond. Among the possible determining factors for the observed patterns of web orientation, wind and light did not appear important. Instead, the movement direction of insect prey appeared largely responsible. Disproportionately more webs faced outside the bush and toward the pond than inside the bush and away from the pond at Site 1 and 2, respectively. Such trend was more apparent for larger spiders with larger webs.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.79-86
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• 2002

This study is the first attempt to understand the feeding physiology of a sea-urchin larva on a red-tide dinoflagellate. Fifteen day old larvae of S. intermedius capture C. polykrikoides cells by localized reversal of ciliary beats. No failure to transporte the algal cells from theciliated band to mouth and no rejection at the mouth suggest that C. polykrikoides has no feeding deterrence to S. intermedius larvae. The trend obtained for the clearance rate of S. intermedius larvae is similar to that of other sea urchin larvae. Thus, the clearance rate decreased as the algal concentration increased. Maximum clearance rate of S. intermedius on C. polykrikoides was 17.7 $\mu l$/larva/hr. Ingestion rate rapidly increased at lower algal concentrations and saturated at higher concentrations. There was no inhibition in ingestion rate at the highest prey concentration of ca. 3000 cells/ml. Maximum ingestion rate of S. intermedius on C. polykrikoides was 131 ngC/larva/d, which is higher than that reported for the larvae of the mussel Mytilus gal-lotrovincialis, but lower than that of the ciliate Strombidinopsis sp. The grazing rate, calculated by combining the field data on algal abundances with experimental data on ingestion rate, suggests that due to its low abundance, sea urchin Iarva has no significant grazing impact on C. polykrikoides population.