Lab-14 Owl Pellets Lab BackgroundEcosystems are made up of different animals. These animals are called populations.

Populations are all of the animals of the same species in side one ecosystem. These animals have to live together in order for each to survive. They can have symbiotic relationships where two animals work together so that both benefit, one benefits while the other is not affected, and the last type of relation where one benefits and the other is harmed. These are called respectively, mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. Another type of relationship can be competition. This is when two animals of the same species or of different species fight over a resource. This can cause extinction or evolution. One of the most common relationships though is predator-prey. Predators have to eat prey to retain energy. Prey does not want to be eaten so it has to defend itself. This can include using toxins, hiding in numbers, using aposematic coloration which is using bright colors to show you are a threat or mimicry. The two types of mimicry are batesian and mullerian. Batesian is where a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species directed at a common predator. Mullerian is when two or more poisonous species, that may or may not be closely related and share one or more common predators, have come to mimic each other's warning signals. Question- What Animals can be found in Owl Pellets? ResearchEster J. Popovi, Olivera N. Bjeli-abrilo, and Kristina R. Tepavac put forth an experiment to compare what is inside the pellet of the long-eared owl and the barn owl (Popovi, Bjeliabrilo & Tepavac, 2010). Two methods were employed, traps and pellet analysis (Popovi, Bjeli-abrilo & Tepavac, 2010). A basic trap was placed in a clover field. The trap was (100 x 100 m) and was able to attract owls with the use of corn, wheat and soybean (Popovi, Bjeliabrilo & Tepavac, 2010). Up to 20 owls were caught and tallied (Popovi, Bjeli-abrilo & Tepavac, 2010). The pellets were collected inside the traps. A total of 173 pellets were collected (Popovi, Bjeli-abrilo & Tepavac, 2010). 93 belonged to the long-eared owl and 80 to the barn owl. Only the intact parts of the pellet were analyzed. The pellet was broken apart. The bones and other organic materials were tallied up. 409 small mammals were found inside the pellets (Popovi, Bjeli-abrilo & Tepavac, 2010). 347 individuals were recorded by analyzing owl pellets and 62 were found in traps (Popovi, Bjeli-abrilo & Tepavac, 2010). Every single animal found was a small rodent of some kind. 1. Measurements of the Pellet o Length of owl pellet- 5.5 Cm o Width of owl pellet- 2.5 Cm o Mass of owl pellet- 8.6 Grams

2. Fur and feathers are visible, but only slightly. They make up the majority of the inside, but are so tightly compact it is hard to tell. Bones FoundBone Skull Jaw Scapula Forelimb Hindlimb Pelvic Bone Rib Vertebrae Analysis1. The digestive system is able to eat small animals, but is also weak enough not to eat the feathers or fur of these animals. The stomach is able to process the meat and organs, but the bones or feathers are not able to be fully digested. 2. Inside of the owl pellet small animals can be found. These animals are probably detritivores trying to breakdown the pellet as a food source. A few of these detritivores were small bugs that would crawl around once the pellet was opened. 3. It would be expected that the seagulls pellet would not have feathers or fur, but more scales. The seagull probably eats more fish than other birds. There probably would still be detritivores inside of the pellet. 4. Even though the eagle or other birds of prey have better claws and are quicker, it is doubtful that their stomach would be as advanced. The raptors have to cut their meal into little halves. By doing this they are avoiding the fur and bones. The eagles stomach is not prepared to handle more complex parts like that. Therefore, it is weaker in comparisons to an owl. 5.

Type Shrew, Bird, Rodent Rodent, Mole Mole Bird Bird, Rodent Mole, Shrew Shrew, Mole, Bird Rodent Shrew

Number 3 2 3 1 2 2 12 3

F. In the personal pellet; shrews, rodent, moles, and birds were all found. G. 3+5+8+3+6+2=27 3/27= 0.111111111 5/27= 0.185185185 8/27= 0.296296296 3/27= 0.111111111 6/27= 0.222222222 2/27= 0.074074074 27/27= 1

Percent of Total Prey

7% 11% Deer Mouse/ Rodent Shrew 19% Mole/Vole Rat 11% 30% Bird Other

22%

ObservationsPrey Animals Deer Mouse/ Rodent Shrew Mole/Vole Rat Bird Other Total Post Lab AnalysisNumbers 3 5 8 3 6 2 27 Percent of Total Prey 11.1% 18.5% 29.6% 11.1% 22.2% 7.5% 100%

1. It is evident from the pellet that small rodents or birds make up the barns owl diet. Rodents might be more popular, because they are in more barns. 2. Small mammals can be found in ecosystems that offer small seeds as well as plenty of shade. Owls will come to these locations to hunt the small animals, but also need a place to rest during the day. 3. For the most part animal skeletons are fairly similar to humans. The bones may be different shapes to match the structure of the animals, but they maintain the basic same shape for animals with the basically the same purpose. 4. The animal represented the most is the small rodent. Making 20 of the total amount of skeletons found, the rodents were the most plentiful. Shrews made up 7 of all the skeletons and other small rodents made the other 13. 5. All of these animals happen to be small and easily catchable inside the owls talons. They all have the same basic diet, meaning that they retain a lot of biomass. ReferencesPopovi, E., Bjeli-abrilo, O., & Tepavac, K. (2010). The Fauna of Small Mammals in the Vicinity of Temerin. Department of Biology and Ecology, 110 (36), 55-60.