Biofilm feeding by shorebirds: empirical studies on adaptive morphology and behavior

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24370016
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: National Institute of Maritime, Port and Aviation Technology (2016); Port and Airport Research Institute (2012-2015)
• Principal Investigator: Tomohiro Kuwae 国立研究開発法人海上・港湾・航空技術研究所, 港湾空港技術研究所, グループ長 (40359229)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 一見 和彦 香川大学, 学内共同利用施設等, 准教授 (70363182)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 行動生態 / 海洋生態 / 食物網 / 進化生態 / 群集生態

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Previous our studies have revealed for the first time that biofilm on the surface of tidal flat sediments serves as a major food source for small sandpipers, causing a paradigm shift in the food web structure of tidal flat ecosystems. In order to extend this new research field dealing with the bird-biofilm direct linkage to the central field of ecology, i.e., food web structure and functioning, we performed field observations, mesocosm experiments, and analyses combining ecology, physiology, morphology, and phylogeny. Namely, our study focused on the reasonable explanation of the biofilm feeding by shorebirds from the viewpoint of optimum foraging theory and adaptive evolution of individual-level traits.

Free Research Field

沿岸生態学，沿岸生元素循環，沿岸環境工学