Food habits and preferences of adult cave crickets Rhapidophora sp. (Orthoptera: Rhapidophoridae) in Cave 3-4, Puting Bato, Burdeos, Polilio Island, Quezon

Date

10-2013

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Biology

Major Course

Major in Ecology Genetics

College

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Ireneo L. Lit, Jr.

Abstract

The food habits and preferences of adult cave crickets, Rhapidophora sp. in Cave 3-4, Puting Bato, Burdeos, Polillo Island were determined using gut analyses and conductof free-choice and no-choice feeding tests. Pitfall trapping and Berlese-Tullgren funnel extraction of guano arthropods were also done to gain insights on food items available for the crickets inside the cave and to supplement results from gut analyses. Eighty-seven crickets were dissected. Gut analyses showed that Rhapidophora sp. ingests a variety of food items such as , in guano and insects which constituted majority of the gut contents as well as seeds and feathers. A total of 2, 698 individuals were caught from the pitfall traps and 179 individuals extracted from the guano samples. Majority of families had feeding guilds closely related to guano. Most abundant families from both methods were Cydnidae (Hemiptera), Entomobryidae, Isotomidae and Hypogastruridae (Collembola), Formicidae (Hymenoptera) and Ceratopogonidae (Diptera). These families were all present among the gut contents with the exception of Cydnidae which has an odor that probably repelled Rhapidophora. Collembola having a very thin cuticle, was probably more easily digested such that it was more difficult to distinguish collembolan bits from the rest of the gut contents. Six food items were offered in the feeding tests: (1) insectivorous bat guano which also served as control, (2) fruit bat guano, (3) whip spider, (4) rhapidophorid cricket, (5) gryllid cricket and (6) cockroach. Four substrates were varied which were insectivorous bat guano, fruit bat guano, soil and the plain (no substrate) plastic container. Results showed that presence of small arthropods in insect guano probably encouraged foraging behavior of crickets and that the absence in no-substrate or reduction of small arthropods present in the substrate prompted Rhapidophora to extensively maximize available food items. There was no cannibalism observed as well as minimal to no foraging in fruit bat guano due to its wet consistency, high pH and humidity that reduced activity of crickets. Therefore, Rhapidophora sp. is omnivorous and a generalist in terms of arthropod food items and can be prompted to utilize available food items under different conditions.

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

LG 993.5 2013 B4 /B53

Document Type

Thesis

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