Summary
This example is provided so that non-theorists may see actual applications of the theory previously described. The Dickcissel sex ratio is employed as an indirect index of suitability. A sex ratio index was found to be correlated positively with density. This is consistent with the hypothesis that territorial behavior in the males of this species limits their density. This study provides a valid example of how the problem can be approached and offers a first step in the eventual identification of the role of territorial behavior in the habitat distribution of a common species.
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References
Graber, R. R. &J. W. Graber (1963). A comparative study of bird populations in Illinois. 1906–1909 and 1956–1958. - Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin, 28, Article 3, 302–328.
Zimmerman, J. L. (1966). Polygyny in the Dickcissel. - Auk, 83, 534–546.
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Work done while senior author was on fellowship support from Public Health Service Grant no. GM-678 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to the Biomathematics Program, Department of Experimental Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C., 27607, U.S.A.
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Fretwell, S.D., Calver, J.S. On territorial behavior and other factors influencing habitat distribution in birds. Acta Biotheor 19, 37–44 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01601954
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01601954