Question

. The number and type of prey items found in the owl pellet can be the result of the following factors: availability and abundance of prey, the ease or difficulty of catching the prey, and the taste preference of the owl. Create an experimental design that would describe the diets of barn owls while accounting for these factors.

Answer 1

1. Answer:
2. Check for availability of prey in same habitat as the Barn owl
3. Determine the type of  prey available in the habitat because Owls feed mostly on small rodents like mice, vole e.t.c
4. If there is an abundance of prey, Check for the most common and easy to catch prey for an owl . considering the taste of the Barn owls while carrying out this experiment .
5. The Barn Owls feed mostly on Field voles to other kinds of rodents. therefore the availability and ease of catching a Field vole should be prioritized if they are readily available in the same habitat with the Barn Owls. if Field voles are not available the Barn owls can also feed on other rodents and smaller birds available .
6. Conclude your experiment

Explanation:

Experimental design based on the factors mentioned

Check for availability of prey in same habitat as the Barn owl

Determine the type of  prey available in the habitat because Owls feed mostly on small rodents like mice, vole e.t.c

If there is an abundance of prey, Check for the most common and easy to catch prey for an owl . considering the taste of the Barn owls while carrying out this experiment .

The Barn Owls feed mostly on Field voles to other kinds of rodents. therefore the availability and ease of catching a Field vole should be prioritized if they are readily available in the same habitat with the Barn Owls. if Field voles are not available the Barn owls can also feed on other rodents and smaller birds available .

Conclude your experiment

Answer 2

The diets of barn owls depend on the availability and abundance of prey, the energy requires to catch the specific prey, and taste preference based on its behavior.

What do you mean by Prey?

Prey may be defined as an animal or any other organism that is hunted or killed by another animal for the purpose of food.

Barn owl decides its food on the basis of availability and abundance of prey because in order to survive barn owl checks the presence of a particular prey that are easily available and found in high number. Mostly barn owl prefers small species of rodents like mice, young one of rabbit, and sometimes birds.

Other than this it also depends on how much energy is required to catch the particular prey because if the energy is greater than that of benefit, barn owls eliminate this behavior.

And last barn owls choose those prey that is palatable in nature and have good taste. Bad taste or toxic taste is eliminated in nature.

Therefore, the diets of barn owls depend on the availability and abundance of prey, the energy requires to catch the specific prey, and taste preference based on its behavior.

To learn more about Foraging behavior, refer to the link:

https://brainly.com/question/2179