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https://theconversation.com/australias-superb-lyrebirds-farm-the-forest-floor-to-increase-their-prey-a-behaviour-rarely-seen-in-nature-247908>
"In wet forests of southeastern Australia, superb lyrebirds engage in
extraordinary behaviour – tilling the soil to create habitats for their prey to
flourish.
The superb lyrebird scratches through the leaf litter and topsoil while
foraging, using its powerful claws to search for invertebrates such as worms,
centipedes, spiders, crustaceans and insects.
This loosens the soil, allowing more air and water to infiltrate, and speeding
up the decomposition of organic material. Our new study shows this creates an
ideal habitat for the invertebrates on which it feeds – ensuring they grow
large and ensuring the lyrebirds’ future buffet.
So, lyrebirds essentially “farm” their food resource by cultivating the forest
floor. This behaviour is rarely seen in the non-human world. It extends across
millions of hectares, potentially delivering far-reaching benefits to forest
ecosystems."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
