Definition of granivorous in English:
granivorous
adjective ɡraˈnɪv(ə)rəsɡrəˈnɪvərəs
Zoology (of an animal) feeding on grain.
Example sentencesExamples
- Seeds landing on or near the mounds of granivorous ants are expected to be consumed because foraging activity is presumably highest near active nests.
- This small granivorous parrot is native to grasslands and forest edges of northern South America.
- Herbivorous, granivorous and insectivorous birds have a highly specialized, muscular gizzard with an inner lining of hard cuticle.
- Central American forests go through cycles of years of fruit abundance followed by years of fruit scarcity, with associated fluctuations in densities and rates of mortality of frugivorous and granivorous mammals.
- Lilac-crowned Parrots are predominantly granivorous and do not supplement nestling diets with arthropod prey.
- In theory, the density-dependent foraging behavior of granivorous rodents and their preference for certain seeds are capable of inducing short-term apparent competition among seed species.
Derivatives
nounˈɡranɪvɔː
Zoology Similarly, seed predation may affect plant assemblages as granivores selectively harvest and consume seeds, thus modifying species abundance and composition.
Example sentencesExamples
- Consequently, nectivores, granivores, and frugivores may be less likely to experience food shortage in small fragments.
- To examine granivory, we constructed cages that excluded other granivores, primarily carabid beetles\\Harpalus and vertebrates, but allowed entrance by foraging ants.
- Specifically, I considered the situation where consumers compete for common resources that renew each day, which occurs in a number of communities, including nectarivores and desert granivores.
- Thus, our study illustrates the need of considering differences between pre- and postdispersal seed predation in the study of granivore rodents and their impact on plant populations.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from Latin granum 'grain' + -vorous.
Definition of granivorous in US English:
granivorous
adjectiveɡrəˈnivərəsɡrəˈnɪvərəs
Zoology (of an animal) feeding on grain.
Example sentencesExamples
- This small granivorous parrot is native to grasslands and forest edges of northern South America.
- Lilac-crowned Parrots are predominantly granivorous and do not supplement nestling diets with arthropod prey.
- Herbivorous, granivorous and insectivorous birds have a highly specialized, muscular gizzard with an inner lining of hard cuticle.
- In theory, the density-dependent foraging behavior of granivorous rodents and their preference for certain seeds are capable of inducing short-term apparent competition among seed species.
- Seeds landing on or near the mounds of granivorous ants are expected to be consumed because foraging activity is presumably highest near active nests.
- Central American forests go through cycles of years of fruit abundance followed by years of fruit scarcity, with associated fluctuations in densities and rates of mortality of frugivorous and granivorous mammals.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from Latin granum ‘grain’ + -vorous.