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Ndunguru SF, Reda GK, Csernus B, Knop R, Gulyás G, Szabó C, Czeglédi L, Lendvai ÁZ. Embryonic methionine triggers post-natal developmental programming in Japanese quail. J Comp Physiol B 2024; 194:179-189. [PMID: 38520538 PMCID: PMC11070397 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-024-01542-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Embryonic development is one of the most sensitive and critical stages when maternal effects may influence the offspring's phenotype. In birds and other oviparous species, embryonic development is confined to the eggs, therefore females must deposit resources into the eggs to prepare the offspring for the prevailing post-natal conditions. However, the mechanisms of such phenotypic adjustments remain poorly understood. We simulated a maternal nutritional transfer by injecting 1 mg of L-methionine solution into Japanese quail eggs before the onset of incubation. The increase in early methionine concentration in eggs activated the insulin/insulin-like signalling and mechanistic target of rapamycin (IIS/mTOR) signalling pathways and affected post-natal developmental trajectories. Chicks from methionine-supplemented eggs had higher expression of liver IGF1 and mTOR genes at hatching but were similar in size, and the phenotypic effects of increased growth became apparent only a week later and remained up to three weeks. Circulating levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and expression of ribosomal protein serine 6 kinase 1 (RPS6K1), the mTOR downstream effector, were elevated only three weeks after hatching. These results show that specific nutritional cues may have phenotypic programming effects by sequentially activating specific nutrient-sensing pathways and achieving transgenerational phenotypic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sawadi F Ndunguru
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary.
- Doctoral School of Animal Science, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary.
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary.
| | - Gebrehaweria K Reda
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Animal Science, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Brigitta Csernus
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Renáta Knop
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Gabriella Gulyás
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Csaba Szabó
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Levente Czeglédi
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Ádám Z Lendvai
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary.
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2
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Fortuna R, Covas R, D'Amelio PB, Silva LR, Parenteau C, Bliard L, Rybak F, Doutrelant C, Paquet M. Interplay of cooperative breeding and predation risk on egg allocation and reproductive output. Behav Ecol 2024; 35:arae010. [PMID: 38486920 PMCID: PMC10939053 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arae010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Predation risk can influence behavior, reproductive investment, and, ultimately, individuals' fitness. In high-risk environments, females often reduce allocation to reproduction, which can affect offspring phenotype and breeding success. In cooperative breeders, helpers contribute to feed the offspring, and groups often live and forage together. Helpers can, therefore, improve reproductive success, but also influence breeders' condition, stress levels and predation risk. Yet, whether helper presence can buffer the effects of predation risk on maternal reproductive allocation remains unstudied. Here, we used the cooperatively breeding sociable weaver Philetairus socius to test the interactive effects of predation risk and breeding group size on maternal allocation to clutch size, egg mass, yolk mass, and yolk corticosterone. We increased perceived predation risk before egg laying using playbacks of the adults' main predator, gabar goshawk (Micronisus gabar). We also tested the interactive effects of group size and prenatal predator playbacks on offspring hatching and fledging probability. Predator-exposed females laid eggs with 4% lighter yolks, but predator-calls' exposure did not clearly affect clutch size, egg mass, or egg corticosterone levels. Playback-treatment effects on yolk mass were independent of group size, suggesting that helpers' presence did not mitigate predation risk effects on maternal allocation. Although predator-induced reductions in yolk mass may decrease nutrient availability to offspring, potentially affecting their survival, playback-treatment effects on hatching and fledging success were not evident. The interplay between helper presence and predator effects on maternal reproductive investment is still an overlooked area of life history and physiological evolutionary trade-offs that requires further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Fortuna
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002, Porto, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Institutt for Biologi, NTNU, 7491, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Rita Covas
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- FitzPatrick Institute, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, 7701, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Pietro B D'Amelio
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 34293, Montpellier, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91400, Saclay, France
| | - Liliana R Silva
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Charline Parenteau
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Louis Bliard
- Department of Evolutionary Biology & Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Fanny Rybak
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91400, Saclay, France
| | - Claire Doutrelant
- FitzPatrick Institute, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, 7701, Cape Town, South Africa
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 34293, Montpellier, France
| | - Matthieu Paquet
- Institute of Mathematics of Bordeaux, University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, 33405, Talence, France
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station (SETE), CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France
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3
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Prentice PM, Thornton A, Kolm N, Wilson AJ. Genetic and context-specific effects on individual inhibitory control performance in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1796-1810. [PMID: 37916730 PMCID: PMC10947024 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Among-individual variation in cognitive traits, widely assumed to have evolved under adaptive processes, is increasingly being demonstrated across animal taxa. As variation among individuals is required for natural selection, characterizing individual differences and their heritability is important to understand how cognitive traits evolve. Here, we use a quantitative genetic study of wild-type guppies repeatedly exposed to a 'detour task' to test for genetic variance in the cognitive trait of inhibitory control. We also test for genotype-by-environment interactions (GxE) by testing related fish under alternative experimental treatments (transparent vs. semi-transparent barrier in the detour-task). We find among-individual variation in detour task performance, consistent with differences in inhibitory control. However, analysis of GxE reveals that heritable factors only contribute to performance variation in one treatment. This suggests that the adaptive evolutionary potential of inhibitory control (and/or other latent variables contributing to task performance) may be highly sensitive to environmental conditions. The presence of GxE also implies that the plastic response of detour task performance to treatment environment is genetically variable. Our results are consistent with a scenario where variation in individual inhibitory control stems from complex interactions between heritable and plastic components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela M. Prentice
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
- SRUC, Easter Bush, Roslin Institute BuildingMidlothianUK
| | - Alex Thornton
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of ZoologyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
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4
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Liu Y, Du X, Li G, Liu Y, Li S. Life-History and Ecological Correlates of Egg and Clutch Mass Variation in Sympatric Bird Species at High Altitude. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1303. [PMID: 37887013 PMCID: PMC10604263 DOI: 10.3390/biology12101303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
The variation in egg and clutch mass in sympatric species at high altitudes is poorly understood, and the potential causes of variation are rarely investigated. This study aimed to describe the interspecific variation in avian egg and clutch mass among 22 sympatric bird species at an altitude of 3430 m. Our objective was to reduce potential confounding effects of biotic/abiotic factors and investigated hypotheses concerning allometry, clutch size, parental care, nest predation, and lifespan as possible correlates and explanations for the observed variation. Our findings indicated that both egg and clutch mass evolve with body mass across species. We found that egg mass variation was not explained by clutch size when controlling for allometric effects, which contrasts the "egg mass vs. clutch size trade-off" hypothesis. Additionally, we found that clutch mass was positively associated with parental care (reflected by development period) but negatively associated with predation rate. By substituting egg mass and clutch size into the models, we found that clutch size was significantly correlated with parental care, predation rate, and lifespan, while egg mass was only significantly associated with development period. Overall, these findings support life-history theories suggesting that reduced clutch size or mass is associated with a higher risk of predation, reduced parental care, but longer adult lifespan. Interestingly, our results indicate that clutch size has a greater influence on these factors compared to egg mass. This could be attributed to the fact that smaller clutch sizes result in a more notable decrease in energetic allocation, as they require a reduced effort in terms of offspring production, incubation, and feeding, as opposed to solely reducing egg size. These findings contribute to the growing evidence that life-history and ecological traits correlate with egg and clutch mass variation in sympatric species. However, further research is needed to explore the potential evolutionary causes underlying these patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Yingbao Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China
| | - Shaobin Li
- College of Life Sciences, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China
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5
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Gehrt JM, Sullins DS, Verheijen BHF, Haukos DA. Lesser Prairie-chicken incubation behavior and nest success most influenced by nest vegetation structure. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10509. [PMID: 37693934 PMCID: PMC10483095 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Incubation breaks are necessary for any nesting bird but can increase the mortality risk of the nest or attending parent. How intrinsic and extrinsic variables affect nest attentiveness-the proportion of time a female is on nest during incubation- and subsequent survival of the nest remains unclear for uniparental species. We related female nest attentiveness to nest survival and tested the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic variables on nest attentiveness by female Lesser Prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) using GPS locations of 87 females at 109 nest sites in 3 study areas in Kansas during 2013-2015. Daily nest survival increased by 39% when nest attentiveness increased from 21% to 98%. Female Lesser Prairie-chickens were 18% less attentive as body mass increased from 600 to 920 g. Daily precipitation and temperature, controlled for days into the incubation period, had interactive effects on nest attentiveness with nest attentiveness lowest on cool, wet days and increasing as temperature increased, regardless of precipitation (41% attentiveness at 16°C and 79 mm of precipitation to 90% attentiveness at 37°C and 41 mm of precipitation). Nest attentiveness increased by 11% as the quantity of grass at the nest site increased from 5% to 78% when visual obstruction was at 1 and 2 decimeters (dm) and increased 9% as the quantity of grass at the nest site increased from 5% to 83% when visual obstruction was at its maximum (3 dm). Our findings reveal the critical importance of nest attentiveness and incubation behavior, not only in relation to demography, but within the context of changing environmental conditions. As warmer temperatures and extreme precipitation events become more common and change the growth rates of vegetation, species like the Lesser Prairie-chicken that are ground-nesting, rely on vegetation cover, and exhibit uniparental care could experience negative demographic consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacquelyn M. Gehrt
- Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitKansas State UniversityManhattanKansasUSA
| | - Daniel S. Sullins
- Department of Horticulture and Natural ResourcesKansas State UniversityManhattanKansasUSA
| | - Bram H. F. Verheijen
- Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitUniversity of MissouriColumbiaMissouriUSA
| | - David A. Haukos
- U.S. Geological Survey, Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitKansas State UniversityManhattanKansasUSA
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6
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Martyka R, Skórka P. Do non-direct heterospecific cues of avian predator activity alter reproductive modes of a passerine bird? THE EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/24750263.2023.2181988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- R. Martyka
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - P. Skórka
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
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7
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Grunst AS, Grunst ML, Fort J. Contaminant-by-environment interactive effects on animal behavior in the context of global change: Evidence from avian behavioral ecotoxicology. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 879:163169. [PMID: 37003321 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The potential for chemical contaminant exposure to interact with other stressors to affect animal behavioral responses to environmental variability is of mounting concern in the context of anthropogenic environmental change. We systematically reviewed the avian literature to evaluate evidence for contaminant-by-environment interactive effects on animal behavior, as birds are prominent models in behavioral ecotoxicology and global change research. We found that only 17 of 156 (10.9 %) avian behavioral ecotoxicological studies have explored contaminant-by-environment interactions. However, 13 (76.5 %) have found evidence for interactive effects, suggesting that contaminant-by-environment interactive effects on behavior are understudied but important. We draw on our review to develop a conceptual framework to understand such interactive effects from a behavioral reaction norm perspective. Our framework highlights four patterns in reaction norm shapes that can underlie contaminant-by-environment interactive effects on behavior, termed exacerbation, inhibition, mitigation and convergence. First, contamination can render individuals unable to maintain critical behaviors across gradients in additional stressors, exacerbating behavioral change (reaction norms steeper) and generating synergy. Second, contamination can inhibit behavioral adjustment to other stressors, antagonizing behavioral plasticity (reaction norms shallower). Third, a second stressor can mitigate (antagonize) toxicological effects of contamination, causing steeper reaction norms in highly contaminated individuals, with improvement of performance upon exposure to additional stress. Fourth, contamination can limit behavioral plasticity in response to permissive conditions, such that performance of more and less contaminated individuals converges under more stressful conditions. Diverse mechanisms might underlie such shape differences in reaction norms, including combined effects of contaminants and other stressors on endocrinology, energy balance, sensory systems, and physiological and cognitive limits. To encourage more research, we outline how the types of contaminant-by-environment interactive effects proposed in our framework might operate across multiple behavioral domains. We conclude by leveraging our review and framework to suggest priorities for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea S Grunst
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, FR-17000 La Rochelle, France.
| | - Melissa L Grunst
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, FR-17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Jérôme Fort
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, FR-17000 La Rochelle, France
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8
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Enos JK, Ducay R, Paitz RT, Ward MP, Hauber ME. Female red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) do not alter nest site selection, maternal programming, or hormone-mediated maternal effects in response to perceived nest predation or brood parasitism risk. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023:114322. [PMID: 37247827 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Predation or brood parasitism risks can change the behaviors and reproductive decisions in many parental animals. For oviparous species, mothers can mitigate their reproductive success in at least three ways: (1) by avoiding nest sites with high predation or parasitism risks, (2) through hormonal maternal effects that developmentally prime offspring for survival in risky environments, or (3) by investing less in reproduction when predation or parasitism risks are high. Here, we tested if perceived predation and parasitism risks can induce any of these behavioral or physiological responses by exposing female red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) to playbacks of two major nest threats, a predator (Cooper's hawk, Accipiter cooperii) and an obligate brood parasite (brown-headed cowbird; Molothrus ater), as well as two controls (harmless Eastern meadowlark, Sturnella magna; and silence). We found that female blackbirds did not avoid nesting at sites treated with predator or brood parasite playbacks, nor were females more likely to abandon nesting attempts at these sites. Egg size and yolk hormone profiles, which are common proxies for maternal investment in oviparous species, were statistically similar across treatment sites. Instead, we found intraclutch variation in yolk steroid hormone profiles: concentrations of three progestogens (pregnanedione, 17α-hydroxypregnenolone, and deoxycorticosterone) and two androgens (testosterone and androstenedione) were higher in third-laid than first-laid eggs. Our study largely confirms previous findings of consistent intraclutch yolk hormone variation in this species, in birds in general, and in other oviparous lineages, but uniquely reports on several yolk steroid hormones largely overlooked in the literature on hormone-mediated maternal effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice K Enos
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois 61820, USA.
| | - Rebecca Ducay
- Southern Illinois University, School of Forestry, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA
| | - Ryan T Paitz
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 61790, USA
| | - Michael P Ward
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois 61820, USA; Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois 61820, USA; Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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9
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Contrasting effects of cooperative group size and number of helpers on maternal investment in eggs and nestlings. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
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10
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Londoño GA, Gomez JP, Sánchez-Martínez MA, Levey DJ, Robinson SK. Changing patterns of nest predation and predator communities along a tropical elevation gradient. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:609-620. [PMID: 36855287 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Tropical montane communities host the world's highest beta diversity of birds, a phenomenon usually attributed to community turnover caused by changes in biotic and abiotic factors along elevation gradients. Yet, empirical data on most biotic factors are lacking. Nest predation is thought to be especially important because it appears to be common and can change selective pressures underlying life history traits, which can alter competitive interactions. We monitored 2538 nests, 338 of which had known nest predators, to evaluate if nest predation changes along a tropical elevational gradient. We found that nest predation decreased with elevation, reflecting the loss of lowland predators that do not tolerate colder climates. We found different "super" nest predators at each elevation that accounted for a high percentage of events, suggesting that selection pressures exerted by nest predator communities may be less diffuse than has been hypothesized, at least for birds nesting in the understory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo A Londoño
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia
| | - Juan Pablo Gomez
- Departamento de Química y Biología, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Manuel A Sánchez-Martínez
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia
| | - Douglas J Levey
- Division of Environmental Biology, National Science Foundation, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
| | - Scott K Robinson
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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11
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Dantzer B. Frank Beach Award Winner: The centrality of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in dealing with environmental change across temporal scales. Horm Behav 2023; 150:105311. [PMID: 36707334 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Understanding if and how individuals and populations cope with environmental change is an enduring question in evolutionary ecology that has renewed importance given the pace of change in the Anthropocene. Two evolutionary strategies of coping with environmental change may be particularly important in rapidly changing environments: adaptive phenotypic plasticity and/or bet hedging. Adaptive plasticity could enable individuals to match their phenotypes to the expected environment if there is an accurate cue predicting the selective environment. Diversifying bet hedging involves the production of seemingly random phenotypes in an unpredictable environment, some of which may be adaptive. Here, I review the central role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and glucocorticoids (GCs) in enabling vertebrates to cope with environmental change through adaptive plasticity and bet hedging. I first describe how the HPA axis mediates three types of adaptive plasticity to cope with environmental change (evasion, tolerance, recovery) over short timescales (e.g., 1-3 generations) before discussing how the implications of GCs on phenotype integration may depend upon the timescale under consideration. GCs can promote adaptive phenotypic integration, but their effects on phenotypic co-variation could also limit the dimensions of phenotypic space explored by animals over longer timescales. Finally, I discuss how organismal responses to environmental stressors can act as a bet hedging mechanism and therefore enhance evolvability by increasing genetic or phenotypic variability or reducing patterns of genetic and phenotypic co-variance. Together, this emphasizes the crucial role of the HPA axis in understanding fundamental questions in evolutionary ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, MI 48109 Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, MI 48109, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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12
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Jones TM, Di Giovanni AJ, Hauber ME, Ward MP. Ontogenetic effects of brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird on host offspring. Ecology 2023; 104:e3925. [PMID: 36423935 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Nest-sharer avian brood parasites do not evict or otherwise kill host chicks, but instead inflict a range of negative effects on their nestmates that are mediated by interactions between the parasite and host life history traits. Although many of the negative fitness effects of avian brood parasitism are well documented across diverse host species, there remains a paucity of studies that have examined the impacts of parasitism across the entirety of host ontogeny (i.e., from when an egg is laid until independence). More specifically, few studies have examined the impact of brood parasitism on the pre- and post-fledging development, physiology, behavior, and survival of host offspring. To help fill this knowledge gap, we assessed the effects of brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) across the ontogeny (incubation, nestling, and post-fledging period) of nine sympatrically breeding host species in central Illinois, USA; due to sample sizes, impacts on the post-fledging period were only examined in two of the nine species. Specifically, we examined the impact of brood parasitism on ontogenetic markers including the embryonic heart rate, hatching rate, nestling period length, nest survival, and offspring growth and development. Additionally, in species in which we found negative impacts of cowbird parasitism on host nestmate ontogeny, we examined whether the difference in adult size between parasites and their hosts and their hatching asynchrony positively predicted variation in host costs across these focal taxa. We found that costs of cowbird parasitism were most severe during early nesting stages (reduction in the host clutch or brood size) and were predicted negatively by host size and positively by incubation length. In contrast, we only found limited costs of cowbird parasitism on other stages of host ontogeny; critically, post-fledging survival did not differ between host offspring that fledged alongside cowbirds and those that did not. Our findings (i) highlight the direct costs of cowbird parasitism on host fitness, (ii) provide evidence for when (the stage) those costs are manifested, and (iii) may help to explain why many anti-cowbird defenses of hosts have evolved for protection from parasitism during the laying and incubation stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd M Jones
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA.,Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA.,Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Alexander J Di Giovanni
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA.,Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Michael P Ward
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA.,Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
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13
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Ghosh S, Banerjee A, Mukhopadhyay S, Bhattacharya S, Ray S. Predicting the probability of avian reproductive success and its components at a nesting site. ECOL INFORM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2022.101841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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14
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Norris AR, Martin K, Cockle KL. Weather and nest cavity characteristics influence fecundity in mountain chickadees. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14327. [PMID: 36389406 PMCID: PMC9661973 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Examining direct and indirect effects on reproduction at multiple scales allows for a broad understanding of species' resilience to environmental change. We examine how the fecundity of the mountain chickadee (Poecile gambeli), a secondary cavity-nesting, insectivorous bird, varied in relation to factors at three scales: regional weather conditions, regional- and site-level food availability, site-level community dynamics, and nest-level cavity characteristics. We hypothesized that earlier laying dates and higher fecundity (clutch size, nest survival, brood size) would be associated with milder climatic conditions, increased food from insect outbreaks, lower densities of conspecifics and nest predators (red squirrel; Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), and safer (smaller, higher) cavities. Methods We collected data on laying date, clutch size, brood size, nest fate (success/failure), and cavity characteristics from 513 mountain chickadee nests in tree cavities in temperate mixed coniferous-broadleaf forest in interior British Columbia, Canada, from 2000 to 2011. We surveyed annual abundances of mountain chickadees and squirrels using repeated point counts, and mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) and lepidopteran defoliators by monitoring host trees and by using regional-scale aerial overview forest insect survey data. We used weather data (temperature, rain, snow) from a local Environment and Climate Change Canada weather station. We modeled laying date, clutch size, daily nest survival, and brood size as a function of predictors at regional-, site-, and nest-scales. Results and Conclusions Measures of fecundity varied dramatically across years and spatial scales. At the regional (study-wide) scale, chickadees laid earlier and larger first clutches in warmer springs with minimal storms, and daily nest survival (DSR) increased with a 2-year lag in growing season temperature. Despite a doubling of mountain chickadee density that roughly accompanied the outbreaks of mountain pine beetle and lepidopteran defoliators, we found little evidence at the site scale that fecundity was influenced by insect availability, conspecific density, or predator density. At the nest scale, DSR and brood size increased with clutch size but DSR declined with nest cavity size indicating a positive reproductive effect of small-bodied cavity excavators. Double-brooding, rare in chickadees, occurred frequently in 2005 and 2007, coinciding with early breeding, high food availability from insect outbreaks, and warm spring temperatures with 0-1 spring storms. Our results support the idea that fecundity in secondary cavity-nesting species is impacted directly and indirectly by weather, and indirectly through changes in community dynamics (via cavity resource supply). We stress the importance of adopting holistic, community-level study frameworks to refine our understanding of fecundity in opportunistic and climate-sensitive species in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea R. Norris
- Science and Technology Branch, Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC, Canada,Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kathy Martin
- Science and Technology Branch, Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC, Canada,Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kristina L. Cockle
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Misiones, Instituto de Biología Subtropical, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
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15
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Mohring B, Angelier F, Jaatinen K, Steele B, Lönnberg E, Öst M. Drivers of within- and among-individual variation in risk-taking behaviour during reproduction in a long-lived bird. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221338. [PMID: 36126681 PMCID: PMC9489283 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Plastic and selective mechanisms govern parental investment adjustments to predation threat. We investigated the relative importance of plasticity and selection in risk-taking propensity of incubating female common eiders Somateria mollissima facing unprecedented predation in SW Finland, Baltic Sea. Using a 12-year individual-based dataset, we examined within- and among-individual variation in flight initiation distance (FID), in relation to predation risk, nest detectability, individual traits and reproductive investment (NFID = 1009; Nindividual = 559). We expected females nesting in riskier environments (higher predation risk, lower nest concealment) to mitigate environmentally imposed risk by exhibiting longer FIDs, and females investing more in current reproduction (older, in better condition or laying larger clutches) to display shorter FIDs. The target of predation-adult or offspring-affected the mechanisms adapting risk-taking propensity; females plastically increased their FID under higher adult predation risk, while risk-avoiding breeders were predominant on islands with higher nest predation risk. Risk-taking females selected thicker nest cover, consistent with personality-matching habitat choice. Females plastically attenuated their anti-predator response (shorter FIDs) with advancing age, and females in better body condition were more risk-taking, a result explained by selection processes. Future research should consider predator type when investigating the fitness consequences of risk-taking strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bertille Mohring
- Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, 20500 Turku, Finland
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS – La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS – La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Kim Jaatinen
- Nature and Game Management Trust Finland, 10160 Degerby, Finland
| | - Ben Steele
- School of Arts and Sciences, Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH 03257, USA
| | | | - Markus Öst
- Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, 20500 Turku, Finland
- Novia University of Applied Sciences, 10600 Ekenäs, Finland
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16
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Tkaczyk SP, Chivers D, Wiebe K. Nest defense by Mountain Bluebirds (Sialia currucoides) is related to their sex and brood characteristics but not morphological attributes. CAN J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2022-0064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Within species, bird parents defend their nests with different levels of intensity. Previous studies have examined several hypotheses for this variation by looking at factors such as morphological characteristics of the parents and the characteristics of the brood, but few have controlled for multiple factors simultaneously. Here we examined a broad range of factors that may influence the nest defense behaviour of Mountain Bluebirds (Sialia currucoides Bechstein, 1798), including the adult’s morphology (sex, age, plumage colour, body size, and body condition) and characteristics of their brood (size, hatch date, stage of nestling development). Parental aggression was triggered using a taxidermy mount of an American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Erxleben, 1777). We found no relationship between nest defense and any morphological characteristic of adults but the intensity of nest defense was positively correlated with the stage of offspring development, clutch size, and hatch date consistent with parental investment theory. Males also defended nests more strongly than females, consistent with the premise of the renesting hypothesis that males have fewer future opportunities to breed and therefore are more invested in the current brood. Our results provide strong support for parental investment theory and renesting as the primary drivers of nest defense intensity in breeding birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon P. Tkaczyk
- University of Saskatchewan, Department of Biology, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - D.P. Chivers
- Department of Biology, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada,
| | - Karen Wiebe
- University of Saskatchewan, Department of Biology, Saskatoon, Canada
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17
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18
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Saavedra I, Tomás G, Amo L. Assessing behavioral sex differences to chemical cues of predation risk while provisioning nestlings in a hole-nesting bird. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268678. [PMID: 35588122 PMCID: PMC9119470 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds can assess nest predation risk and adjust their parental activity accordingly. Risk taking behavior should be related to investment in reproduction as well as to confidence in parenthood that often differ between sexes. In those cases, sexual differences in risk taking behavior may be expected. For example, in blue tits, females invest more time and energy than males in nest-building, egg laying and incubation. Furthermore, confidence in parenthood is supposed to be higher for females, as extrapair paternity is common in this species. Therefore, the reproductive value of nestlings may be higher for females than for males and the former may assume greater risks to ensure nestling growth and maximize their reproductive success. We examined potential sexual differences in the risk assumed by parents in relation to perceived risk of predation inside the nest cavity, where predation risk perception may be higher. We increased perceived predation risk by adding predator chemical cues inside blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) nest-boxes, and we tested whether female and male parents differed in the risk assumed when taking care of nestlings. Females and males did not differ in the risk assumed in response to perceived predation risk. However, females reduced time devoted to nest sanitation activities when predator chemical cues were detected inside the nest-box, likely as an anti-predatory strategy to minimize their own risk of predation. Therefore, these results add to the evidence that birds can detect chemical cues of predators inside the nest cavity and suggest that the behavioral response to an increase in risk of predation perceived through olfactory cues is not sex-dependent in blue tit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Saavedra
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Gustavo Tomás
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Carretera de Sacramento, Almería, Spain
| | - Luisa Amo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
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19
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Sullivan DJ, Wightman PH, Collier BA, Chamberlain MJ. Instances of intraspecific nest parasitism in eastern and Rio Grande wild turkeys. WILDLIFE SOC B 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Sullivan
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Georgia 180 E. Green Street Athens 30602 GA USA
| | - Patrick H. Wightman
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Georgia 180 E. Green Street Athens 30602 GA USA
| | - Bret A. Collier
- School of Renewable Natural Resources Louisiana State University Baton Rouge 70803 LA USA
| | - Michael J. Chamberlain
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Georgia 180 E. Green Street Athens 30602 GA USA
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20
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Diet composition and diversity does not explain fewer, smaller urban nestlings. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264381. [PMID: 35231042 PMCID: PMC8887731 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The reproductive success of animals breeding in cities is often lower compared to counterparts that inhabit rural, suburban, and peri-urban areas. Urban dwelling may be especially costly for offspring development and survival. Diet composition and diversity may underlie factors that lead to lower fitness, particularly if prey abundance and quality decline in modified environments. Moreover, breeding success may change over the course of a season, an effect that may be augmented in urban areas. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that habitat and date affected nestling house wren (Troglodytes aedon) body condition and survival, and examined whether diet explained differences in nestling success. We monitored urban and rural populations of house wrens breeding in nest boxes, and tested whether clutch size, nestling survivorship, and nestling body condition varied by habitat or by date, and then characterized the diet of a subset of nestlings with DNA metabarcoding of fecal samples. Urbanization had clear impacts on house wren nestling fitness: urban broods contained fewer, smaller nestlings. Early nestling survival decreased as the breeding season progressed, and this effect was more pronounced in the urban population. However, the diets of urban and rural nestlings were similar and did not explain differences in body condition. Instead, across populations, diet changed with date, becoming less diverse, with fewer Lepidoptera and more Orthoptera. Regardless of habitat, adult house wrens provide nestlings with similar types of foods, but other factors, such as quantity or quality of prey delivered, may lead to fitness disparities between urban and rural nestlings.
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21
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Fear of predators in free-living wildlife reduces population growth over generations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2112404119. [PMID: 35131939 PMCID: PMC8851447 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2112404119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurately evaluating the total impact of predators on prey population growth rates is fundamental to forecasting the consequences of predator conservation and management. That the fear (antipredator responses) predators inspire could contribute to this total impact has only relatively recently been recognized. We experimentally demonstrate that fear itself can impact prey population growth rates in free-living wildlife, extending to transgenerational impacts reducing population growth beyond the parental generation. We report how fear may contribute considerably to the total impact of predators and why this may be the norm in birds and mammals. The critical significance of our work lies in experimentally establishing that inferring the effects of predators using data on direct killing alone risks dramatically underestimating their total impact. Correctly assessing the total impact of predators on prey population growth rates (lambda, λ) is critical to comprehending the importance of predators in species conservation and wildlife management. Experiments over the past decade have demonstrated that the fear (antipredator responses) predators inspire can affect prey fecundity and early offspring survival in free-living wildlife, but recent reviews have highlighted the absence of evidence experimentally linking such effects to significant impacts on prey population growth. We experimentally manipulated fear in free-living wild songbird populations over three annual breeding seasons by intermittently broadcasting playbacks of either predator or nonpredator vocalizations and comprehensively quantified the effects on all the components of population growth, together with evidence of a transgenerational impact on offspring survival as adults. Fear itself significantly reduced the population growth rate (predator playback mean λ = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.80 to 1.04; nonpredator mean λ = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.96 to 1.16) by causing cumulative, compounding adverse effects on fecundity and every component of offspring survival, resulting in predator playback parents producing 53% fewer recruits to the adult breeding population. Fear itself was consequently projected to halve the population size in just 5 years, or just 4 years when the evidence of a transgenerational impact was additionally considered (λ = 0.85). Our results not only demonstrate that fear itself can significantly impact prey population growth rates in free-living wildlife, comparing them with those from hundreds of predator manipulation experiments indicates that fear may constitute a very considerable part of the total impact of predators.
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22
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De la Cruz C, Valencia J, Expósito-Granados M, Solís E, Jiménez O, Alarcos S, Abad-Gómez JM, García-Baquero MJ, Gutiérrez JS. Helpers during replacement clutches buffer the impacts of late breeding on a cooperative bird. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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23
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Wu R, Li S, Huang Y, Pang J, Cai Y, Zhang X, Jiang T, Yang S, Wei W. Postpartum maternal exposure to predator odor alters offspring antipredator behavior, basal HPA axis activity and immunoglobulin levels in adult Brandt's voles. Behav Brain Res 2022; 416:113532. [PMID: 34416302 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Predation risk can program offspring behavior, physiology, and fitness through maternal effect, but most studies have mainly focused on this effect during pregnancy; little is known about the effect of postpartum predation risk on offspring's phenotype. Here, we compared the antipredator behaviors of adult offspring (approximately 90 days old) produced by female Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii) exposed to one of three treatments: cat odor (CO), rabbit odor (RO), and distilled water (DW) for 60 min daily from postpartum day 1-18. Basal levels of plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT), hypothalamic corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), as well as spleen immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, and IgG) were also measured. Our data showed that the offspring of CO-exposed mothers displayed less head-out behavior to acute 15-min CO exposure, and female offspring showed more freezing behavior. CO offspring showed significantly lower basal ACTH and CORT levels than the RO and DW offspring. Additionally, female but not male CO offspring had higher hypothalamic CRH expression and spleen IgG levels than controls, showing a sex-specific effect. These findings demonstrate that postpartum maternal predator risk exposure promotes a passive-avoidant response to these cues in adult offspring, showing a cross-generational maternal effect of postpartum predation risk. Further, these changes may be associated with alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and immune function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiyong Wu
- Department of Animal Behavior, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China.
| | - Shan Li
- Department of Animal Behavior, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Yefeng Huang
- Department of Animal Behavior, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Jinyue Pang
- Department of Animal Behavior, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Yongjian Cai
- Department of Animal Behavior, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Xinyue Zhang
- Department of Animal Behavior, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Tianyi Jiang
- Department of Animal Behavior, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Shengmei Yang
- Department of Animal Behavior, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Wanhong Wei
- Department of Animal Behavior, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China.
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24
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IGLESIAS PATRICIAP, PEREYRA MARTÍNO, STANLEY ESTEFANÍA, TOSCANO-GADEA CARLOSA, PÉREZ-GONZÁLEZ ABEL. Different environment, different reproductive strategies? Unexpected field observations in the harvestmen Discocyrtus prospicuus (Laniatores: Gonyleptidae). AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2022; 94:e20201082. [DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202220201082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - ABEL PÉREZ-GONZÁLEZ
- Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” – CONICET, Argentina
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25
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OUP accepted manuscript. Behav Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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26
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianping Liu
- College of Biological Sciences and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, China
| | - Wei Liang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
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27
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Kleindorfer S, Common LK, O'Connor JA, Garcia-Loor J, Katsis AC, Dudaniec RY, Colombelli-Négrel D, Adreani NM. Female in-nest attendance predicts the number of ectoparasites in Darwin's finch species. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211668. [PMID: 34905711 PMCID: PMC8670954 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Selection should act on parental care and favour parental investment decisions that optimize the number of offspring produced. Such predictions have been robustly tested in predation risk contexts, but less is known about alternative functions of parental care under conditions of parasitism. The avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi) is a myasis-causing ectoparasite accidentally introduced to the Galápagos Islands, and one of the major mortality causes in Darwin's finch nests. With an 11-year dataset spanning 21 years, we examine the relationship between parental care behaviours and number of fly larvae and pupae in Darwin's finch nests. We do so across three host species (Camarhynchus parvulus, C. pauper, Geospiza fuliginosa) and one hybrid Camarhynchus group. Nests with longer female brooding duration (minutes per hour spent sitting on hatchlings to provide warmth) had fewer parasites, and this effect depended on male food delivery to chicks. Neither male age nor number of nest provisioning visits were directly associated with number of parasites. While the causal mechanisms remain unknown, we provide the first empirical study showing that female brooding duration is negatively related to the number of ectoparasites in nests. We predict selection for coordinated host male and female behaviour to reduce gaps in nest attendance, especially under conditions of novel and introduced ectoparasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Kleindorfer
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, Australia
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition and Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Lauren K. Common
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, Australia
| | | | - Jefferson Garcia-Loor
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition and Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Galápagos, Ecuador
| | - Andrew C. Katsis
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, Australia
| | - Rachael Y. Dudaniec
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia
| | | | - Nico M. Adreani
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition and Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
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28
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Gravolin I, Lehtonen TK, Deal NDS, Candolin U, Wong BBM. Male reproductive adjustments to an introduced nest predator. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Nest predation has a large impact on reproductive success in many taxa. Defending offspring from would-be predators can also be energetically and physiologically costly for parents. Thus, to maximize their reproductive payoffs, individuals should adjust their reproductive behaviors in relation to the presence of nest predators. However, effects of nest predator presence on parental behaviors across multiple reproductive contexts remain poorly understood, particularly in non-avian taxa. We ran a series of experiments to test how the presence of an egg predator, the invasive rockpool shrimp, Palaemon elegans, influences male reproductive decisions and egg survival in a species of fish with exclusive paternal care, the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus. We found that, in the presence of shrimp, male sticklebacks were less likely to build a nest, invested less in territory defense against an intruder, and tended to fan eggs in their nest less and in shorter bouts, but did not alter their investment in courtship behavior. The predator’s presence also did not affect egg survival rates, suggesting that males effectively defended their brood from the shrimp. These results show that reproducing individuals can be highly responsive to the presence of nest predators and adjust their behavioral decisions accordingly across a suite of reproductive contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Gravolin
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palménin tie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
| | - Topi K Lehtonen
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palménin tie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Nicholas D S Deal
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palménin tie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
| | - Ulrika Candolin
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palménin tie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Bob B M Wong
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palménin tie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
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29
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Clermont J, Grenier‐Potvin A, Duchesne É, Couchoux C, Dulude‐de Broin F, Beardsell A, Bêty J, Berteaux D. The predator activity landscape predicts the anti‐predator behavior and distribution of prey in a tundra community. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne Clermont
- Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity Centre for Northern Studies and Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science Université du Québec à Rimouski 300 Allée des Ursulines Rimouski Quebec G5L 3A1 Canada
| | - Alexis Grenier‐Potvin
- Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity Centre for Northern Studies and Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science Université du Québec à Rimouski 300 Allée des Ursulines Rimouski Quebec G5L 3A1 Canada
| | - Éliane Duchesne
- Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity Centre for Northern Studies and Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science Université du Québec à Rimouski 300 Allée des Ursulines Rimouski Quebec G5L 3A1 Canada
| | - Charline Couchoux
- Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity Centre for Northern Studies and Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science Université du Québec à Rimouski 300 Allée des Ursulines Rimouski Quebec G5L 3A1 Canada
| | - Frédéric Dulude‐de Broin
- Département de Biologie and Center for Northern Studies Université Laval 1045 av. de la Médecine Québec Quebec G1V 0A6 Canada
| | - Andréanne Beardsell
- Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity Centre for Northern Studies and Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science Université du Québec à Rimouski 300 Allée des Ursulines Rimouski Quebec G5L 3A1 Canada
| | - Joël Bêty
- Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity Centre for Northern Studies and Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science Université du Québec à Rimouski 300 Allée des Ursulines Rimouski Quebec G5L 3A1 Canada
| | - Dominique Berteaux
- Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity Centre for Northern Studies and Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science Université du Québec à Rimouski 300 Allée des Ursulines Rimouski Quebec G5L 3A1 Canada
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30
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Don't put all your eggs in small baskets: Ineffective guardians, incidence of parasitoids and clutch size of Latrodectus geometricus (Araneae, Theridiidae) along an urban gradient. ZOOL ANZ 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2021.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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31
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Sudnick M, Brodie BS, Williams KA. Nature versus nurture: Structural equation modeling indicates that parental care does not mitigate consequences of poor environmental conditions in Eastern Bluebirds ( Sialia sialis). Ecol Evol 2021; 11:15237-15248. [PMID: 34765174 PMCID: PMC8571643 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
How organisms respond to variation in environmental conditions and whether behavioral responses can mitigate negative consequences on growth, condition, and other fitness measures are critical to our ability to conserve populations in changing environments. Offspring development is affected by environmental conditions and parental care behavior. When adverse environmental conditions are present, parents may alter behaviors to mitigate the impacts of poor environmental conditions on offspring. We determined whether parental behavior (provisioning rates, attentiveness, and nest temperature) varied in relation to environmental conditions (e.g., food availability and ectoparasites) and whether parental behavior mitigated negative consequences of the environment on their offspring in Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis). We found that offspring on territories with lower food availability had higher hematocrit, and when bird blow flies (Protocalliphora spp.) were present, growth rates were reduced. Parents increased provisioning and nest attendance in response to increased food availability but did not alter behavior in response to parasitism by blow flies. While parents altered behavior in response to resource availability, parents were unable to override the direct effects of negative environmental conditions on offspring growth and hematocrit. Our work highlights the importance of the environment on offspring development and suggests that parents may not be able to sufficiently alter behavior to ameliorate challenging environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bekka S. Brodie
- Honors Tutorial CollegeOhio UniversityAthensOhioUSA
- Department of Biological SciencesOhio UniversityAthensOhioUSA
| | - Kelly A. Williams
- Department of Biological SciencesOhio UniversityAthensOhioUSA
- Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary StudiesOhio UniversityAthensOhioUSA
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32
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Kelleher V, Hunnick L, Sheriff MJ. Risk-Induced Foraging Behavior in a Free-Living Small Mammal Depends on the Interactive Effects of Habitat, Refuge Availability, and Predator Type. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.718887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Predators have a major influence on prey populations and broader ecosystem dynamics through both their consumptive and non-consumptive effects. Prey employ risk-induced trait responses such as shifts in habitat use or changes in foraging behavior in response to the presence of predators. Risk-induced changes in foraging depend upon both the predator community and the environmental context; however, the influence of these factors have rarely been concurrently examined in free-living animals. We investigated the interactive effects of habitat, refuge availability, and predator type on the foraging behavior of free-living white-footed mice, accounting for the abiotic factor moonlight. We used auditory calls of a local terrestrial cursorial predator and a local avian ambush predator to simulate predation risk in both a forest edge and a forest interior habitat, and measured the foraging of mice under different experimental refuge types. We found that, while mice had reduced foraging when exposed to predation risk, the degree of this response depended on an interaction among habitat, refuge use, and type of predator. Prey had the greatest reduction in foraging and used refuges the most when exposed to cursorial-hunting foxes at the open forest edge. The risk-induced reduction in foraging and the use of refuges was much weaker in the forest interior, but even here foxes elicited a greater response as compared to owls. Generally, foraging tended to decrease with increasing moonlight, but this was not significant. We suggest that it is the temporal nature of cursorial vs. ambush predators in our system that drives such effects as opposed to their hunting mode, and that prey responses to temporal hotspots of risk need further examination. Generally, our results show that wild small-mammal prey species have variable responses to predation risk depending on the environmental context in which risk occurs.
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33
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Franz I, Fontana CS. Drivers of nest survival in the Tawny-bellied Seedeater Sporophila hypoxantha (Aves: Thraupidae): time-specific factors are more related to success than ecological variables. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2021; 93:e20191458. [PMID: 34550197 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202120191458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Tawny-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila hypoxantha) is an endangered (in Brazil) grassland dependent species, whose breeding success remains poorly known hampering conservation measures on its breeding grounds. Here we analyze the nest survival of the species in relation to temporal and environmental variables over three breeding seasons in hilly dry grasslands in southern Brazil. The apparent nest success was 40%, and MARK survival 20%. Predation was the main cause of failure, affecting 55% of the unsuccessful nests, followed by desertion, infestation by Philornis fly larvae, cattle trampling and burning. The productivity was 1.77 young per pair. Best models include time-specific factors (nest age and time of breeding season), reflected by a gradual reduction in nest survival over the nesting cycle, accompanied by an increase in temperature, subcutaneous larvae infestation, and predation. Nest site characteristics did not influence nest survival. Predation is more prevalent in the nestling rearing period than during incubation. This tendency may be caused by an increase in the activity in the nests, as is predicted by the Skutch hypothesis. The conclusion that time-specific factors influence nest survival more than ecological variables is important to plan on seasonally dependent conservation and management measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismael Franz
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Departamento de Zoologia, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução da Biodiversidade, Escola de Ciências, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Carla S Fontana
- Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução da Biodiversidade, Escola de Ciências, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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34
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Smith BL, Snell CL, Reudink MW, Otter KA. Urban-nesting mountain chickadees have a reduced response to a simulated predator. BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Anti-predator behaviour is common among birds, but little research exists on whether differences in the predator landscape between urban and rural habitats results in differential anti-predator behaviour. We compared nest-defence behaviour of mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli) in urban and rural habitats in Kamloops, BC, Canada to a simulated predator model (snake) on top of nest boxes while incubating females were away from nests on foraging bouts. Upon their return, we recorded proximity to the predator model, latency to contact the nest box and enter the nest, and number of gargle and chick-a-dee calls as measures of anti-predator behaviour and compared multivariate “predator aversion scores” across birds occupying either rural or urban landscapes. Rural-nesting birds had more aversive reactions to the predator model than the urban-nesting birds, which may suggest differences in perceived threat of the model, in combination with increased boldness associated with urban-nesting birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blaire L. Smith
- University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9
| | - Cara L. Snell
- University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9
| | | | - Ken A. Otter
- University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9
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35
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Grade AM, Lerman SB, Warren PS. Perilous choices: landscapes of fear for adult birds reduces nestling condition across an urban gradient. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M. Grade
- Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology University of Massachusetts 160 Holdsworth Way Amherst Massachusetts 01003 USA
| | - Susannah B. Lerman
- USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station 160 Holdsworth Way Amherst Massachusetts 01003 USA
| | - Paige S. Warren
- Department of Environmental Conservation University of Massachusetts 160 Holdsworth Way Amherst Massachusetts 01003 USA
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36
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Taff CC, Freeman-Gallant CR. Female ornamentation, incubation behavior, and reproductive success in a wild bird. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03033-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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37
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Bebbington K, Groothuis TGG. Who listens to mother? A whole-family perspective on the evolution of maternal hormone allocation. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1951-1968. [PMID: 33988906 PMCID: PMC8518390 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Maternal effects, or the influence of maternal environment and phenotype on offspring phenotype, may allow mothers to fine-tune their offspring's developmental trajectory and resulting phenotype sometimes long after the offspring has reached independence. However, maternal effects on offspring phenotype do not evolve in isolation, but rather within the context of a family unit, where the separate and often conflicting evolutionary interests of mothers, fathers and offspring are all at play. While intrafamilial conflicts are routinely invoked to explain other components of reproductive strategy, remarkably little is known about how intrafamilial conflicts influence maternal effects. We argue that much of the considerable variation in the relationship between maternally derived hormones, nutrients and other compounds and the resulting offspring phenotype might be explained by the presence of conflicting selection pressures on different family members. In this review, we examine the existing literature on maternal hormone allocation as a case study for maternal effects more broadly, and explore new hypotheses that arise when we consider current findings within a framework that explicitly incorporates the different evolutionary interests of the mother, her offspring and other family members. Specifically, we hypothesise that the relationship between maternal hormone allocation and offspring phenotype depends on a mother's ability to manipulate the signals she sends to offspring, the ability of family members to be plastic in their response to those signals and the capacity for the phenotypes and strategies of various family members to interact and influence one another on both behavioural and evolutionary timescales. We also provide suggestions for experimental, comparative and theoretical work that may be instrumental in testing these hypotheses. In particular, we highlight that manipulating the level of information available to different family members may reveal important insights into when and to what extent maternal hormones influence offspring development. We conclude that the evolution of maternal hormone allocation is likely to be shaped by the conflicting fitness optima of mothers, fathers and offspring, and that the outcome of this conflict depends on the relative balance of power between family members. Extending our hypotheses to incorporate interactions between family members, as well as more complex social groups and a wider range of taxa, may provide exciting new developments in the fields of endocrinology and maternal effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kat Bebbington
- Behavioural Biology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen, 9747AG, The Netherlands.,Animal Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, de Elst 1, Wageningen, 6708WD, The Netherlands
| | - Ton G G Groothuis
- Behavioural Biology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen, 9747AG, The Netherlands
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38
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Lundblad CG, Conway CJ. Nest microclimate and limits to egg viability explain avian life-history variation across latitudinal gradients. Ecology 2021; 102:e03338. [PMID: 33710621 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Variation in life-history strategies is central to our understanding of population dynamics and how organisms adapt to their environments. Yet we lack consensus regarding the ecological processes that drive variation in traits related to reproduction and survival. For example, we still do not understand the cause of two widespread inter- and intraspecific patterns: (1) the ubiquitous positive association between avian clutch size and latitude; and (2) variation in the extent of asynchronous hatching of eggs within a single clutch. Well-known hypotheses to explain each pattern have largely focused on biotic processes related to food availability and predation risk. However, local adaptation to maintain egg viability could explain both patterns with a single abiotic mechanism. The egg viability hypothesis was initially proposed to explain the cause of asynchronous hatching and suggests that asynchronous hatching results from early incubation onset in response to unfavorable nest microclimatic conditions, which otherwise reduce egg viability. However, allocation of resources to early incubation, prior to clutch completion, may energetically constrain clutch size and help explain the positive association between clutch size and latitude. We measured intraspecific variation in five functionally linked life-history traits of burrowing owls at five study sites spanning a 1,400-km latitudinal transect in western North America: clutch size, the timing of incubation onset, the degree of hatching asynchrony, the probability of hatching failure, and nestling survival. We found that most traits varied clinally with latitude, but all the traits were more strongly associated with individual nest microclimates than with latitude, and all varied with nest microclimate in the directions predicted by the egg viability hypothesis. Furthermore, incubation began earlier, hatching asynchrony increased, and clutch size declined across the breeding season. These results suggest that nest microclimate drives an important life-history trade-off and that thermal gradients are often sufficient to account for observed biogeographic and seasonal patterns in life-history strategies. Furthermore, our results reveal a potentially important indirect mechanism by which reproductive success and recruitment could be affected by climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl G Lundblad
- Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 1141, Moscow, Idaho, 83844, USA
| | - Courtney J Conway
- U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1141, Moscow, Idaho, 83844, USA
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39
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Sharp AR, Islam K. Does the intrusion of an avian nest predator elicit a change in the behaviour of a canopy-nesting passerine? BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Many studies have shown that nest predators affect their prey indirectly by inducing changes in the behaviour of the prey. Studies suggest that the type and degree of nest defence strategies depends heavily on species, along with nest type and location. One such strategy, nest vigilance, allows individuals to collect information and make informed decisions based on their surroundings. In this study, we simulated the intrusion of a common avian nest predator (blue jay, Cyanocitta cristata) into the territory of nesting cerulean warblers (Setophaga cerulea) and evaluated eight different behavioural variables to determine their response to the nest predator. Female cerulean warblers were more vigilant on their nest when exposed to a potential predator compared to a nest with lower threat of predation. Females exposed to a nest predator increased incubation bout by 109% and brooding bout by 60%. Our data also suggest that male cerulean warblers reduce their provisioning rate during the early nestling stage (−1 feeding/hour) and late nestling stage (−3 feedings/hour), although more data are needed. Modification of incubation bout length and nestling provisioning rate are common strategies employed by songbirds to reduce activity around the nest, by decreasing detection opportunities of visually-oriented nest predators. Currently, the only understanding we have on how cerulean warblers respond to a nest predator is based on observational data. The results of this study provide the first evidence that cerulean warblers are able to identify species that pose a threat to the safety of their nest, and that they modify their behaviour to reduce nest detection by predators. The results of this study provide a better understanding of a relatively unknown aspect of the breeding behaviour of this species. This study is also first to describe how an open-cup, canopy-nesting species responds to an increase in nest predation threat.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kamal Islam
- Department of Biology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, USA
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40
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Blackwell BF, Seamans TW, Pfeiffer MB, Buckingham BN. European Starling Nest‐site Selection Given Enhanced Direct Nest Predation Risk. WILDLIFE SOC B 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bradley F. Blackwell
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center 6100 Columbus Avenue Sandusky OH 44870 USA
| | - Thomas W. Seamans
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center 6100 Columbus Avenue Sandusky OH 44870 USA
| | - Morgan B. Pfeiffer
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center 6100 Columbus Avenue Sandusky OH 44870 USA
| | - Bruce N. Buckingham
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center 6100 Columbus Avenue Sandusky OH 44870 USA
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41
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Fortuna R, Paquet M, Ferreira AC, Silva LR, Theron F, Doutrelant C, Covas R. Maternal allocation in relation to weather, predation and social factors in a colonial cooperative bird. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1122-1133. [PMID: 33550597 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Females may adjust prenatal allocation in relation to ecological conditions that affect reproductive success, such as weather conditions or predation risk. In cooperative breeders, helpers might also influence reproductive success, and previous studies suggest that females can lay smaller eggs or larger clutches when breeding with more helpers. Although recent work suggests that helper effects can vary according to climatic variables, how social and ecological factors interact to shape prenatal allocation is poorly understood. Here, we examine how ecological and social components of the breeding environment covary with egg mass and clutch size, using as a model the sociable weaver Philetairus socius, a colonial, cooperatively breeding passerine. The study spanned 9 years and included over 1,900 eggs from over 550 clutches. Our analyses combined natural variation in weather conditions (rainfall before each reproductive event) with a nest predator-exclusion experiment and continuous monitoring of the mother's social environment, allowing us to estimate how individual females adjust allocation to reproduction as their number of helpers varies. We found that egg mass varied consistently within females and did not clearly differ in relation to rainfall or predation risk. Contrary to previous studies, there was no evidence for plastic adjustments as females gained and lost helpers, and egg mass was instead better predicted by mother size and identity. Females laid larger clutches when breeding in environments where predation risk was experimentally reduced and after higher rainfall levels. Yet, there was no evidence for increasing clutch size as the number of helpers increased, nor for an interaction between helper effects and ecological factors. We conclude that while sociable weaver females can vary their clutch size, they show high individual consistency in egg mass. In addition, we found no evidence that females may maximize fitness through plastic prenatal allocation in relation to the number of helpers, or that the presence/absence of helper effects is modulated by rainfall levels or predation risk. These results challenge our current knowledge on some of the possible benefits of breeding with helpers and call for more long-term analyses on reproductive allocation adjustments in other cooperative systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Fortuna
- CIBIO-InBIO - Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Matthieu Paquet
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - André C Ferreira
- CIBIO-InBIO - Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Vairão, Portugal.,CEFE-UMR5175 CNRS - Université de Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Liliana R Silva
- CIBIO-InBIO - Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Franck Theron
- CEFE-UMR5175 CNRS - Université de Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Claire Doutrelant
- CEFE-UMR5175 CNRS - Université de Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Rita Covas
- CIBIO-InBIO - Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Vairão, Portugal.,Percy FitzPatrick Institute, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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42
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Marton A, Fülöp A, Bán M, Hauber ME, Moskát C. Female common cuckoo calls dampen the mobbing intensity of great reed warbler hosts. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Attila Marton
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology University of Debrecen Debrecen Hungary
- Juhász‐Nagy Pál Doctoral School University of Debrecen Debrecen Hungary
| | - Attila Fülöp
- Juhász‐Nagy Pál Doctoral School University of Debrecen Debrecen Hungary
- MTA‐DE Behavioural Ecology Research Group Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology University of Debrecen Debrecen Hungary
| | - Miklós Bán
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology University of Debrecen Debrecen Hungary
- MTA‐DE Behavioural Ecology Research Group Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology University of Debrecen Debrecen Hungary
| | - Márk E. Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign Urbana IL USA
| | - Csaba Moskát
- MTA‐ELTE‐MTM Ecology Research Group A Joint Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Biological Institute of the Eötvös Loránd University and the Hungarian Natural History Museum Budapest Hungary
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43
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Lees D, Cardilini APA, Sherman CDH, Dann P, Weston MA. Adult capture on the nest does not affect hatching success of masked lapwing (Vanellus miles) eggs on a fox-free island. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.1071/wr20129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
ContextCapture, measurement, genetic sampling, ringing and flagging of shorebirds on their nests are standard techniques that underpin the study and conservation of these species. However, these techniques may reduce hatching success by compromising parental care or nest crypsis, thereby negatively influencing results, study populations and bird welfare. Only a few studies that examine the effect of capture of shorebirds on subsequent egg hatching success are currently available.
AimsTo compare the hatching success of masked lapwing (Vanellus miles) nests, at which adult capture and associated techniques (ringing, flagging and bleeding) have occurred, with nests at which these did not occur, on the fox-free Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia.
MethodsHatching success of masked lapwings was monitored and compared between nests at which adult capture did, and did not, occur. Clutches were aged and age was included in our models to adjust for exposure of clutches to risks such as predators.
Key resultsThere was no difference in egg hatching success between nests at which capture occurred and those at which it did not occur: 138 chicks hatched from 178 eggs attended by adults that were captured (77.5% hatched); and 279 chicks hatched from 442 eggs attended by adults that were not captured (63.1%).
ConclusionTrapping incubating lapwings using our existing protocols does not compromise egg hatching success, at least where there are no foxes present.
ImplicationsStudies of ground-nesting shorebird hatching success in relation to capture can usefully assess for adverse effects of the methods employed. We suggest that further examination of capture of lapwings at the nest be conducted in environments where foxes are present.
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Bressler SA, Diamant ES, Tingley MW, Yeh PJ. Nests in the cities: adaptive and non-adaptive phenotypic plasticity and convergence in an urban bird. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20202122. [PMID: 33323085 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity plays a critical role in adaptation to novel environments. Behavioural plasticity enables more rapid responses to unfamiliar conditions than evolution by natural selection. Urban ecosystems are one such novel environment in which behavioural plasticity has been documented. However, whether such plasticity is adaptive, and if plasticity is convergent among urban populations, is poorly understood. We studied the nesting biology of an 'urban-adapter' species, the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis), to understand the role of plasticity in adapting to city life. We examined (i) whether novel nesting behaviours are adaptive, (ii) whether pairs modify nest characteristics in response to prior outcomes, and (iii) whether two urban populations exhibit similar nesting behaviour. We monitored 170 junco nests in urban Los Angeles and compared our results with prior research on 579 nests from urban San Diego. We found that nests placed in ecologically novel locations (off-ground and on artificial surfaces) increased fitness, and that pairs practiced informed re-nesting in site selection. The Los Angeles population more frequently nested off-ground than the San Diego population and exhibited a higher success rate. Our findings suggest that plasticity facilitates adaptation to urban environments, and that the drivers behind novel nesting behaviours are complex and multifaceted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Bressler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Eleanor S Diamant
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Morgan W Tingley
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Pamela J Yeh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.,Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
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45
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Unzeta M, Martin TE, Sol D. Daily Nest Predation Rates Decrease with Body Size in Passerine Birds. Am Nat 2020; 196:743-754. [DOI: 10.1086/711413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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46
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Zanette LY, Clinchy M. Ecology and Neurobiology of Fear in Free-Living Wildlife. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND SYSTEMATICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-011720-124613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The ecology of fear concerns the population-, community-, and ecosystem-level consequences of the behavioral interactions between predators and prey, i.e., the aggregate impacts of individual responses to life-threatening events. We review new experiments demonstrating that fear itself is powerful enough to affect the population growth rate in free-living wild birds and mammals, and fear of large carnivores—or the human super predator—can cause trophic cascades affecting plant and invertebrate abundance. Life-threatening events like escaping a predator can have enduring, even lifelong, effects on the brain, and new interdisciplinary research on the neurobiology of fear in wild animals is both providing insights into post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and reinforcing the likely commonality of population- and community-level effects of fear in nature. Failing to consider fear thus risks dramatically underestimating the total impact predators can have on prey populations and the critical role predator-prey interactions can play in shaping ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liana Y. Zanette
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada;,
| | - Michael Clinchy
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada;,
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Wen Y, Guan H, Xu J, Li J. Do Parental Feeding Rate and Feeding Synchrony Affect Nest Survival in a Songbird? Zoolog Sci 2020; 37:580-585. [DOI: 10.2108/zs200039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ye Wen
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Haohui Guan
- Experimental Centre of Forestry in North China, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 102300, China
| | - Jiliang Xu
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Jianqiang Li
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
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Lohr AK, Martin JA, Wann GT, Cohen BS, Collier BA, Chamberlain MJ. Behavioral strategies during incubation influence nest and female survival of Wild Turkeys. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:11752-11765. [PMID: 33144998 PMCID: PMC7593161 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Females must balance physiological and behavioral demands of producing offspring with associated expenditures, such as resource acquisition and predator avoidance. Nest success is an important parameter underlying avian population dynamics. Galliforms are particularly susceptible to low nest success due to exposure of ground nests to multiple predator guilds, lengthy incubation periods, and substantive reliance on crypsis for survival. Hence, it is plausible that nesting individuals prioritize productivity and survival differently, resulting in a gradient of reproductive strategies. Fine-scale movement patterns during incubation are not well documented in ground-nesting birds, and the influence of reproductive movements on survival is largely unknown. Using GPS data collected from female wild turkeys (n = 278) across the southeastern United States, we evaluated the influence of incubation recess behaviors on trade-offs between nest and female survival. We quantified daily recess behaviors including recess duration, recess frequency, total distance traveled, and incubation range size for each nest attempt as well as covariates for nest concealment, nest attempt, and nest age. Of 374 nests, 91 (24%) hatched and 39 (14%) females were depredated during incubation. Average nest survival during the incubation period was 0.19, whereas average female survival was 0.78. On average, females took 1.6 daily unique recesses (SD = 1.2), spent 2.1 hr off the nest each day (SD = 1.8), and traveled 357.6 m during recesses (SD = 396.6). Average nest concealment was 92.5 cm (SD = 47). We found that females who took longer recess bouts had higher individual survival, but had increased nest loss. Females who recessed more frequently had lower individual survival. Our findings suggest behavioral decisions made during incubation represent life-history trade-offs between predation risk and reproductive success on an unpredictable landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley K. Lohr
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGAUSA
| | - James A. Martin
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGAUSA
| | - Gregory T. Wann
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGAUSA
| | - Bradley S. Cohen
- College of Arts and SciencesTennessee Technological UniversityCookevilleTNUSA
| | - Bret A. Collier
- School of Renewable Natural ResourcesLouisiana State University Agricultural CenterBaton RougeLAUSA
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Mouton JC, Tobalske BW, Wright NA, Martin TE. Risk of predation on offspring reduces parental provisioning, but not flight performance or survival across early life stages. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James C. Mouton
- Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit University of Montana Missoula MT USA
| | - Bret W. Tobalske
- Field Research Station at Fort Missoula Division of Biological Sciences University of Montana Missoula MT USA
| | - Natalie A. Wright
- Field Research Station at Fort Missoula Division of Biological Sciences University of Montana Missoula MT USA
- Department of Biology Kenyon College Gambier OH USA
| | - Thomas E. Martin
- U.S. Geological Survey Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit University of Montana Missoula MT USA
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