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Kolešková V, Šálek ME, Brynychová K, Chajma P, Pešková L, Elhassan E, Petrusová Vozabulová E, Janatová V, Almuhery A, Sládeček M. Offspring thermal demands and parental brooding efficiency differ for precocial birds living in contrasting climates. Front Zool 2023; 20:12. [PMID: 37032338 PMCID: PMC10084700 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-023-00492-1] [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: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chicks of precocial birds hatch well-developed and can search actively for food but their homeothermy develops gradually during growth. This makes them dependent on heat provided by parents ("brooding"), which is then traded off against other activities, mainly foraging. Although brooding has been documented in many precocial birds, little is known about the differences in the amount and efficiency of brooding care, brooding diel rhythmicity, and impact on the chick's growth, particularly between species living in different climatic conditions. RESULTS We used multisensory dataloggers to evaluate brooding patterns in two congeneric species inhabiting contrasting climate zones: temperate Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) and desert Red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus). In accordance with our expectation, the adult desert lapwings brooded the chicks slightly less compared to the adult temperate lapwings. However, the desert lapwings brooded their chicks in higher ambient temperatures and less efficiently (i.e. they could not reach the same brooding temperature as the temperate lapwings), which are new and hitherto unknown brooding patterns in precocial birds. In both species, night brooding prevailed even during warm nights, suggesting a general brooding rule among birds. Although the high rates of brooding can reduce the time spent by foraging, we found no negative effect of the high brooding rate on the growth rate in either species. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that the chicks of species breeding in colder climates may reduce their thermal demands, while their parents may increase the efficiency of parental brooding care. More research is however needed to confirm this as a rule across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Kolešková
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Miroslav E Šálek
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Brynychová
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Chajma
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Pešková
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Esmat Elhassan
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Prague, Czech Republic
- Natural Resources Conservation Section, Environment Department, Dubai Municipality, Abu Hail, Dubai, UAE
| | - Eva Petrusová Vozabulová
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Janatová
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Aisha Almuhery
- Natural Resources Conservation Section, Environment Department, Dubai Municipality, Abu Hail, Dubai, UAE
| | - Martin Sládeček
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Prague, Czech Republic.
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Sládeček M, Brynychová K, Elhassan E, Šálek ME, Janatová V, Vozabulová E, Chajma P, Firlová V, Pešková L, Almuhery A, Bulla M. Diel timing of nest predation changes across breeding season in a subtropical shorebird. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:13101-13117. [PMID: 34646455 PMCID: PMC8495801 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation is the most common cause of nest failure in birds. While nest predation is relatively well studied in general, our knowledge is unevenly distributed across the globe and taxa, with, for example, limited information on shorebirds breeding in subtropics. Importantly, we know fairly little about the timing of predation within a day. Here, we followed 444 nests of the red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus), a ground-nesting shorebird, for a sum of 7,828 days to estimate a nest predation rate, and continuously monitored 230 of these nests for a sum of 2,779 days to reveal how the timing of predation changes over the day and season in a subtropical desert. We found that 312 nests (70%) hatched, 76 nests (17%) were predated, 23 (5%) failed for other reasons, and 33 (7%) had an unknown fate. Daily predation rate was 0.95% (95%CrI: 0.76% - 1.19%), which for a 30-day long incubation period translates into ~25% (20% - 30%) chance of nest being predated. Such a predation rate is low compared to most other avian species. Predation events (N = 25) were evenly distributed across day and night, with a tendency for increased predation around sunrise, and evenly distributed also across the season, although night predation was more common later in the season, perhaps because predators reduce their activity during daylight to avoid extreme heat. Indeed, nests were never predated when midday ground temperatures exceeded 45℃. Whether the diel activity pattern of resident predators undeniably changes across the breeding season and whether the described predation patterns hold for other populations, species, and geographical regions await future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Sládeček
- Faculty of Environmental SciencesCzech University of Life Sciences PraguePragueCzech Republic
| | - Kateřina Brynychová
- Faculty of Environmental SciencesCzech University of Life Sciences PraguePragueCzech Republic
| | - Esmat Elhassan
- Faculty of Environmental SciencesCzech University of Life Sciences PraguePragueCzech Republic
- Natural Resources Conservation SectionEnvironment DepartmentDubai MunicipalityAbu Hail, DubaiUnited Arab Emirates
| | - Miroslav E. Šálek
- Faculty of Environmental SciencesCzech University of Life Sciences PraguePragueCzech Republic
| | - Veronika Janatová
- Faculty of Environmental SciencesCzech University of Life Sciences PraguePragueCzech Republic
| | - Eva Vozabulová
- Faculty of Environmental SciencesCzech University of Life Sciences PraguePragueCzech Republic
| | - Petr Chajma
- Faculty of Environmental SciencesCzech University of Life Sciences PraguePragueCzech Republic
| | - Veronika Firlová
- Faculty of Environmental SciencesCzech University of Life Sciences PraguePragueCzech Republic
| | - Lucie Pešková
- Faculty of Environmental SciencesCzech University of Life Sciences PraguePragueCzech Republic
| | - Aisha Almuhery
- Natural Resources Conservation SectionEnvironment DepartmentDubai MunicipalityAbu Hail, DubaiUnited Arab Emirates
| | - Martin Bulla
- Faculty of Environmental SciencesCzech University of Life Sciences PraguePragueCzech Republic
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary GeneticsMax Planck Institute for OrnithologySeewiesenGermany
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Vidal M, García-Miranda Ó, Domínguez J. Sex-related and spatial variation in trace elements in feathers of the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) from different coastal areas of the Iberian Peninsula. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 766:144628. [PMID: 33421782 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the sex-related and spatial variation in trace elements concentrations in feathers of the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) inhabiting different coastal locations in the Iberian Peninsula. Feathers were sampled in a total of 50 breeding birds from 7 different locations: 3 on the Mediterranean coast (n=18), 1 on the Atlantic coast of Andalusia (n=9) and 3 on the NW Atlantic coast (n=23). The feathers were analyzed to determine the concentrations of Al, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Hg and Pb. All of the trace elements were present at detectable concentrations, and the mean concentrations of Al, Zn and Cu were highest of those considered. The coastal section had a significant effect on 5 elements (Mn, Cu, As, Cd and Pb). The mean concentrations of almost all of the trace elements were highest in the birds from Andalusia, intermediate in the birds from the Mediterranean area and, in general, lowest in the birds from the NW Atlantic coast. Females showed significant higher Mn concentrations and high levels of exogenous elements (Al and As) in contrast with males. Less preening activity during the day of female birds, when they are occupied in incubating eggs, could favour higher concentrations of exogenous trace elements. The high levels of several trace elements observed in the samples from Mediterranean and Atlantic coast of Andalusia may pose a serious threat to these populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Vidal
- Departamento de Zooloxía, Xenética e Antropoloxía Física, Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Óscar García-Miranda
- Departamento de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Ex-Hacienda Santa Catarina Mártir, 72810 Puebla, Mexico
| | - Jesús Domínguez
- Departamento de Zooloxía, Xenética e Antropoloxía Física, Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
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