HUMMINGBIRD FRUGIVORY IN A COSTA RICAN CLOUD FOREST

Four species of hummingbirds Ppurple-crowned Fairy, Heliothryx barroti; Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Eupherusa eximia; White-tailed Emerald, Elvira chionura; and White-throated Mountain-gem, Lampornis castaneoventris) were observed feeding on the fruits of the tree Saurauia montana (Actinidiaceae) in secondary cloud forest in the Talamanca mountains of Costa Rica. These fruits are small (1 cm) berries with mucilaginous pulp; feeding occurred via repeated puncture of the epicarp. This is the first record of frugivory in any of these hummingbird species and one of the few records of hummingbird frugivory on plants other than Cactaceae

Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Concentrations of Genistein during Activation Does Not Affect Sperm Motility in the Fighting Fish Betta splendens

Sperm collected from male fighting fish Betta splendens were activated in control water, water containing the ion-channel blocker gadolinium (a putative positive control), or water containing the isoflavone phytoestrogen genistein to determine the effects of acute genistein exposure on male reproductive function. Computer-assisted sperm analysis was used to quantify the proportion of sperm that were motile and the swimming velocity of those sperm. The highest concentration of gadolinium (100 μM) tested was effective at reducing sperm motility and velocity, but neither concentration of genistein tested (3.7 nM or 3.7 μM) significantly affected these sperm parameters. Our findings suggest that acute exposure to waterborne phytoestrogens during activation does not reduce the motility of fish sperm

Experimental heating reveals nest temperature affects nestling condition in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)

Investment in one life-history stage can have delayed effects on subsequent life-history stages within a single reproductive bout. We experimentally heated tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nests during incubation to test for effects on parental and nestling conditions. Females incubating in heated boxes maintained higher body condition and fed nestlings at higher rates. We cross-fostered nestlings and found that young nestlings (4–7 days old) incubated in heated nests had higher body condition and body mass, regardless of treatment status of their rearing parent. However, older nestlings which were fed by heated females maintained higher condition and body mass regardless of treatment status of their incubating parent. These results indicate that investment in one life-history stage can have multiple pathways of carry-over effects on future life-history stages

DeSimone et al dataset 2014-2016 grouped by nest

These are data on tree swallows and their associated blowfly parasites, in which each row represents one nest. One sheet includes the data, the other sheet includes the descriptions of variables