35 research outputs found
The roles of temperature, nest predators and information parasites for geographical variation in egg covering behaviour of tits (Paridae)
This is the final version. Available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.âŻAbstract
Aim
Nest building is widespread among animals. Nests may provide receptacles for eggs, developing offspring and the parents, and protect them from adverse environmental conditions. Nests may also indicate the quality of the territory and its owner and can be considered as an extended phenotype of its builder(s). Nests may, thus, function as a sexual and social signal. Here, we examined ecological and abiotic factorsâtemperature, nest predation and interspecific information utilizationâshaping geographical variation in a specific nest structureâhair and feather cover of eggsâand its function as an extended phenotype before incubation in great (Parus major) and blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) across Europe. We also tested whether egg covering is associated with reproductive success of great tits.
Location
Fourteen different study sites and 28 populations across Europe.
Taxon
Parus major, Cyanistes caeruleus.
Methods
We recorded clutch coverage estimates and collected egg covering nest material from the tit nests. We also measured nest specific breeding parameters and phenotypic measurements on adults. We tested whether mean spring temperatures, nest predation rates and flycatcher (Ficedula spp) densities in the study areas explain the largeâscale geographical variation of clutch coverage and reproductive success of tits.
Results
The degree of egg coverage of great tits increased with lower mean spring temperature, higher nest predation rate and higher flycatcher density. We did not find egg covering of blue tits to be associated with any of the ecological or abiotic factors. Moreover, egg covering of great tits was not associated with reproductive success in our crossâsectional data, yet a rigorous assessment of fitness effects would require longâterm data.
Main conclusions
Our findings suggest that, in great tits, egg covering may simultaneously provide thermal insulation against cold temperatures during eggâlaying in spring and also represent a counterâadaptation to reduce information parasitism by flycatchers and nest predation. Hence, geographical variation in interspecific interactions, and consequently in coâevolutionary processes, may affect the evolution of nest characteristics besides environmental conditions.Biotieteiden ja YmpĂ€ristön Tutkimuksen ToimikuntaAgencia Estatal de InvestigaciĂłn, Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, Spanish Research Council
The past and the present in decision-making: the use of conspecific and heterospecific cues in nest site selection
International audienceNest site selection significantly affects fitness, so adaptations for assessment of the qualities of available sites are expected. The assessment may be based on personal or social information, the latter referring to the observed location and performance of both conspecific and heterospecific individuals. Contrary to large-scale breeding habitat selection, small-scale nest site selection within habitat patches is insufficiently understood. We analyzed nest site selection in the migratory Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis in relation to present and past cues provided by conspecifics and by resident tits within habitat patches by using long-term data. Collared Flycatchers preferred nest boxes that were occupied by conspecifics in the previous year. This preference was strongest in breeding pairs where both individuals bred in the same forest patch in the previous year. The results also suggest preference for nest boxes close to boxes where conspecifics had a high breeding success in the previous year, and for nest boxes which are presently surrounded by a high number of breeding Great Tits Parus major. The results indicate social information use in nest site selection at a small spatial scale, where Collared Flycatchers use conspecific cues with a time lag of one year and heterospecific cues instantly
Mannerheim 150 Years Celebration Concert : konserter i Helsingfors, Ă bo och Rauma, Finland
I detta projekt undersökte jag mitt konstnÀrliga handlingsutrymme som sÄngare genom att ta en mycket aktiv del av programsÀttningen. Produktionen innehöll flera sprÄk: ryska, tyska, svenska och engelskaValiderad;2017;NivÄ 1;2017-12-18 (svasva)</p