1
|
Tryjanowski P, Golawski A, Jankowiak Ł, Møller AP. Reactions of wintering passerines to male calls of the European cuckoo Cuculus canorus. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14204. [PMID: 38902276 PMCID: PMC11189894 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64270-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The reaction of birds to the nest parasite, the European cuckoo Cuculus canorus, has been the subject of extensive testing in various aspects. However, while the cuckoo is a long-distance migrant, some of its hosts are sedentary species. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether species, primarily hosts, react to the presence of the cuckoo also in the winter season. This behaviour may involve an attempt to drive the parasite away from locations that will subsequently become their breeding sites. During playback experiments conducted in the winter of 2021/2022 in Poland, we demonstrated that numerous bird species react to the male cuckoo calls in winter. These calls may be perceived as a source of danger, particularly by cuckoo hosts, who responded to this call more frequently than non-hosts and the control species (pigeon). Nonetheless, the birds' reactions were not strong, as they did not approach the source of the call. However, our results are constrained by the limited number of cuckoo host species wintering in Poland. To better evaluate the intensity of bird responses to the male cuckoo's call during the non-breeding season, further studies should be conducted in regions where a greater variety of species, especially those most susceptible to parasitism, overwinter.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Tryjanowski
- Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625, Poznan, Poland.
| | - Artur Golawski
- Faculty of Sciences, University of Siedlce, Prusa 14, 08-110, Siedlce, Poland
| | - Łukasz Jankowiak
- Department of Ecology and Anthropology, Institute of Biology, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, 71-415, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Anders Pape Møller
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405, Orsay Cedex, AgroParisTech, France
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dixit T, Apostol AL, Chen KC, Fulford AJC, Town CP, Spottiswoode CN. Visual complexity of egg patterns predicts egg rejection according to Weber's law. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220710. [PMID: 35858060 PMCID: PMC9277300 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual complexity is ubiquitous in nature. Drivers of complexity include selection in coevolutionary arms races between antagonists. However, the causes and consequences of biological complexity and its perception are largely understudied, partly because complexity is difficult to quantify. Here, we address this by studying egg pattern complexity and its perception in hosts (tawny-flanked prinia Prinia subflava), which visually recognize and reject mimetic eggs of their virulent brood parasite (cuckoo finch Anomalospiza imberbis). Using field data and an optimization algorithm, we compute a complexity metric which predicts rejection of experimentally placed conspecific eggs in prinia nests. Real cuckoo finch eggs exhibit significantly lower pattern complexity than prinia eggs, suggesting that high complexity benefits hosts because it distinguishes host eggs from parasitic eggs. We show that prinias perceive complexity differences according to Weber's law of proportional processing (i.e. relative, rather than absolute, differences between stimuli are processed in discrimination, such that two eggs with simple patterns are more easily discriminable than two with complex patterns). This may influence coevolutionary trajectories of hosts and parasites. The new methods presented for quantifying complexity and its perception can help us to understand selection pressures driving the evolution of complexity and its consequences for species interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tanmay Dixit
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Kuan-Chi Chen
- Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Claire N. Spottiswoode
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK,DST-NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hanley D, Moghaddame-Jafari B, Rutledge SL. Could diffuse coevolution explain the generic eggshell color of the brown-headed cowbird? Curr Zool 2021; 67:645-652. [PMID: 34805542 PMCID: PMC8599007 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The brown-headed cowbird (hereafter cowbird) is an avian brood parasite that produces an egg dissimilar to those produced by the majority of its diverse host community. The cowbird’s generic egg may result from a Jack-of-all-trades strategy; however, the evolutionary mechanisms that select for their generic eggs are unclear. Here we propose that the cowbird’s eggshell phenotypes have evolved via diffuse coevolution, which results from community-level selective pressures, rather than via pairwise coevolution that occurs between a particular host species and its brood parasite. Under diffuse coevolution the cowbird’s host community, with varying eggshell phenotypes and recognition abilities, would select for a cowbird eggshell phenotype intermediate to those of its host community. This selection is exerted by hosts that reject cowbird eggs, rather than those that accept them; therefore, we expect cowbird eggshell colors can be approximated by both the phenotypes and rejection abilities of their host community. Here we use eggshell reflectance data from 43 host species to demonstrate that the cowbird eggshell phenotypes are reasonably predicted (within 2 just noticeable differences) by the eggshell phenotypes and rejection rates of their hosts. These findings suggest that cowbird eggshell phenotypes, and potentially those of other some generalist parasites, may evolve via diffuse coevolution. Importantly, this research provides insight into the underlying evolutionary processes that explain observed phenotypic variation and provides a framework for studying selection on both specialist and generalist parasites’ traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Hanley
- Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
| | | | - Samantha L Rutledge
- Department of Biology, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, Mansfield, PA 16933, USA.,Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Samaš P, Hauber ME, Honza M. A Meta-Analysis of Avian Egg Traits Cueing Egg-Rejection Defenses Against Brood Parasitism. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.703208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The capability of hosts to reject the odd egg from their nest is one of the key defenses against avian brood parasitism. Considerable research effort has been devoted to exploring which phenotypic traits of eggshells facilitate to cue the recognition of the parasitic egg. Here we have reviewed studies addressing salient egg traits involved in the rejection of foreign eggs and used a formal meta-analysis to quantify their relative importance. Hosts appear to rely to a large extent on eggshell color traits, followed by maculation patterns. Hosts respond with similar rates of egg rejection to natural vs. model eggs and when breeding in both closed and open nests. Analyses of experiments on hosts of Cuculus and Molothrus parasites, the two best studied brood parasitic lineages with different co-evolutionary histories, yield similar conclusions. We also identify several poorly studied potential egg recognition cues, such as odor or weight, and recommend exploring even the visual traits in more detail, including chromatic and achromatic contrasts or experimentally manipulated egg maculation characteristics. Recent technological and sensory ecological advances open many new research avenues to experimentally examine the role of diverse egg characteristics in antiparasite defenses.
Collapse
|
5
|
Šulc M, Hughes AE, Troscianko J, Štětková G, Procházka P, Požgayová M, Piálek L, Piálková R, Brlík V, Honza M. Automatic identification of bird females using egg phenotype. Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Individual identification is crucial for studying animal ecology and evolution. In birds this is often achieved by capturing and tagging. However, these methods are insufficient for identifying individuals/species that are secretive or difficult to catch. Here, we employ an automatic analytical approach to predict the identity of bird females based on the appearance of their eggs, using the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) as a model species. We analysed 192 cuckoo eggs using digital photography and spectrometry. Cuckoo females were identified from genetic sampling of nestlings, allowing us to determine the accuracy of automatic (unsupervised and supervised) and human assignment. Finally, we used a novel analytical approach to identify eggs that were not genetically analysed. Our results show that individual cuckoo females lay eggs with a relatively constant appearance and that eggs laid by more genetically distant females differ more in colour. Unsupervised clustering had similar cluster accuracy to experienced human observers, but supervised methods were able to outperform humans. Our novel method reliably assigned a relatively high number of eggs without genetic data to their mothers. Therefore, this is a cost-effective and minimally invasive method for increasing sample sizes, which may facilitate research on brood parasites and other avian species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michal Šulc
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Anna E Hughes
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - Jolyon Troscianko
- Centre for Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Gabriela Štětková
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Procházka
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Milica Požgayová
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Lubomír Piálek
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Radka Piálková
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Brlík
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marcel Honza
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Abernathy VE, Johnson LE, Langmore NE. An Experimental Test of Defenses Against Avian Brood Parasitism in a Recent Host. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.651733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Theoretical studies predict that hosts of avian brood parasites should evolve defenses against parasitism in a matter of decades. However, opportunities to test these predictions are limited because brood parasites rarely switch to naïve hosts. Here, we capitalize on a recent host switch by the brood-parasitic Pacific Koel (Eudynamys orientalis) in eastern Australia, to investigate how quickly the Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata), a recent host that has been annexed by the koel within the last 90 years, can learn to recognize and mob adult cuckoos and evolve the ability to eject parasite eggs. Pacific Koel nestlings kill all host young, so there should be strong selection for hosts to evolve defenses. However, low parasitism rates and high egg recognition costs might slow the spread of egg ejection in our study populations, while adult parasite recognition should be able to spread more rapidly, as this defense has been shown to be a learned trait rather than a genetically inherited defense. We tested Red Wattlebirds at two sites where parasitism rate differed. As predicted, we found that the Red Wattlebird showed little or no ability to eject foreign model eggs at either site, whereas two historical hosts showed high levels of egg ejection at both sites. However, Red Wattlebirds responded significantly more aggressively to a koel mount than to mounts of a harmless control and nest predator at the site with the higher parasitism rate and gave significantly more alarm calls overall toward the koel mount. Our results support previous evidence that recognition and mobbing of a brood parasite are learned traits and may be especially beneficial to naïve hosts that have not had enough time or a high enough selection pressure to evolve egg rejection.
Collapse
|
7
|
Clark DL, Hauber ME, Anderson PSL. Nest substrate and tool shape significantly affect the mechanics and energy requirements of avian eggshell puncture. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:239723. [PMID: 33914033 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.238832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Some host species of avian obligate brood parasites reject parasitic eggs from their nest whereas others accept them, even though they recognize them as foreign. One hypothesis to explain this seemingly maladaptive behavior is that acceptors are unable to pierce and remove the parasitic eggshell. Previous studies reporting on the force and energy required to break brood parasites' eggshells were typically static tests performed against hard substrate surfaces. Here, we considered host nest as a substrate to simulate this potentially critical aspect of the natural context for egg puncture while testing the energy required to break avian eggshells. Specifically, as a proof of concept, we punctured domestic chicken eggs under a series of conditions: varying tool shape (sharp versus blunt), tool dynamics (static versus dynamic) and the presence of natural bird nests (of three host species). The results show a complex set of statistically significant interactions between tool shapes, puncture dynamics and nest substrates. Specifically, the energy required to break eggs was greater for the static tests than for the dynamic tests, but only when using a nest substrate and a blunt tool. In turn, in the static tests, the addition of a nest significantly increased energy requirements for both tool types, whereas during dynamic tests, the increase in energy associated with the nest presence was significant only when using the sharp tool. Characterizing the process of eggshell puncture in increasingly naturalistic contexts will help in understanding whether and how hosts of brood parasites evolve to reject foreign eggs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L Clark
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Philip S L Anderson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Taylor CJ, Langmore NE. How do brood-parasitic cuckoos reconcile conflicting environmental and host selection pressures on egg size investment? Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
|
9
|
Martínez JG, Molina-Morales M, Precioso M, Avilés JM. Age-Related Brood Parasitism and Egg Rejection in Magpie Hosts. Am Nat 2020; 195:876-885. [PMID: 32364781 DOI: 10.1086/708155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
When the strength or nature of a host-parasite interaction changes over the host life cycle, the consequences of parasitism can depend on host population age structure. Avian brood parasites reduce hosts' breeding success, and host age may play a role in this interaction if younger hosts are more likely parasitized and/or less able to defend themselves. We analyzed whether the age of female magpie (Pica pica) hosts is associated with parasite attack or their ability to reject foreign eggs. We recorded parasitism and model egg rejection of known-age individuals over their lifetime and established whether the likelihood of parasitism or egg rejection changed with age or longevity. Parasitism probability did not change with female age, and there was a trend toward longer-lived females being less likely to be parasitized. However, model egg rejection probability increased with age for each individual female, and longer-lived females were more prone to reject model eggs. Most females in the population were young, and the majority of them accepted model eggs, suggesting that brood parasites exploiting younger host individuals are benefitting from a lower defense level of their hosts. Our results stress that the intensity of selection by brood parasites may be mediated by the age structure of host populations, a to-date neglected aspect in brood parasite-host research.
Collapse
|
10
|
Wang J, Li Q, Wang L, Yang C, Liang W. Do swallows (Hirundo daurica) use the visual cue of hatchling down-feathers to discriminate parasite alien nestlings? Integr Zool 2020; 15:441-446. [PMID: 32301245 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Egg recognition is a variable but common anti-parasitism defense among different species of birds with brood parasites. In contrast, nestling recognition is rare. Very few studies have found nestling recognition in brood parasite hosts and determined the rejection mechanism behind this behavior. Hosts may use the number of hatchling down-feathers to reject parasite nestlings. We tested whether hatchling down-feathers is a visual cue for the red-rumped swallow, a host that can recognize and reject parasite nestlings. Our results indicated that red-rumped swallows do not recognize foreign nestlings based on hatchling down-feathers. The closed nest structure and hatchling morph may explain the absence of such a mechanism. None of the rejection mechanisms found in previous studies could explain the nestling recognition in swallows. Olfactory cues, tactile cues, or other visual cues, except for single nestling or hatchling down-feathers, may provide nestling recognition in red-rumped swallows. More study is needed to evaluate these possibilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiaojiao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Qihong Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Longwu Wang
- State Forestry Administration of China Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Conservation in Mountainous Areas of Southwest Karst, School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Canchao Yang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Wei Liang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Hanley D, López AV, Fiorini VD, Reboreda JC, Grim T, Hauber ME. Variation in multicomponent recognition cues alters egg rejection decisions: a test of the optimal acceptance threshold hypothesis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 374:20180195. [PMID: 30967077 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The optimal acceptance threshold hypothesis provides a general predictive framework for testing behavioural responses to discrimination challenges. Decision-makers should respond to a stimulus when the perceived difference between that stimulus and a comparison template surpasses an acceptance threshold. We tested how individual components of a relevant recognition cue (experimental eggs) contributed to behavioural responses of chalk-browed mockingbirds, Mimus saturninus, a frequent host of the parasitic shiny cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis. To do this, we recorded responses to eggs that varied with respect to two components: colour, ranging from bluer to browner than the hosts' own eggs, and spotting, either spotted like their own or unspotted. Although tests of this hypothesis typically assume that decisions are based on perceived colour dissimilarity between own and foreign eggs, we found that decisions were biased toward rejecting browner eggs. However, as predicted, hosts tolerated spotted eggs more than unspotted eggs, irrespective of colour. These results uncover how a single component of a multicomponent cue can shift a host's discrimination threshold and illustrate how the optimal acceptance threshold hypothesis can be used as a framework to quantify the direction and amount of the shift (in avian perceptual units) of the response curve across relevant phenotypic ranges. This article is part of the theme issue 'The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Hanley
- 1 Department of Biology, Long Island University - Post , Brookville, NY 11548 , USA
| | - Analía V López
- 2 Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires , C1428EGA Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Vanina D Fiorini
- 2 Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires , C1428EGA Buenos Aires , Argentina.,3 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires , C1428EGA Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Juan C Reboreda
- 2 Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires , C1428EGA Buenos Aires , Argentina.,3 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires , C1428EGA Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Tomáš Grim
- 4 Department of Zoology, Laboratory of Ornithology, Palacký University , Olomouc 77146 , Czech Republic
| | - Mark E Hauber
- 5 Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL 61801 , USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Hanley D, Gern K, Hauber ME, Grim T. Host Responses to Foreign Eggs across the Avian Visual Color Space. Am Nat 2019; 194:17-27. [DOI: 10.1086/703534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
13
|
Noh HJ, Gloag R, Langmore NE. True recognition of nestlings by hosts selects for mimetic cuckoo chicks. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2018.0726. [PMID: 29875305 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Brood parasitic cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds' nests, whereafter the young cuckoo hatches, ejects its nest-mates and monopolizes the care of the host parents. Theory predicts that hosts should not evolve to recognize and reject cuckoo chicks via imprinting because of the risk of mistakenly imprinting on a cuckoo chick in their first brood and thereafter always rejecting their own chicks. However, recent studies have revealed that some hosts do reject cuckoo chicks from the nest, indicating that these hosts' recognition systems either do not rely on first brood imprinting, or use cues that are independent of chick phenotype. Here, we investigate the proximate mechanisms of chick rejection behaviour in the large-billed gerygone (Gerygone magnirostris), a host of the little bronze-cuckoo (Chalcites minutillus). We find that gerygones use true template-based recognition based on at least one visual chick trait (the number of hatchling down-feathers), and that this is further mediated by experience of adult cuckoos at the nest during egg-laying. Given the theoretical constraints of acquiring recognition templates via imprinting, gerygones must possess a template of own-chick appearance that is largely innate. This true recognition has facilitated the evolution of very rapid hatchling rejection and, in turn, striking visual mimicry of host young by little bronze-cuckoo chicks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hee-Jin Noh
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, RN Robertson Building, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Ros Gloag
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Macleay Building A12, Science Road, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Naomi E Langmore
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, RN Robertson Building, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Biagolini-Jr C, dos Santos PVR. Egg ejection cost can limit defence strategies against brood parasitism. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Biagolini-Jr
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia; Universidade de Brasília; Brasília Brazil
| | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Dainson M, Mark M, Hossain M, Yoo B, Holford M, McNeil SE, Riehl C, Hauber ME. How to Make a Mimic? Brood Parasitic Striped Cuckoo Eggs Match Host Shell Color but Not Pigment Concentrations. J Chem Ecol 2018; 44:940-946. [DOI: 10.1007/s10886-018-0986-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
|
16
|
Luro AB, Igic B, Croston R, López AV, Shawkey MD, Hauber ME. Which egg features predict egg rejection responses in American robins? Replicating Rothstein's (1982) study. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:1673-1679. [PMID: 29435242 PMCID: PMC5792560 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Revised: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Rothstein (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 11, 1982, 229) was one of the first comprehensive studies to examine how different egg features influence egg rejection behaviors of avian brood parasite-hosts. The methods and conclusions of Rothstein (1982) laid the foundation for subsequent experimental brood parasitism studies over the past thirty years, but its results have never been evaluated with replication. Here, we partially replicated Rothstein's (1982) experiments using parallel artificial model egg treatments to simulate cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism in American robin (Turdus migratorius) nests. We compared our data with those of Rothstein (1982) and confirmed most of its original findings: (1) robins reject model eggs that differ from the appearance of a natural robin egg toward that of a natural cowbird egg in background color, size, and maculation; (2) rejection responses were best predicted by model egg background color; and (3) model eggs differing by two or more features from natural robin eggs were more likely to be rejected than model eggs differing by one feature alone. In contrast with Rothstein's (1982) conclusion that American robin egg recognition is not specifically tuned toward rejection of brown-headed cowbird eggs, we argue that our results and those of other recent studies of robin egg rejection suggest a discrimination bias toward rejection of cowbird eggs. Future work on egg recognition will benefit from utilizing a range of model eggs varying continuously in background color, maculation patterning, and size in combination with avian visual modeling, rather than using model eggs which vary only discretely.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alec B. Luro
- Department of Animal BiologySchool of Integrative BiologyUniversity of IllinoisUrbana‐ChampaignILUSA
| | - Branislav Igic
- Division of Ecology & EvolutionResearch School of BiologyAustralian National UniversityCanberraACTAustralia
| | - Rebecca Croston
- U.S. Geological SurveyWestern Ecological Research CenterDixonCAUSA
| | - Analía V. López
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y EvoluciónFacultad de Ciencias Exactas y NaturalesUniversidad de Buenos AiresBuenos AiresArgentina
| | - Matthew D. Shawkey
- Department of Biology, Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures GroupUniversity of GhentGhentBelgium
| | - Mark E. Hauber
- Department of Animal BiologySchool of Integrative BiologyUniversity of IllinoisUrbana‐ChampaignILUSA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
de la Colina MA, Pompilio L, Hauber ME, Reboreda JC, Mahler B. Parasitic egg rejection decisions of chalk-browed mockingbirds Mimus saturninus are independent of clutch composition. Anim Cogn 2018; 21:301-305. [PMID: 29372341 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-018-1161-7] [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: 09/12/2017] [Revised: 12/15/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Obligate avian brood parasites lay their eggs in nests of other host species, which assume all the costs of parental care for the foreign eggs and chicks. The most common defensive response to parasitism is the rejection of foreign eggs by hosts. Different cognitive mechanisms and decision-making rules may guide both egg recognition and rejection behaviors. Classical optimization models generally assume that decisions are based on the absolute properties of the options (i.e., absolute valuation). Increasing evidence shows instead that hosts' rejection decisions also depend on the context in which options are presented (i.e., context-dependent valuation). Here we study whether the chalk-browed mockingbird's (Mimus saturninus) rejection of parasitic shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) eggs is a fixed behavior or varies with the context of the clutch. We tested three possible context-dependent mechanisms: (1) range effect, (2) habituation to variation, and (3) sensitization to variation. We found that mockingbird rejection of parasitic eggs does not change according to the characteristics of the other eggs in the nest. Thus, rejection decisions may exclusively depend on the objective characteristics of the eggs, meaning that the threshold of acceptance or rejection of a foreign egg is context-independent in this system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M A de la Colina
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución and IEGEBA-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - L Pompilio
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución and IEGEBA-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M E Hauber
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, 61801, USA
| | - J C Reboreda
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución and IEGEBA-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - B Mahler
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución and IEGEBA-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Dainson M, Hauber ME, López AV, Grim T, Hanley D. Does contrast between eggshell ground and spot coloration affect egg rejection? Naturwissenschaften 2017. [PMID: 28642972 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1476-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Obligate avian brood parasitic species impose the costs of incubating foreign eggs and raising young upon their unrelated hosts. The most common host defence is the rejection of parasitic eggs from the nest. Both egg colours and spot patterns influence egg rejection decisions in many host species, yet no studies have explicitly examined the role of variation in spot coloration. We studied the American robin Turdus migratorius, a blue-green unspotted egg-laying host of the brown-headed cowbird Molothrus ater, a brood parasite that lays non-mimetic spotted eggs. We examined host responses to model eggs with variable spot coloration against a constant robin-mimetic ground colour to identify patterns of rejection associated with perceived contrast between spot and ground colours. By using avian visual modelling, we found that robins were more likely to reject eggs whose spots had greater chromatic (hue) but not achromatic (brightness) contrast. Therefore, egg rejection decision rules in the American robin may depend on the colour contrast between parasite eggshell spot and host ground coloration. Our study also suggests that egg recognition in relation to spot coloration, like ground colour recognition, is tuned to the natural variation of avian eggshell spot colours but not to unnatural spot colours.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miri Dainson
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, 10065, USA.,Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Analía V López
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Tomáš Grim
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology, Palacký University, 77146, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Daniel Hanley
- Department of Biology, Long Island University - Post, Brookville, New York, NY, 11548, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Geltsch N, Moskát C, Elek Z, Bán M, Stevens M. Egg spotting pattern in common cuckoos and their great reed warbler hosts: a century perspective. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blw035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
|
20
|
|
21
|
De Mársico MC, Ursino CA, Reboreda JC. Experimental evidence for an antipredatory function of egg rejection behaviour in a common host of the brood-parasitic shiny cowbird. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2174-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
|
22
|
Šulc M, Procházka P, Capek M, Honza M. Common cuckoo females are not choosy when removing an egg during parasitism. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
|
23
|
de la Colina MA, Hauber ME, Strausberger BM, Reboreda JC, Mahler B. Molecular tracking of individual host use in the Shiny Cowbird - a generalist brood parasite. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:4684-96. [PMID: 27547305 PMCID: PMC4979699 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Revised: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Generalist parasites exploit multiple host species at the population level, but the individual parasite's strategy may be either itself a generalist or a specialist pattern of host species use. Here, we studied the relationship between host availability and host use in the individual parasitism patterns of the Shiny Cowbird Molothrus bonariensis, a generalist avian obligate brood parasite that parasitizes an extreme range of hosts. Using five microsatellite markers and an 1120-bp fragment of the mtDNA control region, we reconstructed full-sibling groups from 359 cowbird eggs and chicks found in nests of the two most frequent hosts in our study area, the Chalk-browed Mockingbird Mimus saturninus and the House Wren Troglodytes aedon. We were able to infer the laying behavior of 17 different females a posteriori and found that they were mostly faithful to a particular laying area and host species along the entire reproductive season and did not avoid using previously parasitized nests (multiple parasitism) even when other nests were available for parasitism. Moreover, we found females using the same host nest more than once (repeated parasitism), which had not been previously reported for this species. We also found few females parasitizing more than one host species. The use of an alternative host was not related to the main hosts' nest availability. Overall, female shiny cowbirds use a spatially structured and host species specific approach for parasitism, but they do so nonexclusively, resulting in both detectable levels of multiple parasitism and generalism at the level of individual parasites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ma Alicia de la Colina
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, and IEGEBA-CONICET Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Psychology Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York 695 Park Avenue New York New York 10065; School of Biological Sciences University of Auckland 3A Symonds Street PB 92019 Auckland New Zealand
| | - Bill M Strausberger
- Pritzker Laboratory for Molecular Systematics and Evolution Field Museum of Natural History 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive Chicago Illinois 60605
| | - Juan Carlos Reboreda
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, and IEGEBA-CONICET Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Bettina Mahler
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, and IEGEBA-CONICET Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Cauchoix M, Chaine AS. How Can We Study the Evolution of Animal Minds? Front Psychol 2016; 7:358. [PMID: 27014163 PMCID: PMC4791388 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During the last 50 years, comparative cognition and neurosciences have improved our understanding of animal minds while evolutionary ecology has revealed how selection acts on traits through evolutionary time. We describe how cognition can be subject to natural selection like any other biological trait and how this evolutionary approach can be used to understand the evolution of animal cognition. We recount how comparative and fitness methods have been used to understand the evolution of cognition and outline how these approaches could extend our understanding of cognition. The fitness approach, in particular, offers unprecedented opportunities to study the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for variation in cognition within species and could allow us to investigate both proximate (i.e., neural and developmental) and ultimate (i.e., ecological and evolutionary) underpinnings of animal cognition together. We highlight recent studies that have successfully shown that cognitive traits can be under selection, in particular by linking individual variation in cognition to fitness. To bridge the gap between cognitive variation and fitness consequences and to better understand why and how selection can occur on cognition, we end this review by proposing a more integrative approach to study contemporary selection on cognitive traits combining socio-ecological data, minimally invasive neuroscience methods and measurement of ecologically relevant behaviors linked to fitness. Our overall goal in this review is to build a bridge between cognitive neuroscientists and evolutionary biologists, illustrate how their research could be complementary, and encourage evolutionary ecologists to include explicit attention to cognitive processes in their studies of behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexis S Chaine
- Institute for Advanced Study in ToulouseToulouse, France; Station for Experimental Ecology in Moulis, CNRSMoulis, France
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Šulc M, Procházka P, Capek M, Honza M. Birds use eggshell UV reflectance when recognizing non-mimetic parasitic eggs. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
|
26
|
Abernathy VE, Peer BD. Mechanisms of egg recognition in brown-headed cowbird hosts: the role of ultraviolet reflectance. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
|
27
|
Mermoz ME, Haupt C, Fernández GJ. Brown-and-yellow marshbirds reduce their acceptance threshold of mimetic brood parasite eggs in the presence of non-mimetic eggs. J ETHOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-015-0447-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
28
|
Hauber ME, Aidala Z, Igic B, Shawkey MD, Moskát C. Experimental shifts in egg-nest contrasts do not alter egg rejection responses in an avian host-brood parasite system. Anim Cogn 2015; 18:1133-41. [PMID: 26118673 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-015-0886-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2015] [Revised: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 06/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Obligate brood parasitic birds exploit their hosts to provide care for unrelated young in the nest. Potential hosts can reduce the cost of parasitism by rejecting foreign eggs from the nest. Observational, comparative, and experimental studies have concluded that most hosts use the coloration and patterning of eggshells to discriminate between own and foreign eggs in the nest. However, an alternative hypothesis is that birds use the colour contrasts between eggshells and the nest lining to identify parasitic eggs (egg-nest contrast hypothesis). In support of this hypothesis, we found that the avian perceivable chromatic contrasts between dyed eggs and unmanipulated nest linings significantly and negatively covaried with the rejection rates of different dyed eggs of the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus, a frequently parasitized host of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus. To experimentally test whether egg-nest contrasts influence rejection, we reciprocally dyed both eggs and the nest lining of this host species with one of two colours: orange and green. Contrary to the egg-nest contrast hypothesis, host rejection patterns in response to dyed eggs were not altered by dyeing nests, relative to unmanipulated control eggs and nests. In turn, experimental egg colour was the only significant predictor of egg rejection rate. Our results demonstrate that egg-nest contrast is a collateral, not a causal factor in egg rejection, and confirm the conclusions of previous studies that hosts can rely on the parasitic egg's appearance itself to recognize the foreign egg in the nest.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Hauber
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA,
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Lyon BE, Shizuka D, Eadie JM. Interspecific egg rejection as ecological collateral damage from selection driven by conspecific brood parasitism. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
|
30
|
Affiliation(s)
- David C. Lahti
- Department of Biology; Queens College; City University of New York; New York; NY; USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Hauber ME, Tong L, Bán M, Croston R, Grim T, Waterhouse GIN, Shawkey MD, Barron AB, Moskát C. The Value of Artificial Stimuli in Behavioral Research: Making the Case for Egg Rejection Studies in Avian Brood Parasitism. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Márk E. Hauber
- Department of Psychology; Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York; New York NY USA
| | - Lainga Tong
- Department of Psychology; Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York; New York NY USA
| | - Miklós Bán
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology; MTA-DE ‘Lendület’ Behavioural Ecology Research Group; University of Debrecen; Debrecen Hungary
| | - Rebecca Croston
- Department of Psychology; Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York; New York NY USA
| | - Tomáš Grim
- Laboratory of Ornithology and Department of Zoology; Palacky University; Olomouc Czech Republic
| | | | - Matthew D. Shawkey
- Department of Biology and Integrated BioScience Program; University of Akron; Akron OH USA
| | - Andrew B. Barron
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Csaba Moskát
- MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group; Hungarian Academy of Sciences; c/o Biological Institute; Eötvös Lóránd University and Hungarian Natural History Museum; Budapest Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Aidala Z, Croston R, Schwartz J, Tong L, Hauber ME. The role of egg-nest contrast in the rejection of brood parasitic eggs. J Exp Biol 2015; 218:1126-36. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.108449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2014] [Accepted: 01/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Hosts of avian brood parasites can avoid the reproductive costs of raising genetically unrelated offspring by rejecting parasitic eggs. The perceptual cues and controls mediating parasitic egg discrimination and ejection are well studied: hosts are thought to use differences in egg color, brightness, maculation, size, and shape to discriminate between own and foreign eggs. Most models of brood parasitism implicitly assume that the primary criteria to which hosts attend when discriminating eggs are differences between the eggs themselves. However, this assumption is confounded by the degree to which chromatic and achromatic characteristics of the nest lining co-vary with egg coloration, in that egg-nest contrast per se might be the recognition cue driving parasitic egg detection. Here we systematically tested whether and how egg-nest contrast itself contributes to foreign egg discrimination. In an artificial parasitism experiment, we independently manipulated egg color and nest lining color of the egg-ejector American robin (Turdus migratorius), a host of the obligate brood parasitic brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater). We hypothesized that the degree of contrast between foreign eggs and the nest background would affect host egg rejection behavior. We predicted that experimentally decreasing egg-nest chromatic and achromatic contrast (i.e. rendering parasitic eggs more cryptic against the nest lining) would decrease rejection rates, while increasing egg-nest contrast would increase rejection rates. In contrast to our predictions, egg-nest contrast was not a significant predictor of egg ejection patterns. Instead, egg color significantly predicted responses to parasitism. We conclude that egg-egg differences are the primary drivers of egg rejection in this system. Future studies should test for the effects of egg-nest contrast per se in predicting parasitic egg recognition in other host-parasite systems, including those hosts building enclosed nests and parasites laying cryptic eggs, as an alternative to hypothesized effects of egg-egg contrasts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Aidala
- City University of New York; Bloomfield College, United States
| | - Rebecca Croston
- City University of New York; University of Nevada - Reno, United States
| | | | | | - Mark E. Hauber
- City University of New York; Bloomfield College, United States
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Riehl C, Strong MJ, Edwards SV. Inferential reasoning and egg rejection in a cooperatively breeding cuckoo. Anim Cogn 2014; 18:75-82. [PMID: 24993064 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-014-0778-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2014] [Revised: 05/06/2014] [Accepted: 06/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Inferential reasoning-associating a visible consequence with an imagined event-has been demonstrated in several bird species in captivity, but few studies have tested wild birds in ecologically relevant contexts. Here, we investigate inferential reasoning by the greater ani, a cooperatively breeding cuckoo in which several females lay eggs in one nest. Prior to laying her first egg, each female removes any eggs that have already been laid by other females in the shared nest. After laying her first egg, however, each female stops removing eggs, presumably in order to avoid accidentally rejecting her own. But are anis using inferential reasoning to track the fate of their eggs in the communal nest, or is egg ejection governed by non-cognitive determinants? We experimentally removed eggs from two-female nests after both females had laid at least one egg and used video recording to verify that both females viewed the empty nest. We waited until one female (A) laid an egg in the nest, and video recorded the behavior of the female that had not yet re-laid (B). We predicted that if capable of inferential reasoning, female B should infer that the new egg could not be her own and she should remove it. Five out of five females tested failed to make this inference, suggesting that egg removal is either determined by the female's reproductive status or by the amount of time elapsed between egg removal and re-laying. This apparent cognitive constraint may have implications for the evolutionary stability of the anis' unusual breeding system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christina Riehl
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA,
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Moskát C, Zölei A, Bán M, Elek Z, Tong L, Geltsch N, Hauber ME. How to Spot a Stranger's Egg? A Mimicry-Specific Discordancy Effect in the Recognition of Parasitic Eggs. Ethology 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Csaba Moskát
- MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group; Biological Institute; Eötvös Lóránd University; Budapest Hungary
- Hungarian Natural History Museum; Budapest Hungary
| | - Anikó Zölei
- Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology; Eötvös Loránd University; Budapest Hungary
| | - Miklós Bán
- MTA-DE ‘Lendület’ Behavioural Ecology Research Group; Department of Evolutionary Zoology; University of Debrecen; Debrecen Hungary
| | - Zoltán Elek
- MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group; Biological Institute; Eötvös Lóránd University; Budapest Hungary
- Hungarian Natural History Museum; Budapest Hungary
| | - Lainga Tong
- Department of Psychology; Hunter College and the Graduate Center; The City University of New York; New York NY USA
| | | | - Márk E. Hauber
- Department of Psychology; Hunter College and the Graduate Center; The City University of New York; New York NY USA
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Moskát C, Hauber ME, Elek Z, Gommers M, Bán M, Groenewoud F, Versluijs TSL, Hoetz CWA, Komdeur J. Foreign egg retention by avian hosts in repeated brood parasitism: why do rejecters accept? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1654-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|
36
|
Croston R, Hauber ME. Spectral tuning and perceptual differences do not explain the rejection of brood parasitic eggs by American robins (Turdus migratorius). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1649-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
37
|
Gloag R, Fiorini VD, Reboreda JC, Kacelnik A. The wages of violence: mobbing by mockingbirds as a frontline defence against brood-parasitic cowbirds. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
38
|
Polačiková L, Takasu F, Stokke BG, Moksnes A, Røskaft E, Cassey P, Hauber ME, Grim T. Egg arrangement in avian clutches covaries with the rejection of foreign eggs. Anim Cogn 2013; 16:819-28. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-013-0615-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2012] [Revised: 01/24/2013] [Accepted: 02/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
39
|
Bán M, Moskát C, Barta Z, Hauber ME. Simultaneous viewing of own and parasitic eggs is not required for egg rejection by a cuckoo host. Behav Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/art004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|