1
|
Soler JJ, Møller AP. Defensive tolerance to parasitism is correlated with sexual selection in swallows. Oecologia 2023; 203:267-276. [PMID: 37462738 PMCID: PMC10684419 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05419-5] [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: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/18/2023]
Abstract
Parasite-mediated sexual selection has been the topic of extensive research and enthusiastic debate for more than three decades. Here, we suggest that secondary sexual characters may not only signal parasite resistance but also defensive tolerance. We exemplify this possibility by analysing information on two sexually selected traits, annual reproductive success, and ectoparasitism in a barn swallow Hirundo rustica population followed for more than 30 years. For each individual, we estimated the slope of the association between reproductive success and parasitism as an index of tolerance and subsequently explored the association with the expression of the sexually selected traits. In accordance with expectations of parasites playing a role in sexual selection, tail length was negatively related to load of chewing lice and nest size was positively related to tolerance to chewing lice. We discuss the importance of considering defensive tolerance for understanding the role of parasite-mediated sexual selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan José Soler
- Depto. Ecología Funcional Y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, Sacramento S/N, La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120, Almería, Spain.
| | - Anders Pape Møller
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, Orsay, France
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Honza M, Koleček J, Piálek L, Piálková R, Požgayová M, Procházka P, Štětková G, Jelínek V, Hughes AE, Šulc M. Multiple parasitism in an evictor brood parasite: patterns revealed by long-term monitoring, continuous video recording, and genetic analyses. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03270-x] [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]
|
3
|
Yang C, Chen X, Wang L, Liang W. Defensive adaptations to cuckoo parasitism in the black-browed reed warbler (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps): recognition and mechanism. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:1299-1306. [PMID: 35320446 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01613-9] [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: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Hosts of avian brood parasites suffer a high cost of reproductive loss due to parasitism, driving them to evolve a variety of anti-parasitic defenses. These defenses comprise a series of components, including the recognition of brood parasites and the eggs laid by the parasites, cues used for recognition, and the mechanisms on which these behaviors are based. In this study, we conducted egg recognition and nest intruder experiments to examine these components of anti-parasitic behavior in the black-browed reed warbler (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps), a rare host of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). We found that the host possessed strong recognition capacity, rejecting 100% of parasitic eggs, and used a template-based mechanism for egg recognition. The host birds also rejected 80% of their own eggs on which artificial markings were added to the blunt pole; however, they accepted all eggs with the same manipulation on the sharp pole, implying that the blunt pole was an important recognition cue. Furthermore, the host exhibited stronger aggression to cuckoos than to harmless controls; a behavior specific to the incubation stage rather than the nestling stage. Therefore, the host was able to distinguish the cuckoo from other nest intruders as being a brood parasite. These results together help explain the near absence of cuckoo parasitism in black-browed reed warblers and provide new information concerning anti-parasitic defenses in this host species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Canchao Yang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China.
| | - Xiangyang Chen
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, 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, 550001, China.
| | - Wei Liang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Marton A. Quintuple parasitism of a great reed warbler nest by common cuckoos. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:8420-8423. [PMID: 34257907 PMCID: PMC8258190 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7669] [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: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple parasitism in obligate avian brood parasites occurs when several brood parasitic females lay their eggs in the nest of the same host. While multiple parasitism is common in the highly social, nonevicting cowbird species (Molothrus sp.), in which multiple parasitic nestlings can be raised simultaneously by the same hosts, it is less common in the case of cuckoo species (Cuculus sp.). The first cuckoo nestling to hatch from the egg evicts all nestmates; therefore, it is costly for cuckoo females to lay eggs in already parasitized nests. However, this can occur in sites with very high parasitism rates, and it can even increase the breeding success of the brood parasites, as the presence of multiple parasitic eggs in the nest of the host decreases rejection rates. Here, we present a case of a quintuple brood parasitism of a great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) nest, an extreme form of multiple brood parasitism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Attila Marton
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human BiologyUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary
- Juhász‐Nagy Pál Doctoral SchoolUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Chen W, Chen H, Feng Q, Mo L, Hong S. A hybrid optimization method for sample partitioning in near-infrared analysis. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2021; 248:119182. [PMID: 33234474 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2020.119182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The division of calibration and validation is one of the essential procedures that affect the prediction result of the calibration model in quantitative analysis of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. The conventional methods are Kennard-Stone (KS) and sample set partitioning based on joint x-y distances (SPXY). These algorithms use Euclidean distance to cover as many representative samples as possible. This paper proposes an Adaptive Hybrid Cuckoo-Tabu Search (AHCTS) algorithm for partitioning samples based on optimization. The algorithm combines the characteristics of cuckoo search (CS) and tabu search (TS) and fuses with an adaptive function. For comparison, using fishmeal samples as spectral analysis data, KS, SPXY, and AHCTS algorithms were used to divide the modeling samples to establish partial least squares regression (PLSR) models. The experimental results showed that the model established by the proposed algorithm performs better than KS and SPXY. It reveals that the AHCTS method may be an advantageous alternative for quantitative analysis of NIR spectroscopy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Weihao Chen
- College of Science, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China
| | - Huazhou Chen
- College of Science, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China; Center for Data Analysis and Algorithm Technology, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China.
| | - Quanxi Feng
- College of Science, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China; Center for Data Analysis and Algorithm Technology, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China
| | - Lina Mo
- College of Science, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China
| | - Shaoyong Hong
- School of Data Science, Huashang College Guangdong University of Finance & Economics, Guangzhou 511300, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ursino CA, Strong MJ, Reboreda JC, Riehl C. Genetic patterns of repeat and multiple parasitism by screaming cowbirds, a specialist brood parasite. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
7
|
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
|
8
|
Šulc M, Troscianko J, Štětková G, Hughes AE, Jelínek V, Capek M, Honza M. Mimicry cannot explain rejection type in a host–brood parasite system. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
|
9
|
Abolins-Abols M, Hanley D, Moskát C, Grim T, Hauber ME. Anti-parasitic egg rejection by great reed warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) tracks differences along an eggshell color gradient. Behav Processes 2019; 166:103902. [PMID: 31283976 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
One of the most effective defenses against avian brood parasitism is the rejection of the foreign egg from the host's nest. Until recently, most studies have tested whether hosts discriminate between own and foreign eggs based on the absolute differences in avian-perceivable eggshell coloration and maculation. However, recent studies suggest that hosts may instead contrast egg appearances across a directional eggshell color gradient. We assessed which discrimination rule best explained egg rejection by great reed warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus, a frequent host to an egg-mimetic race of common cuckoos Cuculus canorus. We deployed 3D-printed model eggs varying in blue-green to brown coloration and in the presence of maculation. Using visual modeling, we calculated the absolute chromatic and achromatic just-noticeable differences (JNDs), as well as directional JNDs across a blue-green to brown egg color gradient, between host and model eggs. While most model eggs were rejected by great reed warblers, browner eggs were rejected with higher probability than more blue-green eggs, and the rejection probability did not depend on maculation. Directional egg color discrimination shown here and in a suite of recent studies on other host species may shape the cognitive decision rules that hosts use to recognize foreign eggs and affect the course of evolution in parasitic egg mimicry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mikus Abolins-Abols
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
| | - Daniel Hanley
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Long Island University - Post, USA
| | - Csaba Moskát
- MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group: a joint research group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Eötvös Loránd University, and the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tomáš Grim
- Na Orátě 497, 78361, Hlubočky, Czech Republic
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Moskát C, Hauber ME. Sex-specific responses to simulated territorial intrusions in the common cuckoo: a dual function of female acoustic signaling. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2665-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
11
|
Peer BD, McCleery RA, Jensen WE. Resistance is futile: prohibitive costs of egg ejection in an obligate avian brood parasite host. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
12
|
|
13
|
Geltsch N, Elek Z, Manczinger L, Vágvölgyi C, Moskát C. Common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) affect the bacterial diversity of the eggshells of their great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) hosts. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0191364. [PMID: 29351548 PMCID: PMC5774785 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is an avian brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other bird species, where these hosts incubate the parasitic eggs, feed and rear the nestlings. The appearance of a cuckoo egg in a host nest may change the bacterial community in the nest. This may have consequences on the hatchability of host eggs, even when hosts reject the parasitic egg, typically within six days after parasitism. The present study revealed the bacterial community of cuckoo eggshells and those of the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), one of the main hosts of cuckoos. We compared host eggs from non-parasitized clutches, as well as host and cuckoo eggs from parasitized clutches. As incubation may change bacterial assemblages on eggshells, we compared these egg types in two stages: the egg-laying stage, when incubation has not been started, and the mid-incubation stage (ca. on days 5–7 in incubation), where heat from the incubating female dries eggshells. Our results obtained by the 16S rRNA gene sequencing technique showed that fresh host and cuckoo eggs had partially different bacterial communities, but they became more similar during incubation in parasitized nests. Cluster analysis revealed that fresh cuckoo eggs and incubated host eggs in unparasitized nests (where no cuckoo effect could have happened) were the most dissimilar from the other groups of eggs. Cuckoo eggs did not reduce the hatchability of great reed warbler eggs. Our results on the cuckoo-great reed warbler relationship supported the idea that brood parasites may change bacterial microbiota in the host nest. Further studies should reveal how bacterial communities of cuckoo eggshells may vary by host-specific races (gentes) of cuckoos.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nikoletta Geltsch
- 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
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Elek
- 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
| | - László Manczinger
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Csaba Vágvölgyi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - 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
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Moskát C, Elek Z, Bán M, Geltsch N, Hauber ME. Can common cuckoos discriminate between neighbours and strangers by their calls? Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
15
|
Manna T, Moskát C, Hauber ME. Cognitive Decision Rules for Egg Rejection. AVIAN BROOD PARASITISM 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-73138-4_24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
|
16
|
Mérő TO, Žuljević A, Lengyel S. Negative effect of roosting starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) on clutch survival in the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus). Biologia (Bratisl) 2016. [DOI: 10.1515/biolog-2016-0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
|
17
|
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
|
18
|
Stokke BG, Røskaft E, Moksnes A, Møller AP, Antonov A, Fossøy F, Liang W, López-Iborra G, Moskát C, Shykoff JA, Soler M, Vikan JR, Yang C, Takasu F. Disappearance of eggs from nonparasitized nests of brood parasite hosts: the evolutionary equilibrium hypothesis revisited. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bård G. Stokke
- Department of Biology; Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU); Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology; NO-7491; Trondheim Norway
| | - Eivin Røskaft
- Department of Biology; Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU); Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology; NO-7491; Trondheim Norway
| | - Arne Moksnes
- Department of Biology; Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU); Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology; NO-7491; Trondheim Norway
| | - Anders Pape Møller
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution; CNRS; Univ. Paris-Sud; AgroParisTech; Université Paris-Saclay; 91400 Orsay France
| | - Anton Antonov
- Department of Biology; Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU); Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology; NO-7491; Trondheim Norway
| | - Frode Fossøy
- Department of Biology; Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU); Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology; NO-7491; Trondheim Norway
| | - Wei Liang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology; College of Life Sciences; Hainan Normal University; Haikou 571158 China
| | - Germán López-Iborra
- Departamento de Ecología/IMEM Ramon Margalef; Universidad de Alicante; Apartado 99 E-03080 Alicante Spain
| | - Csaba Moskát
- MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; c/o Biological Institute; Eötvös Lóránd University; Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c; H-1117, Budapest Hungary and Hungarian Natural History Museum; Baross u. 13 Budapest H-1088 Hungary
| | - Jacqui A. Shykoff
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution; CNRS; Univ. Paris-Sud; AgroParisTech; Université Paris-Saclay; 91400 Orsay France
| | - Manuel Soler
- Grupo Coevolución; Departamento de Biología Animal; Unidad Asociada al CSIC; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad de Granada; Granada E-18071 Spain
| | - Johan R. Vikan
- Department of Biology; Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU); Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology; NO-7491; Trondheim Norway
| | - Canchao Yang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology; College of Life Sciences; Hainan Normal University; Haikou 571158 China
| | - Fugo Takasu
- Department of Information and Computer Sciences; Nara Women's University; Kita-Uoya Nishimachi; Nara 630-8506 Japan
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Mérő T, Žuljević A. Nest position and reed density influence nest defence behaviour of Great Reed Warbler. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2015.1081295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T.O. Mérő
- Nature Protection and Study Society – NATURA, Milana Rakića 20, SRB-25000 Sombor, Serbia
| | - A. Žuljević
- Nature Protection and Study Society – NATURA, Milana Rakića 20, SRB-25000 Sombor, Serbia
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
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
|
21
|
Gloag R, Keller LA, Langmore NE. Cryptic cuckoo eggs hide from competing cuckoos. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 281:rspb.2014.1014. [PMID: 25122227 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.1014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Interspecific arms races between cuckoos and their hosts have produced remarkable examples of mimicry, with parasite eggs evolving to match host egg appearance and so evade removal by hosts. Certain bronze-cuckoo species, however, lay eggs that are cryptic rather than mimetic. These eggs are coated in a low luminance pigment that camouflages them within the dark interiors of hosts' nests. We investigated whether cuckoo egg crypsis is likely to have arisen from the same coevolutionary processes known to favour egg mimicry. We added high and low luminance-painted eggs to the nests of large-billed gerygones (Gerygone magnirostris), a host of the little bronze-cuckoo (Chalcites minutillus). Gerygones rarely rejected either egg type, and did not reject natural cuckoo eggs. Cuckoos, by contrast, regularly removed an egg from clutches before laying their own and were five times more likely to remove a high luminance model than its low luminance counterpart. Given that we found one-third of all parasitized nests were exploited by multiple cuckoos, our results suggest that competition between cuckoos has been the key selective agent for egg crypsis. In such intraspecific arms races, crypsis may be favoured over mimicry because it can reduce the risk of egg removal to levels below chance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ros Gloag
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Building 116, Daley Road, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
| | - Laurie-Anne Keller
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Building 116, Daley Road, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
| | - Naomi E Langmore
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Building 116, Daley Road, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Affiliation(s)
- David C. Lahti
- Department of Biology; Queens College; City University of New York; New York; NY; USA
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Yang C, Moller AP, Roskaft E, Moksnes A, Liang W, Stokke BG. Reject the odd egg: egg recognition mechanisms in parrotbills. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
|
24
|
Stevens M, Troscianko J, Spottiswoode CN. Repeated targeting of the same hosts by a brood parasite compromises host egg rejection. Nat Commun 2014; 4:2475. [PMID: 24064931 PMCID: PMC3791459 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2013] [Accepted: 08/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Cuckoo eggs famously mimic those of their foster parents to evade rejection from discriminating hosts. Here we test whether parasites benefit by repeatedly parasitizing the same host nest. This should make accurate rejection decisions harder, regardless of the mechanism that hosts use to identify foreign eggs. Here we find strong support for this prediction in the African tawny-flanked prinia (Prinia subflava), the most common host of the cuckoo finch (Anomalospiza imberbis). We show experimentally that hosts reject eggs that differ from an internal template, but crucially, as the proportion of foreign eggs increases, hosts are less likely to reject them and require greater differences in appearance to do so. Repeated parasitism by the same cuckoo finch female is common in host nests and likely to be an adaptation to increase the probability of host acceptance. Thus, repeated parasitism interacts with egg mimicry to exploit cognitive and sensory limitations in host defences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Stevens
- 1] Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK [2]
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
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
|
26
|
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]
|
27
|
Honza M, Šulc M, Jelínek V, Požgayová M, Procházka P. Brood parasites lay eggs matching the appearance of host clutches. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 281:20132665. [PMID: 24258721 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Interspecific brood parasitism represents a prime example of the coevolutionary arms race where each party has evolved strategies in response to the other. Here, we investigated whether common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) actively select nests within a host population to match the egg appearance of a particular host clutch. To achieve this goal, we quantified the degree of egg matching using the avian vision modelling approach. Randomization tests revealed that cuckoo eggs in naturally parasitized nests showed lower chromatic contrast to host eggs than those assigned randomly to other nests with egg-laying date similar to naturally parasitized clutches. Moreover, egg matching in terms of chromaticity was better in naturally parasitized nests than it would be in the nests of the nearest active non-parasitized neighbour. However, there was no indication of matching in achromatic spectral characteristics whatsoever. Thus, our results clearly indicate that cuckoos select certain host nests to increase matching of their own eggs with host clutches, but only in chromatic characteristics. Our results suggest that the ability of cuckoos to actively choose host nests based on the eggshell appearance imposes a strong selection pressure on host egg recognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Honza
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, , v. v. i., Květná 8, 603 65 Brno, Czech Republic, Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, , Viničná 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
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]
|
29
|
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
|
30
|
Soler M, Ruiz-Castellano C, Carra LG, Ontanilla J, Martín-Galvez D. Do first-time breeding females imprint on their own eggs? Proc Biol Sci 2012; 280:20122518. [PMID: 23235707 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The egg-recognition processes underlying egg rejection are assumed to be based on an imprinting-like process (a female learning the aspect of her own eggs during her first breeding attempt). The imprinting-like process and the misimprinting costs have been the objective of many theoretical models and frequently have a leading role in papers published on brood parasitism; however, an experiment has never been undertaken to test the existence of this imprinting-like process by manipulating egg appearance in first-time breeding females. Here, we present the first such experimental study using the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), which is a conspecific brood parasite and which has a good ability to reject conspecific eggs, as a model species. We found that contrary to what the hypothesis predicts first-time breeding females did not reject their own eggs in their second breeding attempt. This lack of response against unmanipulated eggs could indicate that females have an innate preference for their own eggs. However, in a second experimental group in which first-time breeding females were allowed to learn the aspect of their (unmanipulated) own eggs, none ejected manipulated eggs during their second clutch either--a finding that does not support the idea of recognition templates being inherited, but instead suggests that recognition templates could be acquired again at each new breeding attempt. Our results demonstrate that it is likely that egg discrimination is not influenced by egg appearance in the first breeding attempt.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Soler
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada 18071, Spain.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Igic B, Braganza K, Hyland MM, Silyn-Roberts H, Cassey P, Grim T, Rutila J, Moskát C, Hauber ME. Alternative mechanisms of increased eggshell hardness of avian brood parasites relative to host species. J R Soc Interface 2011; 8:1654-64. [PMID: 21561966 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2011.0207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Obligate brood parasitic birds lay their eggs in nests of other species and parasite eggs typically have evolved greater structural strength relative to host eggs. Increased mechanical strength of the parasite eggshell is an adaptation that can interfere with puncture ejection behaviours of discriminating hosts. We investigated whether hardness of eggshells is related to differences between physical and chemical traits from three different races of the parasitic common cuckoo Cuculus canorus, and their respective hosts. Using tools developed for materials science, we discovered a novel correlate of increased strength of parasite eggs: the common cuckoo's egg exhibits a greater microhardness, especially in the inner region of the shell matrix, relative to its host and sympatric non-host species. We then tested predictions of four potential mechanisms of shell strength: (i) increased relative thickness overall, (ii) greater proportion of the structurally harder shell layers, (iii) higher concentration of inorganic components in the shell matrix, and (iv) elevated deposition of a high density compound, MgCO(3), in the shell matrix. We confirmed support only for hypothesis (i). Eggshell characteristics did not differ between parasite eggs sampled from different host nests in distant geographical sites, suggesting an evolutionarily shared microstructural mechanism of stronger parasite eggshells across diverse host-races of brood parasitic cuckoos.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Branislav Igic
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Moskát C, Rosendaal EC, Boers M, Zölei A, Bán M, Komdeur J. Post-ejection nest-desertion of common cuckoo hosts: a second defense mechanism or avoiding reduced reproductive success? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-010-1109-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
33
|
|
34
|
Moskát C, Bán M, Székely T, Komdeur J, Lucassen RWG, van Boheemen LA, Hauber ME. Discordancy or template-based recognition? Dissecting the cognitive basis of the rejection of foreign eggs in hosts of avian brood parasites. J Exp Biol 2010; 213:1976-83. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.040394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Many avian hosts have evolved antiparasite defence mechanisms, including egg rejection, to reduce the costs of brood parasitism. The two main alternative cognitive mechanisms of egg discrimination are thought to be based on the perceived discordancy of eggs in a clutch or the use of recognition templates by hosts. Our experiments reveal that the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), a host of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), relies on both mechanisms. In support of the discordancy mechanism, hosts rejected their own eggs (13%) and manipulated (‘parasitic’) eggs (27%) above control levels in experiments when manipulated eggs were in the majority but when clutches also included a minority of own eggs. Hosts that had the chance to observe the manipulated eggs daily just after laying did not show stronger rejection of manipulated eggs than when the eggs were manipulated at clutch completion. When clutches contained only manipulated eggs, in 33% of the nests hosts showed rejection, also supporting a mechanism of template-based egg discrimination. Rejection using a recognition template might be more advantageous because discordancy-based egg discrimination is increasingly error prone with higher rates of multiple parasitism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Csaba Moskát
- Animal Ecology Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, c/o Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Ludovika ter 2, PO Box 137, H-1088, Hungary
| | - Miklós Bán
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology, University of Debrecen, 4010, Hungary
| | - Tamás Székely
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AYUK
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Haren, 9750, The Netherlands
| | - Rim W. G. Lucassen
- Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Haren, 9750, The Netherlands
| | - Lotte A. van Boheemen
- Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Haren, 9750, The Netherlands
| | - Márk E. Hauber
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, NY 10065, USA
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Moskát C, Hauber ME. Chick loss from mixed broods reflects severe nestmate competition between an evictor brood parasite and its hosts. Behav Processes 2010; 83:311-4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2010.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2009] [Revised: 12/19/2009] [Accepted: 01/24/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
36
|
Svennungsen TO, Holen ØH. Avian brood parasitism: information use and variation in egg-rejection behavior. Evolution 2009; 64:1459-69. [PMID: 20015240 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00919.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Hosts of avian brood parasites often vary in their response to parasitized clutches: they may eject one or several eggs, desert the nest, or accept all the eggs. Focusing on hosts exposed to single-egg parasitism by an evicting brood parasite, we construct an optimality model that includes all these behavioral options and use it to explore variation in rejection behavior. We particularly consider the influence of egg mimicry and external cues (observations of adult parasites near the nest) on optimal choice of rejection behavior. We find that several rejection responses will be present in a host population under a wide range of conditions. Ejection of multiple eggs tends to be adaptive when egg mimicry is fairly accurate, external cues provide reliable information of the risk of parasitism, and the expected success of renesting is low. If the perceived risk of parasitism is high, ejection of one or a few eggs may be the optimal rejection response even in cases in which hosts cannot discriminate between eggs. This may have consequences for the long-term outcome of the coevolutionary chase between hosts and parasites. We propose an alternative evolutionary pathway by which egg ejection may first arise as a defense against brood parasitism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Owens Svennungsen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway.
| | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Vikan JR, Stokke BG, Fossøy F, Jackson C, Huhta E, Rutila J, Moksnes A, Røskaft E. Fixed Rejection Responses to Single and Multiple Experimental Parasitism in TwoFringillaHosts of the Common Cuckoo. Ethology 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2009.01679.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
|