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Ma L, Liu W, Pan P, Hou J, Liang W. Oriental reed warblers retain strong egg recognition abilities during the nestling stage. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11063. [PMID: 38380067 PMCID: PMC10877555 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Egg recognition and rejection are the most common and effective anti-parasitic strategies against avian brood parasitism in terms of maintaining stability over time and plasticity in response to environmental cues. Conversely, parasites have evolved multiple counter-adaptations to the anti-parasitic defenses of hosts. Among them, the crypsis hypothesis suggests that eggs that appear more cryptic in color and are closely matched to the environment are helping to counter the egg recognition strategy of the host. In this study, we investigated whether the egg recognition ability of Oriental reed warblers (Acrocephalus orientalis), a common host of common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus), changed during different reproductive stages by using model egg experiments. The effect of the crypsis hypothesis on the egg recognition ability of the hosts was also investigated by controlling the color contrast between the inside of the experimental nests and the model eggs. The results showed that the Oriental reed warbler retained strong egg recognition abilities, which were similar to the incubation stage (GLMMs: F 1,27 = 0.424, p = .521), even after entering the nestling stage and preferentially rejected model eggs with distinct contrasting colors (binomial test: Fisher's exact, p = .016). These results are consistent with the crypsis hypothesis. The present study suggests that the host retains a strong egg recognition ability even during the nestling stage and that cryptic-colored eggs that are closely matched with the breeding nest environment help counter the host's egg recognition abilities and increase the chances of successful parasitism by cuckoos. However, the effectiveness of cryptic egg may be weaker than mimic egg in countering egg recognition and rejection by hosts with open-cup nests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laikun Ma
- School of Life SciencesHebei UniversityBaodingChina
- Department of Biology and Food ScienceHebei Normal University for NationalitiesChengdeChina
| | - Wei Liu
- School of Life SciencesHebei UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Peng Pan
- School of Life SciencesHebei UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Jianhua Hou
- School of Life SciencesHebei UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Wei Liang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life SciencesHainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
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2
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Zhang J, Santema P, Li J, Feeney WE, Deng W, Kempenaers B. The mere presence of cuckoos in breeding area alters egg-ejection decisions in Daurian redstarts. Behav Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Brood parasitic cuckoos and their hosts serve as model systems for studying host–parasite coevolution. Egg-rejection behavior constitutes an effective defense against brood parasitism, but some host species show phenotypic plasticity in egg-rejection behavior. Direct exposure to a cuckoo near the nest can increase egg-rejection likelihood, and long-term studies have shown that increased the egg-rejection rates generally correlate with higher parasite prevalence. However, it remains unclear whether such increases result from interactions between parasites and hosts, as these can be surprisingly common, or whether the mere presence of cuckoos in the breeding area is sufficient. Daurian redstarts Phoenicurus auroreus are a common host of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus that defend against cuckoo parasitism mainly by ejecting the parasitic egg from the nest. This species is unique, as its first breeding attempt of the year takes place before the arrival of cuckoos, excluding the possibility for direct interactions. We simulated the ambient presence of cuckoos or hoopoes Upupa epops (control) in sub-populations of redstarts during their first egg-laying period by presenting taxidermic models and playing back vocalizations. Redstarts in cuckoo-treated plots showed significantly higher egg-ejection rates than individuals in control plots, even though females in both groups were equally likely to recognize the parasitic egg. Among females that did recognize the parasitic egg, those exposed to the cuckoo treatment were more likely to eject it than those exposed to the control treatment. Our results demonstrate unequivocally that the mere presence of cuckoos in the environment is sufficient to provoke egg-ejection behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinggang Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University , XinjiekouWai Str. 19, Haidian District, Beijing 100875 , China
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology , Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 8, Seewiesen 82319 , Germany
| | - Peter Santema
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology , Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 8, Seewiesen 82319 , Germany
| | - Jianqiang Li
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University , Qinghua E Rd. 35, Haidian District, Beijing 100083 , China
| | - William E Feeney
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology , Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 8, Seewiesen 82319 , Germany
| | - Wenhong Deng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University , XinjiekouWai Str. 19, Haidian District, Beijing 100875 , China
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology , Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 8, Seewiesen 82319 , Germany
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3
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Zhang J, Santema P, Li J, Yang L, Deng W, Kempenaers B. Host personality predicts cuckoo egg rejection in Daurian redstarts Phoenicurus auroreus. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210228. [PMID: 34130501 PMCID: PMC8206684 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In species that are subject to brood parasitism, individuals often vary in their responses to parasitic eggs, with some rejecting the eggs while others do not. While some factors, such as host age (breeding experience), the degree of egg matching and the level of perceived risk of brood parasitism have been shown to influence host decisions, much of the variation remains unexplained. The host personality hypothesis suggests that personality traits of the host influence its response to parasitic eggs, but few studies have tested this. We investigated the relationship between two personality traits (exploration and neophobia) and a physiological trait (breathing rate) of the host, and egg-rejection behaviour in a population of Daurian redstarts Phoenicurus auroreus in northeast China. We first show that exploratory behaviour and the response to a novel object are repeatable for individual females and strongly covary, indicating distinct personality types. We then show that fast-exploring and less neophobic hosts were more likely to reject parasitic eggs than slow-exploring and more neophobic hosts. Variation in breathing rate-a measure of the stress-response-did not affect rejection behaviour. Our results demonstrate that host personality, along the bold-shy continuum, predicts the responses to parasitic eggs in Daurian redstarts, with bold hosts being more likely to reject parasitic eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinggang Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.,Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Peter Santema
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Jianqiang Li
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Lixing Yang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenhong Deng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
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4
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Egg rejection changes with seasonal variation in risk of cuckoo parasitism in Daurian redstarts, Phoenicurus auroreus. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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5
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Ruiz-Raya F, Soler M. Signal detection and optimal acceptance thresholds in avian brood parasite-host systems: implications for egg rejection. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190477. [PMID: 32420851 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Signal detection theory addresses the challenge of successfully identifying informative signals in noisy information contexts, allowing optimal behavioural decisions in diverse ecological contexts. The optimal acceptance threshold hypothesis proposed by Reeve (Reeve 1989 Am. Nat. 133, 407-435. (doi:10.1086/284926)) is an elegant theoretical model to predict the flexibility of acceptance thresholds for conspecific discrimination. This model has provided a robust framework used to explore recognition systems in a broad range of contexts such as animal communication, nest-mate discrimination or anti-parasitic host responses. In this review, we discuss key concepts related to the optimal acceptance threshold hypothesis applied to egg rejection decisions in avian brood parasite-host interactions. We explore those factors determining signal detectability in parasitized nests and how hosts adjust their rejection decisions to both the risk of parasitism and the potential costs associated with egg rejection. In addition, we discuss recent results that challenge some traditional assumptions of the optimal acceptance threshold hypothesis and provide a novel perspective to explore rejection decisions, such as the existence of single-threshold decision rules or acceptance decisions. An integrative view combining current evidence with traditional theory is needed to further advance the comprehension of optimal acceptance thresholds. This article is part of the theme issue 'Signal detection theory in recognition systems: from evolving models to experimental tests'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Ruiz-Raya
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, E-18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Manuel Soler
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, E-18071 Granada, Spain
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6
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7
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Hanley D, Grim T, Igic B, Samaš P, López AV, Shawkey MD, Hauber ME. Egg discrimination along a gradient of natural variation in eggshell coloration. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.2592. [PMID: 28179521 PMCID: PMC5310612 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate recognition of salient cues is critical for adaptive responses, but the underlying sensory and cognitive processes are often poorly understood. For example, hosts of avian brood parasites have long been assumed to reject foreign eggs from their nests based on the total degree of dissimilarity in colour to their own eggs, regardless of the foreign eggs' colours. We tested hosts' responses to gradients of natural (blue-green to brown) and artificial (green to purple) egg colours, and demonstrate that hosts base rejection decisions on both the direction and degree of colour dissimilarity along the natural, but not artificial, gradient of egg colours. Hosts rejected brown eggs and accepted blue-green eggs along the natural egg colour gradient, irrespective of the total perceived dissimilarity from their own egg's colour. By contrast, their responses did not vary along the artificial colour gradient. Our results demonstrate that egg recognition is specifically tuned to the natural gradient of avian eggshell colour and suggest a novel decision rule. These results highlight the importance of considering sensory reception and decision rules when studying perception, and illustrate that our understanding of recognition processes benefits from examining natural variation in phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Hanley
- Department of Biology, Long Island University - Post, Brookville, NY 11548-1300, USA
| | - Tomáš Grim
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology, Palacký University, Olomouc 77146, Czech Republic
| | - Branislav Igic
- Department of Biology, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA.,Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Peter Samaš
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology, Palacký University, Olomouc 77146, Czech Republic
| | - Analía V López
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Matthew D Shawkey
- Department of Biology, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA.,Department of Biology, Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures Group, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - 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, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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8
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Soler JJ, Soler M. Evolutionary change: facultative virulence by brood parasites and tolerance and plastic resistance by hosts. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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9
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Relationships between egg-recognition and egg-ejection in a grasp-ejector species. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0166283. [PMID: 28170402 PMCID: PMC5295713 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2016] [Accepted: 10/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Brood parasitism frequently leads to a total loss of host fitness, which selects for the evolution of defensive traits in host species. Experimental studies have demonstrated that recognition and rejection of the parasite egg is the most common and efficient defence used by host species. Egg-recognition experiments have advanced our knowledge of the evolutionary and coevolutionary implications of egg recognition and rejection. However, our understanding of the proximate mechanisms underlying both processes remains poor. Egg rejection is a complex behavioural process consisting of three stages: egg recognition, the decision whether or not to reject the putative parasitic egg and the act of ejection itself. We have used the blackbird (Turdus merula) as a model species to explore the relationship between egg recognition and the act of egg ejection. We have manipulated the two main characteristics of parasitic eggs affecting egg ejection in this grasp-ejector species: the degree of colour mimicry (mimetic and non-mimetic, which mainly affects the egg-recognition stage of the egg-rejection process) and egg size (small, medium and large, which affects the decision to eject), while maintaining a control group of non-parasitized nests. The behaviour of the female when confronted with an experimental egg was filmed using a video camera. Our results show that egg touching is an indication of egg recognition and demonstrate that blackbirds recognized (i.e., touched) non-mimetic experimental eggs significantly more than mimetic eggs. However, twenty per cent of the experimental eggs were touched but not subsequently ejected, which confirms that egg recognition does not necessarily mean egg ejection and that accepting parasitic eggs, at least sometimes, is the consequence of acceptance decisions. Regarding proximate mechanisms, our results show that the delay in egg ejection is not only due to recognition problems as usually suggested, given that experimental eggs are not touched significantly more often. Thus, the delay in egg ejection is mainly the consequence of a delay in the decision to eject, probably triggered by mechanical constraints imposed by eggs that are harder to eject (i.e. larger). Our results offer important information on the relationships between recognition and ejection and contribute to a better understanding of host defences against brood parasites.
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10
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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
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11
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Affiliation(s)
- David C. Lahti
- Department of Biology; Queens College; City University of New York; New York; NY; USA
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12
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Molina-Morales M, Martínez JG, Martín-Gálvez D, Dawson DA, Burke T, Avilés JM. Cuckoo hosts shift from accepting to rejecting parasitic eggs across their lifetime. Evolution 2014; 68:3020-9. [PMID: 24916150 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2013] [Accepted: 05/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
One of the best-known outcomes of coevolution between species is the rejection of mimetic parasite eggs by avian hosts, which has evolved to reduce costly cuckoo parasitism. How this behavioral adaptation varies along the life of individual hosts remains poorly understood. Here, we identify for the first time, lifetime patterns of egg rejection in a parasitized long-lived bird, the magpie Pica pica and show that, during the years they were studied, some females accept, others reject, and some others modify their response to model eggs, in all cases switching from acceptance to rejection. Females tested in their first breeding attempt always accepted the model egg, even those individuals whose mothers were egg rejecters. A longitudinal analysis showed that the probability of egg rejection increased with the relative age of the female, but was not related to the risk of parasitism in the population. We conclude that ontogeny plays a fundamental role in the process leading to egg rejection in magpies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes Molina-Morales
- Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Granada, E-18071, Granada, Spain; Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom.
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13
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Samas P, Hauber ME, Cassey P, Grim T. Host responses to interspecific brood parasitism: a by-product of adaptations to conspecific parasitism? Front Zool 2014; 11:34. [PMID: 24834103 PMCID: PMC4022367 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-11-34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2013] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Why have birds evolved the ability to reject eggs? Typically, foreign egg discrimination is interpreted as evidence that interspecific brood parasitism (IP) has selected for the host’s ability to recognize and eliminate foreign eggs. Fewer studies explore the alternative hypothesis that rejection of interspecific eggs is a by-product of host defenses, evolved against conspecific parasitism (CP). We performed a large scale study with replication across taxa (two congeneric Turdus thrushes), space (populations), time (breeding seasons), and treatments (three types of experimental eggs), using a consistent design of egg rejection experiments (n = 1057 nests; including controls), in areas with potential IP either present (Europe; native populations) or absent (New Zealand; introduced populations). These comparisons benefited from the known length of allopatry (one and a half centuries), with no gene flow between native and introduced populations, which is rarely available in host-parasite systems. Results Hosts rejected CP at unusually high rates for passerines (up to 60%). CP rejection rates were higher in populations with higher conspecific breeding densities and no risks of IP, supporting the CP hypothesis. IP rejection rates did not covary geographically with IP risk, contradicting the IP hypothesis. High egg rejection rates were maintained in the relatively long-term isolation from IP despite non-trivial rejection costs and errors. Conclusions These egg rejection patterns, combined with recent findings that these thrushes are currently unsuitable hosts of the obligate parasitic common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), are in agreement with the hypothesis that the rejection of IP is a by-product of fine-tuned egg discrimination evolved due to CP. Our study highlights the importance of considering both IP and CP simultaneously as potential drivers in the evolution of egg discrimination, and illustrates how populations introduced to novel ecological contexts can provide critical insights into brood parasite-host coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Samas
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology, Palacký University, 17. listopadu 50, CZ-771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Phillip Cassey
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Tomas Grim
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology, Palacký University, 17. listopadu 50, CZ-771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
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14
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Procházka P, Konvičková-Patzenhauerová H, Požgayová M, Trnka A, Jelínek V, Honza M. Host genotype and age have no effect on rejection of parasitic eggs. Naturwissenschaften 2014; 101:417-26. [PMID: 24718778 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-014-1171-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Revised: 02/20/2014] [Accepted: 03/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Egg rejection belongs to a widely used host tactic to prevent the costs incurred by avian brood parasitism. However, the genetic basis of this behaviour and the effect of host age on the probability of rejecting the parasitic egg remain largely unknown. Here, we used a set of 15 polymorphic microsatellite loci, including a previously detected candidate locus (Ase64), to link genotypes of female great reed warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), a known rejecter, with their egg rejection responses in two host populations. We also tested whether host female age, as a measure of the experience with own eggs, plays a role in rejection of common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) eggs. We failed to find any consistent association of egg rejection responses with host female genotypes or age. It seems that host decisions on egg rejection show high levels of phenotypic plasticity and are likely to depend on the spatiotemporal variation in the parasitism pressure. Future studies exploring the repeatability of host responses towards parasitic eggs and the role of host individual experience with parasitic eggs would greatly improve our understanding of the variations in host behaviours considering the persistence of brood parasitism in host populations with rejecter phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Procházka
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic,
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15
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Soler M. Long-term coevolution between avian brood parasites and their hosts. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2013; 89:688-704. [PMID: 24330159 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2012] [Revised: 11/18/2013] [Accepted: 11/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Coevolutionary theory predicts that the most common long-term outcome of the relationships between brood parasites and their hosts should be coevolutionary cycles based on a dynamic change selecting the currently least-defended host species, given that when well-defended hosts are abandoned, hosts will be selected to decrease their defences as these are usually assumed to be costly. This is assumed to be the case also in brood parasite-host systems. Here I examine the frequency of the three potential long-term outcomes of brood parasite-host coevolution (coevolutionary cycles, lack of rejection, and successful resistance) in 182 host species. The results of simple exploratory comparisons show that coevolutionary cycles are very scarce while the lack of rejection and successful resistance, which are considered evolutionary enigmas, are much more frequent. I discuss these results considering (i) the importance of different host defences at all stages of the breeding cycle, (ii) the role of phenotypic plasticity in long-term coevolution, and (iii) the evolutionary history of host selection. I suggest that in purely antagonistic coevolutionary interactions, such as those involving brood parasites and their hosts, that although cycles will exist during an intermediate phase of the interactions, the arms race will end with the extinction of the host or with the host acquiring successful resistance. As evolutionary time passes, this resistance will force brood parasites to use previously less suitable host species. Furthermore, I present a model that represents the long-term trajectories and outcomes of coevolutionary interactions between brood parasites and their hosts with respect to the evolution of egg-rejection defence. This model suggests that as an increasing number of species acquire successful resistance, other unparasitized host species become more profitable and their parasitism rate and the costs imposed by brood parasitism at the population level will increase, selecting for the evolution of host defences. This means that although acceptance is adaptive when the parasitism rate and the costs of parasitism are very low, this cannot be considered to represent an evolutionary equilibrium, as conventional theory has done to date, because it is not stable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Soler
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avenida Severo Ochoa s/n, E-18071, Granada, Spain; Grupo Coevolución, Unidad Asociada al CSIC, Universidad de Granada, Avenida Severo Ochoa s/n, E-18071, Granada, Spain
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16
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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]
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Thorogood R, Davies NB. Reed warbler hosts fine-tune their defenses to track three decades of cuckoo decline. Evolution 2013; 67:3545-55. [PMID: 24299407 PMCID: PMC4209118 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2013] [Accepted: 07/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between avian hosts and brood parasites can provide a model for how animals adapt to a changing world. Reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) hosts employ costly defenses to combat parasitism by common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus). During the past three decades cuckoos have declined markedly across England, reducing parasitism at our study site (Wicken Fen) from 24% of reed warbler nests in 1985 to 1% in 2012. Here we show with experiments that host mobbing and egg rejection defenses have tracked this decline in local parasitism risk: the proportion of reed warbler pairs mobbing adult cuckoos (assessed by responses to cuckoo mounts and models) has declined from 90% to 38%, and the proportion rejecting nonmimetic cuckoo eggs (assessed by responses to model eggs) has declined from 61% to 11%. This is despite no change in response to other nest enemies or mimetic model eggs. Individual variation in both defenses is predicted by parasitism risk during the host's egg-laying period. Furthermore, the response of our study population to temporal variation in parasitism risk can also explain spatial variation in egg rejection behavior in other populations across Europe. We suggest that spatial and temporal variation in parasitism risk has led to the evolution of plasticity in reed warbler defenses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Thorogood
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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Soler JJ, Martín-Gálvez D, de Neve L, Soler M. Brood parasitism correlates with the strength of spatial autocorrelation of life history and defensive traits in Magpies. Ecology 2013; 94:1338-46. [PMID: 23923497 DOI: 10.1890/12-1350.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Environmental characteristics of neighboring locations are generally more similar than those of distant locations. Selection pressures due to parasitism and other environmental conditions shape life history traits of hosts; thus, the probability of parasitism should be associated with the strength of spatial autocorrelation in life history and defensive traits of their hosts. Here we test this hypothesis in three different subpopulations of Magpie (Pica pica) parasitized by the Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) during three breeding seasons. In some of the years and study plots, we found evidence of positive spatial autocorrelations for clutch size and parasitism rate, but not for laying date. As predicted, brood parasitism was associated with the strength of these spatial autocorrelations. Magpies that bred close to each other in areas of high risk of parasitism responded similarly to experimental parasitic eggs. Moreover, an elevated risk of parasitism eliminated the spatial autocorrelation for clutch size, which became randomly distributed. We discuss possible mechanisms explaining these associations, which may have important consequences for estimating evolutionary responses of hosts to parasitic infections and, therefore, for epidemiological, ecological, and evolutionary studies of host-parasite relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan J Soler
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Aridas (CSIC), E-4120 Almeria, Spain.
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Kleindorfer S, Evans C, Colombelli-Négrel D, Robertson J, Griggio M, Hoi H. Host response to cuckoo song is predicted by the future risk of brood parasitism. Front Zool 2013; 10:30. [PMID: 23692969 PMCID: PMC3666891 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-10-30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2012] [Accepted: 05/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Risk assessment occurs over different temporal and spatial scales and is selected for when individuals show an adaptive response to a threat. Here, we test if birds respond to the threat of brood parasitism using the acoustical cues of brood parasites in the absence of visual stimuli. We broadcast the playback of song of three brood parasites (Chalcites cuckoo species) and a sympatric non-parasite (striated thornbill, Acanthiza lineata) in the territories of superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus) during the peak breeding period and opportunistic breeding period. The three cuckoo species differ in brood parasite prevalence and the probability of detection by the host, which we used to rank the risk of parasitism (high risk, moderate risk, low risk). Results Host birds showed the strongest response to the threat of cuckoo parasitism in accordance with the risk of parasitism. Resident wrens had many alarm calls and close and rapid approach to the playback speaker that was broadcasting song of the high risk brood parasite (Horsfield’s bronze-cuckoo, C. basalis) across the year (peak and opportunistic breeding period), some response to the moderate risk brood parasite (shining bronze-cuckoo, C. lucidus) during the peak breeding period, and the weakest response to the low risk brood parasite (little bronze-cuckoo, C. minutillus). Playback of the familiar control stimulus in wren territories evoked the least response. Conclusion Host response to the threat of cuckoo parasitism was assessed using vocal cues of the cuckoo and was predicted by the risk of future parasitism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Kleindorfer
- School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, 5042, South Australia.
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