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Zhang J, Santema P, Lin Z, Yang L, Liu M, Li J, Deng W, Kempenaers B. Experimental evidence that cuckoos choose host nests following an egg matching strategy. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222094. [PMID: 36809803 PMCID: PMC9943643 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The arms race between brood parasites and their hosts provides a classic model to study coevolution. Hosts often reject the parasitic egg, and brood parasites should therefore select host nests in which the colour of the eggs best matches that of their own. Although this hypothesis has received some support, direct experimental evidence is still lacking. Here, we report on a study of Daurian redstarts, which show a distinct egg-colour dimorphism, with females laying either blue or pink eggs. Redstarts are often parasitized by common cuckoos, which lay light blue eggs. First, we showed that cuckoo eggs were more similar in spectral reflectance to the blue than to the pink redstart egg morph. Second, we report that the natural parasitism rate was higher in blue than in pink host clutches. Third, we performed a field experiment in which we presented a dummy clutch of each colour morph adjacent to active redstart nests. In this set-up, cuckoos almost always chose to parasitize a blue clutch. Our results demonstrate that cuckoos actively choose redstart nests in which the egg colour matches the colour of their own eggs. Our study thus provides direct experimental evidence in support of the egg matching hypothesis.
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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 100875, People's Republic of China.,Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen 82319, Germany
| | - Peter Santema
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen 82319, Germany.,Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Zixuan Lin
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, 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 100875, People's Republic of China.,Academy of Forestry Inventory and Planning, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Beijing 100714, People's Republic of China
| | - Meijun Liu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianqiang Li
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, 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 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen 82319, Germany
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Avilés JM, Precioso M, Molina‐Morales M, Martínez JG. Early‐life environmental conditions influence parasitism at adulthood and life‐history of a cuckoo host. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Miguel Avilés
- Depto de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, CSIC Almería Spain
| | - Marta Precioso
- Depto de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Univ. de Granada Granada Spain
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Nest size matters: common cuckoos prefer to parasitize larger nests of Oriental reed warblers. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:589-595. [PMID: 34773170 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01574-5] [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: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Avian brood parasites leave parental care of their offspring to foster parents. Theory predicts that parasites should select for large host nests when they have sufficient available host nests at a given time. We developed an empirical experimental design to test cognitive ability of female cuckoos in nest size by studying nest choice of common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) among nests of its Oriental reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis) hosts. We presented three groups of experimental nests: 1) nest dyads tied together including one large and one small artificial nest from reed leaves, 2) nest triads tied together used the old modified warbler's own nests including enlarged, reduced and medium-sized nests, and 3) nest dyads are similar to group 1, but not tied together to elicit parasitism by common cuckoos. We predict that cuckoos prefer larger nest than medium one, the next is smaller nest. Our findings showed that common cuckoo females generally prefer large nests over medium or small sized nests in all three experimental groups. Furthermore, cuckoo parasitism was significantly more common than in previous studies of the same warbler population, implying that larger, higher and more exposed host nests effectively increased the probability of cuckoo parasitism.
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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.
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Soler M, Pérez-Contreras T, Soler JJ. Great spotted cuckoos show dynamic patterns of host selection during the breeding season. The importance of laying stage and parasitism status of magpie nests. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Avian brood parasites depend entirely on their hosts to raise their nestlings until independence. Thus, parasite females should select suitable host nests for egg laying according to traits that enhance offspring survival. The availability of nests of certain characteristics influencing the survival of parasitic offspring is, however, temporally dynamic and, thus, patterns of host selection should be evaluated considering characteristics of available host nests the day of parasitism. This allows detecting possible seasonal changes and, therefore, a more realistic picture of host selection by brood parasites. In this paper, we adopt such a new approach and consider daily availability of magpie (Pica pica) host nests at different breeding stage that were or were not parasitized by the great spotted cuckoo (Clamator glandarius). Theory predicts that cuckoos should select host nests at the laying stage. Accordingly, we detected that cuckoos preferred to parasitize magpie nests at the laying stage but, mainly, those that already harbored one or two cuckoo eggs, which may seem counterintuitive. We also showed that patterns of host selection by cuckoos varied during the breeding season, which implies that brood parasite–host interaction is dynamic depending on phenology. These patterns are hidden when not considering the temporally dynamic nature of the availability of host nests of characteristics of interest. We discuss the importance of such patterns and considering diary hosts nests availability for detecting them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Soler
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- Unidad Asociada Coevolución: Cucos, Hospedadores y Bacterias Simbiontes, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Tomás Pérez-Contreras
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Juan José Soler
- Unidad Asociada Coevolución: Cucos, Hospedadores y Bacterias Simbiontes, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC), Almería, Spain
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Molina-Morales M, Precioso M, Avilés JM, Martínez JG, Parejo D. Great spotted cuckoos disregard information on conspecific breeding success while parasitizing magpie hosts. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes Molina-Morales
- Departamento de Anatomía, Biología Celular y Zoología. Universidad de Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas S/N, Badajoz, Spain
| | - Marta Precioso
- Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Granada, Avenida de Fuente Nueva S/N, Granada, Spain
| | - Jesús M Avilés
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, EEZA (CSIC), Ctra de Sacramento S/N, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain
| | - Juan G Martínez
- Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Granada, Avenida de Fuente Nueva S/N, Granada, Spain
| | - Deseada Parejo
- Departamento de Anatomía, Biología Celular y Zoología. Universidad de Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas S/N, Badajoz, Spain
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, EEZA (CSIC), Ctra de Sacramento S/N, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain
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Expósito-Granados M, Parejo D, Martínez JG, Sánchez-Tójar A, Precioso M, Molina-Morales M, Avilés JM. An experimental test of host's life history traits modulation in response to cuckoo parasitism risk. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0179206. [PMID: 28658287 PMCID: PMC5489146 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179206] [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: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Hosts can counteract parasites through defences based on resistance and/or tolerance. The mechanistic basis of tolerance, which involve defensive mechanisms minimizing parasite damage after a successful parasitic attack, remains poorly explored in the study of cuckoo-host interactions. Here, we experimentally explore the possibility that the risk of great spotted cuckoo Clamator glandarius parasitism may induce tolerance defences in magpie Pica pica hosts through plasticity in life-history traits. We predict that magpies exposed to auditory cues indicating high parasitism risk will more likely exhibit resistance and/or modify their life-history traits to minimize parasitism costs (i.e. tolerance) compared to magpies under low parasitism risk. We found that manipulating the perceived parasitism risk did not affect host resistance (i.e. rejection of parasitic eggs) nor host life-history traits. Unexpectedly, host’s egg volume increased over the season in nests exposed to auditory cues of control non-harmful hoopoes Upupa epops. Our results do not provide support for inducible defences (either based on resistance or tolerance) in response to risk of parasitism in magpie hosts. Even so, we encourage studying plastic expression of breeding strategies in response to risk of cuckoo parasitism to achieve a better understanding of the mechanistic basis of tolerance defences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Deseada Parejo
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, EEZA-CSIC, Almería, Spain
- Department of Zoology, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain
| | | | - Alfredo Sánchez-Tójar
- Department of Zoology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Evolutionary Biology Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Marta Precioso
- Department of Zoology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | | | - Jesús M. Avilés
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, EEZA-CSIC, Almería, Spain
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Molina-Morales M, Martínez JG, Avilés JM. Criteria for host selection in a brood parasite vary depending on parasitism rate. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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