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Mahr K, Nowack L, Knauer F, Hoi H. Songbirds use scent cues to relocate to feeding sites after displacement: An experiment in great tits (Parus major). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.858981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Air-borne chemicals are highly abundant sensory cues and their use in navigation might be one of the major evolutionary mechanisms explaining the development of olfaction in animals. Despite solid evidence for the importance of olfaction in avian life (e.g., foraging or mating), the importance of chemical cues in avian orientation remains controversial. In particular, songbirds are sorely neglected models, despite their remarkable orientation skills. Here we show that great tits (Parus major) require olfactory cues to orientate toward winter-feeding sites within their home range after displacement. Birds that received an olfaction-depriving treatment were impaired in homing. However, the return rates between olfaction-deprived and control individuals did not differ. Birds with decreased perception of olfactory cues required more time to return to the winter feeding sites. This effect became apparent when the distance between the releasing and capture sites was greater. Our results indicate that even in a familiar environment with possible visual landmarks, scent cues might serve as an important source of information for orientation.
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2
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Shen C, Yin D, Yu J, Zhang L, Han Z, Jin L, Liang W, Wang H. Geographical variation in nest defense among cinereous tit populations in China. Curr Zool 2022; 69:59-65. [PMID: 36974144 PMCID: PMC10039177 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Behavioral divergence among populations is common across taxonomic groups, still we know very little about anti-predator behaviors. Animal exposure to predation risk is variable in different ecological contexts. In addition, reproduction value of animals in different geographical regions usually varies. In this study, we tested whether cinereous tits Parus cinereus in different populations exhibited nest defense behaviors similar to those of nest or adult predators and whether their nest defense behaviors showed geographical variation. By using field dummy experiments, we observed tits’ nest defense behavior in nest predator common chipmunk Tamias sibiricus and red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris, adult predator Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus and nonthreatening species Oriental turtle dove Streptopelia orientalis in the ZJ (44° N), DLS (18° N) and DZ (31° N) populations, respectively. The response scores varied significantly across the four dummies in ZJ-tits and DLS-tits but did not in DZ-tits. When facing the chipmunk, ZJ-tits showed the highest response score, and DZ-tits showed the lowest response score. When facing the squirrel, ZJ-tits showed a higher response score than tits in the other two populations. However, tits among the three populations responded similarly to a sparrowhawk or dove with slight response behaviors. In addition, response scores to nest predators were positively correlated with brood size across the three populations, but no trend was found for sparrowhawks or doves. Our results indicated that the nest defense behaviors of cinereous tits have evolved in response to large-scale geographical variation in ecological contexts and reproduction value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Shen
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Dake Yin
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Jiangping Yu
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Zheng Han
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Longru Jin
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Wei Liang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China
| | - Haitao Wang
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
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3
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Chaumont MHJ, Langmore NE, Welbergen JA. The ghosts of parasitism past: lingering frontline anti-brood parasite defenses in a former host. Curr Zool 2021; 67:573-583. [PMID: 34805534 PMCID: PMC8598987 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Coevolutionary arms races between brood parasites and hosts provide tractable systems for understanding antagonistic coevolution in nature; however, little is known about the fate of frontline antiparasite defenses when the host “wins” the coevolutionary arms race. By recreating bygone species interactions, using artificial parasitism experiments, lingering defensive behaviors that evolved in the context of parasitism can be understood and may even be used to identify the unknown agent of parasitism past. Here we present the first study of this type by evaluating lingering “frontline” nest defenses that have evolved to prevent egg laying in a former brood parasite host. The Australian reed warbler Acrocephalus australis is currently not parasitized but is known to exhibit fine-tuned egg discrimination—a defensive behavior indicative of a past brood parasite–host arms race and common in closely related parasitized species. Here, using 3D-printed models of adult brood parasites, we examined whether the Australian reed warbler also exhibits frontline defenses to adult brood parasites, and whether we could use these defenses to identify the warbler’s “ghost of parasitism past.” Our findings provide evidence that the Australian reed warbler readily engages in frontline defenses that are considered adaptive specifically in the context of brood parasitism. However, individuals were unable to discriminate between adults of different brood parasite species at their nest. Overall, our results demonstrate that despite a relaxation in selection, defenses against brood parasitism can be maintained across multiple stages of the host’s nesting cycle, and further suggest that, in accordance with previous findings, that learning may be important for fine-tuning frontline defense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew H J Chaumont
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
| | - Naomi E Langmore
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Justin A Welbergen
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
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4
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Noh HJ, Jacomb F, Gloag R, Langmore NE. Frontline defences against cuckoo parasitism in the large-billed gerygones. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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5
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Huo X, Zhou L, Feng J, Wu H. Variation in alarm calls during different breeding stages of the common kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus). Biol Open 2021; 10:bio.056648. [PMID: 33419776 PMCID: PMC7823166 DOI: 10.1242/bio.056648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Acoustic signals play a key role in animal communication. Animals usually use alarm signals to warn mates or offspring of the presence of threats or to intimidate or distract predators. Birds commonly use acoustic signals as a means of communication. Alarm calls in passerines at different breeding stages can reflect their nest defense intensity. However, little is known about the characteristics, plasticity, and impact factors of alarm calls during the reproductive period in raptors. Here, from March to July in 2019, the alarm calls of eight pairs of common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) during the breeding period were recorded using a portable recorder with a strongly directed microphone in the Zuojia Nature Reserve, Jilin province, China. The differences in acoustic parameters of parental alarm calls in different breeding stages were analyzed. The results showed that the alarm calls of common kestrels were composed of multi-harmonic arched frequency modulation with the maximum energy distribution in the second harmonic. The duration and rate of the alarm calls increased significantly as the breeding season progressed, showing that parents spent increasing amounts of time on nest defense. Additionally, the acoustic parameters of alarm calls in common kestrels were significantly different depending on offspring numbers, suggesting that offspring numbers influenced parental nest defense. These results showed that differences in alarm calls during different breeding stages may reflect a trade-off between defense costs and reproductive benefits. Summary: Our results clearly showed parental alarm calls varied as the breeding cycle progressed in the common kestrel, and further suggested offspring numbers influenced parental nest defense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaona Huo
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Lei Zhou
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Hui Wu
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
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6
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Warblers perform less nest defense behavior and alarm calls to human intruders: A result of habituation. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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8
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Messinger LN, Stuber EF, Chizinski CJ, Fontaine JJ. Mortality, perception, and scale: Understanding how predation shapes space use in a wild prey population. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222272. [PMID: 31553753 PMCID: PMC6760887 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Attempts to assess behavioral responses of prey to predation risk are often confounded by depredation of prey. Moreover, the scale at which the response of prey is assessed has important implications for discovering how predation risk alters prey behavior. Herein, we assessed space use of wild Ring-necked Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) in response to spatial and temporal variation in recreational hunting. We radio-marked pheasants and monitored space use at two spatial scales: short-term seasonal home range, and nightly resting locations. Additionally, we considered temporal variation in predation risk by monitoring space use prior to and during the pheasant hunting season. Although we found no change in nightly resting location, pheasants subjected to predation risk expanded their home range and shifted home range location even when invulnerable to predation. Home range formation was plastic, with home ranges expanding and contracting as risk fluctuated before and during the hunting season. Depredation reduced the measured response within the population, obscuring the potential importance of perceived predation risk in shaping prey communities, particularly when not measured at the appropriate scale. By assessing space use of a wild prey population at multiple scales, considering spatial and temporal variation in predation risk, we show that not only does predation risk affect space use, but that the effects at the population level may be challenging to assess when not measured at the appropriate ecological scale because of the direct effects of differential mortality on the same behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey N. Messinger
- Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Erica F. Stuber
- Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Christopher J. Chizinski
- School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Joseph J. Fontaine
- Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
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9
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Yu J, Lu H, Sun W, Liang W, Wang H, Møller AP. Heterospecific alarm-call recognition in two warbler hosts of common cuckoos. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:1149-1157. [PMID: 31506795 PMCID: PMC6834739 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01307-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 09/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Species facing similar selection pressures should recognize heterospecific alarm signals. However, no study has so far examined heterospecific alarm-call recognition in response to parasitism by cuckoos. In this study, we tested whether two sympatric host species of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus, Oriental reed warbler Acrocephalus orientalis (ORW, main host), and black-browed reed warbler Acrocephalus bistrigiceps (BRW, rare host), could recognize each other’s alarm calls in response to cuckoos. Dummies of common cuckoo (parasite) and Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus (predator) were used to induce and record alarm calls of the two warbler species, respectively. In the conspecific alarm-call playback experiments, ORW responded more strongly to cuckoo alarm calls than to sparrowhawk alarm calls, while BRW responded less strongly to cuckoo alarm calls than to sparrowhawk alarm calls. In the heterospecific alarm-call playback experiments, both ORW and BRW responded less strongly to cuckoo alarm calls than sparrowhawk alarm calls. BRW seemed to learn the association between parasite-related alarm calls of the ORW and the cuckoo by observing the process of ORW attacking cuckoos. In contrast, alarm calls of BRW to cuckoos were rarely recorded in most cases. BRW with low parasite pressure still developed recognition of heterospecific parasite-related alarm call. Unintended receivers in the same community should recognize heterospecific alarm calls precisely to extract valuable information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangping Yu
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Hailin Lu
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China.,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Wei Sun
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Wei Liang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China.
| | - Haitao Wang
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China.
| | - Anders Pape Møller
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405, Orsay Cedex, France.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
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10
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Mutzel A, Olsen AL, Mathot KJ, Araya-Ajoy YG, Nicolaus M, Wijmenga JJ, Wright J, Kempenaers B, Dingemanse NJ. Effects of manipulated levels of predation threat on parental provisioning and nestling begging. Behav Ecol 2019; 30:1123-1135. [PMID: 31289429 PMCID: PMC6606999 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Revised: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Parental provisioning behavior is a major determinant of offspring growth and survival, but high provisioning rates might come at the cost of increased predation threat. Parents should thus adjust provisioning activity according to current predation threat levels. Moreover, life-history theory predicts that response to predation threat should be correlated with investment in current reproduction. We experimentally manipulated perceived predation threat in free-living great tits (Parus major) by presenting parents with a nest predator model while monitoring different aspects of provisioning behavior and nestling begging. Experiments were conducted in 2 years differing greatly in ecological conditions, including food availability. We further quantified male territorial aggressiveness and male and female exploratory tendency. Parents adjusted provisioning according to current levels of threat in an apparently adaptive way. They delayed nest visits during periods of elevated perceived predation threat and subsequently compensated for lost feeding opportunities by increasing provisioning once the immediate threat had diminished. Nestling begging increased after elevated levels of predation threat, but returned to baseline levels by the end of the experiment, suggesting that parents had fully compensated for lost feeding opportunities. There was no evidence for a link between male exploration behavior or aggressiveness and provisioning behavior. In contrast, fast-exploring females provisioned at higher rates, but only in the year with poor environmental conditions, which might indicate a greater willingness to invest in current reproduction in general. Future work should assess whether these personality-related differences in delivery rates under harsher conditions came at a cost of reduced residual reproductive value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariane Mutzel
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Anne-Lise Olsen
- Department of Biology, Center for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Kimberley J Mathot
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Yimen G Araya-Ajoy
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- Department of Biology, Center for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Marion Nicolaus
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Jan J Wijmenga
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Jonathan Wright
- Department of Biology, Center for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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11
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Winney IS, Schroeder J, Nakagawa S, Hsu YH, Simons MJP, Sánchez-Tójar A, Mannarelli ME, Burke T. Heritability and social brood effects on personality in juvenile and adult life-history stages in a wild passerine. J Evol Biol 2017; 31:75-87. [PMID: 29044885 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2016] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
How has evolution led to the variation in behavioural phenotypes (personalities) in a population? Knowledge of whether personality is heritable, and to what degree it is influenced by the social environment, is crucial to understanding its evolutionary significance, yet few estimates are available from natural populations. We tracked three behavioural traits during different life-history stages in a pedigreed population of wild house sparrows. Using a quantitative genetic approach, we demonstrated heritability in adult exploration, and in nestling activity after accounting for fixed effects, but not in adult boldness. We did not detect maternal effects on any traits, but we did detect a social brood effect on nestling activity. Boldness, exploration and nestling activity in this population did not form a behavioural syndrome, suggesting that selection could act independently on these behavioural traits in this species, although we found no consistent support for phenotypic selection on these traits. Our work shows that repeatable behaviours can vary in their heritability and that social context influences personality traits. Future efforts could separate whether personality traits differ in heritability because they have served specific functional roles in the evolution of the phenotype or because our concept of personality and the stability of behaviour needs to be revised.
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Affiliation(s)
- I S Winney
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - J Schroeder
- Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - S Nakagawa
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.,Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Y-H Hsu
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - M J P Simons
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - A Sánchez-Tójar
- Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - M-E Mannarelli
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - T Burke
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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12
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Yu J, Xing X, Jiang Y, Liang W, Wang H, Møller AP. Alarm call-based discrimination between common cuckoo and Eurasian sparrowhawk in a Chinese population of great tits. Ethology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jiangping Yu
- Jilin Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics; School of Life Sciences; Northeast Normal University; Changchun China
| | - Xiaoying Xing
- College of Wildlife Resource; Northeast Forestry University; Harbin China
| | - Yunlei Jiang
- College of Animal Science and Technology; Jilin Agricultural University; Changchun China
| | - Wei Liang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology; College of Life Sciences; Hainan Normal University; Haikou China
| | - Haitao Wang
- Jilin Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics; School of Life Sciences; Northeast Normal University; Changchun China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology; School of Life Sciences; Northeast Normal University; Changchun China
| | - Anders Pape Møller
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution; CNRS; Université Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay; Orsay France
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13
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Dorset EE, Sakaluk SK, Thompson CF. Behavioral plasticity in response to perceived predation risk in breeding house wrens. Evol Biol 2017; 44:227-239. [PMID: 28736461 PMCID: PMC5521818 DOI: 10.1007/s11692-016-9402-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Predation is a significant cause of nest failure in passerine birds, and, thus, natural selection is expected to favor behavioral plasticity to allow birds to respond to perceived changes in predation risk. However, behavioral plasticity in response to perceived predation risk, and its potential fitness-related costs, are understudied. In a wild population of breeding house wrens (Troglodytes aedon), we tested the hypotheses that (1) birds show behavioral plasticity in response to perceived nest-predation risk to reduce self-risk or risk to offspring, but (2) this plasticity incurs fitness-related costs. We experimentally increased the perceived risk of nest predation by enlarging the diameter of the nestbox entrance from the standard 3.2 cm to 5.0 cm once incubation began. Unexpectedly, large-hole females spent significantly less time being vigilant than small-hole (control) females during late incubation. Both males and females also exhibited plasticity in their provisioning behavior. Large-hole males increased and large-hole females decreased provisioning visits with increasing brood size, whereas small-hole males and females behaved similarly and were unaffected by brood size. Females did not show plasticity in their incubation or brooding behavior. Notwithstanding this behavioral plasticity in response to increased perceived predation risk, treatment had no effect on hatching success or early hatchling survival, nor did it affect nestling body condition or fledging success. We conclude, therefore, that house wrens show behavioral plasticity in response to perceived nest-predation risk, but that any short-term fitness-related costs associated with this flexibility appear negligible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Dorset
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 61790-4120, USA
| | - Scott K Sakaluk
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 61790-4120, USA
| | - Charles F Thompson
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 61790-4120, USA
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14
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Crisologo TL, Bonter DN. Defending the Weak: Parental Defense Peaks When Chick Vulnerability is Greatest in the Herring Gull (Larus argentatus). Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Taylor L. Crisologo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Cornell University; Ithaca NY USA
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15
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Olsson KH, Kvarnemo C, Andrén MN, Larsson T. Hypoxia increases the risk of egg predation in a nest-guarding fish. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:160326. [PMID: 27853611 PMCID: PMC5108961 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/29/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
For fish with parental care, a nest should meet both the oxygenation needs of the eggs and help protect them against predators. While a small nest opening facilitates the latter, it impedes the former and vice versa. We investigated how the presence of potential egg predators in the form of shore crabs Carcinus maenas affects nest building, egg fanning, defensive displays and filial cannibalism of egg-guarding male sand gobies Pomatoschistus minutus under two levels of dissolved oxygen. In the high oxygen treatment, males retained their nest opening size in the presence of crabs, while males in low oxygen built large nest openings both in the absence and presence of crabs, despite the fact that crabs were more likely to successfully intrude into nests with large entrances. Males in low oxygen also fanned more. In the presence of crabs males increased their defensive displays, but while males in high oxygen reduced fanning, males in low oxygen did not. Filial cannibalism was unaffected by treatment. Sand gobies thus prioritize egg ventilation over the protection afforded by small nest openings under hypoxia and adopt defensive behaviour to avert predator attention, even though this does not fully offset the threat from the egg predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin H. Olsson
- National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Charlotta Kvarnemo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Maria Norevik Andrén
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Therése Larsson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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