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Touati L, Athamnia M, Boucheker A, Belabed BE, Samraoui F, Alfarhan AH, Møller AP, Samraoui B. To Flee or Not to Flee: How Age, Reproductive Phase, and Mate Presence Affect White Stork Flight Decisions. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2920. [PMID: 37760320 PMCID: PMC10525893 DOI: 10.3390/ani13182920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Recognizing, assessing, and responding to threats is critical for survival in the wild. Birds, especially in their role as parents, must decide whether to flee or delay flight when threatened. This study examines how age, reproductive stage, and the presence of a mate influence flight initiation distance (FID) and nest recess duration in white storks. Analyzing the data with a generalized additive mixed model (GAMM), we found significant correlations between FID and age, reproductive stage, and presence of a mate. These results suggest that the trade-off between current and future reproduction shifts during critical breeding periods, such as incubation and nestling care. To increase breeding success, White Storks appear willing to take risks and extend their stay in the nest when offspring are most valuable and vulnerable. In the presence of a mate, individuals leave the nest earlier, suggesting possible sexual conflict over parental care. The duration of nest abandonment is consistent with FID, except for age. These results illustrate how parental age, brood value, vulnerability, and sexual dynamics influence white stork flight decisions in complex ways. Understanding these dynamics enriches our knowledge of bird behavior and adaptations to environmental challenges and highlights the complexity of parental decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laïd Touati
- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, Algeria; (L.T.); (M.A.); (A.B.); (F.S.)
- Biology and Plant Ecology Department, Mentouri Brothers Constantine 1 University, Constantine 25000, Algeria
| | - Mohamed Athamnia
- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, Algeria; (L.T.); (M.A.); (A.B.); (F.S.)
- Department of Ecology, University 8 Mai 1945, Guelma 24000, Algeria
| | - Abdennour Boucheker
- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, Algeria; (L.T.); (M.A.); (A.B.); (F.S.)
- Department of Biology, University Badji Mokhtar, Annaba 23000, Algeria;
| | | | - Farrah Samraoui
- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, Algeria; (L.T.); (M.A.); (A.B.); (F.S.)
- Department of Biology, University Badji Mokhtar, Annaba 23000, Algeria;
| | - Ahmed H. Alfarhan
- Department of Botany & Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Anders P. Møller
- AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France;
| | - Boudjéma Samraoui
- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, Algeria; (L.T.); (M.A.); (A.B.); (F.S.)
- Department of Biology, University Badji Mokhtar, Annaba 23000, Algeria;
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Yin D, Yu J, Jin J, Shen C, Zhang L, Li X, Zhang K, Wang H. Nest box entrance hole size can influence nest site selection and nest defence behaviour in Japanese tits. Anim Cogn 2023:10.1007/s10071-023-01791-0. [PMID: 37231181 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01791-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Birds have the ability to assess the risk of predation in their environment and adjust their antipredation strategies based on this risk information. However, whether nest site selection has effect on subsequent nest defence behaviour has not been studied. In this study, we aimed to determine whether the Japanese tit (Parus minor) exhibits a nest-box hole size preference and whether the entrance hole sizes of nest boxes influence the nest defence behaviour of tits. We hung nest boxes with three different entrance hole sizes (diameters: 6.5 cm, 4.5 cm and 2.8 cm) in our study sites and investigated which nest boxes were occupied by tits. In addition, by using dummy-presentation experiments, we observed the nest defence behaviours of tits that nested in boxes with 2.8 cm and 4.5 cm entrance holes towards common chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus, a small nest predator able to enter these holes) and Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris, a large nest predator unable to enter the 2.8 cm entrance hole). The tits that bred in nest boxes with 2.8 cm entrance holes exhibited more intense nest defence responses to chipmunks than to squirrels. In contrast, the tits that bred in nest boxes with 4.5 cm entrance holes exhibited similar nest defence responses to chipmunks and squirrels. Additionally, Japanese tits that bred in nest boxes with 2.8 cm entrance holes exhibited more intense behavioural responses to chipmunks than those that bred in nest boxes with 4.5 cm entrance holes. Our results suggested that Japanese tits prefer to occupy nest boxes with small holes for breeding and that nest-box characteristics influenced their nest defence behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dake Yin
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, 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.
| | - Jiangping Jin
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Chao Shen
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, 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
| | - Xudong Li
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Keqin Zhang
- School of Zoological Science, Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology University, Jilin, 132109, China.
| | - Haitao Wang
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China.
- Jilin Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130024, China.
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Krausová L, Veselý P, Syrová M, Antonová K, Fišer O, Chlumská V, Pátková M, Pužej Š, Fuchs R. Red-backed shrike ( Lanius collurio) versus common cuckoo ( Cuculus canorus): An example of ineffective cuckoo-hawk mimicry. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9664. [PMID: 36582776 PMCID: PMC9789018 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9664] [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] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio) used to be one of the most common hosts of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). Nevertheless, during the last 30 years, there is increasing evidence from Central Europe that the occurrence of cuckoo chicks in shrike nests has become scarcer, and that in some locations they have disappeared completely. Multiple hypotheses have been suggested to explain this abandonment. Here, we test the hypothesis that shrikes vigorously attack adult cuckoos, potentially resulting in ineffective parasitism. Adult common cuckoos resemble in appearance the Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), a common predator of small passerines. One hypothesis presumes that the cuckoo has evolved this mimicry to avoid attack by small passerines when searching for their nests. Our results show that shrikes defending their nests attacked cuckoos very vigorously, more often, and more intensively than they did sparrowhawks. In the presence of a sparrowhawk dummy, parent shrikes only produced alarm calls and flew over the dummy. This suggests that cuckoo-hawk mimicry is ineffective in the case of shrikes and that they attack them much more often than they do any other presented intruder. Therefore, this activity could possibly result in the abandonment of shrikes as potential hosts for cuckoos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ladislava Krausová
- Faculty of ScienceUniversity of South Bohemia in České BudějoviceČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
| | - Petr Veselý
- Faculty of ScienceUniversity of South Bohemia in České BudějoviceČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
| | - Michaela Syrová
- Faculty of ScienceUniversity of South Bohemia in České BudějoviceČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
| | | | - Ondřej Fišer
- Faculty of ScienceUniversity of South Bohemia in České BudějoviceČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
| | - Vanda Chlumská
- Faculty of ScienceUniversity of South Bohemia in České BudějoviceČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
| | - Markéta Pátková
- Faculty of ScienceUniversity of South Bohemia in České BudějoviceČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
| | - Šimon Pužej
- Faculty of ScienceUniversity of South Bohemia in České BudějoviceČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
| | - Roman Fuchs
- Faculty of ScienceUniversity of South Bohemia in České BudějoviceČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic,Faculty of ScienceCharles UniversityPragueCzech Republic
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Male aggressiveness and risk-taking during reproduction are repeatable but not correlated in a wild bird population. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03044-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The existence of among-individual variation in behaviour within populations is poorly understood. Recent theory suggests that fine-scale individual differences in investment into current versus future reproduction may lead to a ‘slow-fast’-pace-of-life continuum, also referred to as the ‘pace-of-life-syndrome’ (POLS) hypothesis. According to this idea, individuals are predicted to differ in their level of risk-taking, which may drive among-individual variation and covariation of behaviours. Consistent individual differences in aggression, an ecologically relevant and potentially risky behaviour, have been reported across the animal kingdom. Here we test whether such individual differences in aggression are a manifestation of underlying differences in risk-taking. In a wild blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) population, we used standard behavioural tests to investigate if male territorial aggressiveness and risk-taking during breeding are positively related. At the start of breeding, we simulated conspecific territorial intrusions to obtain repeated measures of male aggressiveness. Subsequently, we measured male risk-taking as their latency to resume brood provisioning after presenting two different predators at their nest: human and sparrowhawk, a common predator of adult songbirds. First, we found substantial repeatability for male aggressiveness (R = 0.56 ± 0.08 SE). Second, while males took longer to resume provisioning after presentation of a sparrowhawk mount as compared to a human observer, risk-taking was repeatable across these two predator contexts (R = 0.51 ± 0.13 SE). Finally, we found no evidence for a correlation between male aggressiveness and risk-taking, thereby providing little support to a main prediction of the POLS hypothesis.
Significance statement
Consistent, and often correlated, individual differences in basal behaviours, such as aggression, exploration and sociability, are found across the animal kingdom. Why individuals consistently differ in their behaviour is poorly understood, as behavioural traits would seem inherently flexible. The ‘pace-of-life syndrome’ (POLS) hypothesis proposes observed behavioural variation to reflect differences in risk-taking associated with individual reproductive strategies. We tested this idea in a wild blue tit population by investigating whether individual males that were more aggressive toward territorial intruders also took more risk when provisioning their nestlings under a threat of predation. While we found consistent individual differences in both aggressiveness and risk-taking, these behaviours were not significantly correlated. Therefore, our study demonstrates among-individual variation in ecologically relevant behaviours in wild blue tits but provides little support for the POLS hypothesis.
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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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de Jong ME, Nicolaus M, Fokkema RW, Loonen MJJE. State dependence explains individual variation in nest defence behaviour in a long-lived bird. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:809-819. [PMID: 33340107 PMCID: PMC8048547 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Parental care, such as nest or offspring defence, is crucial for offspring survival in many species. Yet, despite its obvious fitness benefits, the level of defence can consistently vary between individuals of the same species. One prominent adaptive explanation for consistent individual differences in behaviours involves state dependency: relatively stable differences in individual state should lead to the emergence of repeatable behavioural variation whereas changes in state should lead to a readjustment of behaviour. Therefore, empirical testing of adaptive state dependence requires longitudinal data where behaviour and state of individuals of the same population are repeatedly measured. Here, we test if variation in states predicts nest defence behaviour (a ‘risky’ behaviour) in a long‐lived species, the barnacle goose Branta leucopsis. Adaptive models have predicted that an individual's residual reproductive value or ‘asset’ is an important state variable underlying variation in risk‐taking behaviour. Hence, we investigate how nest defence varies as a function of time of the season and individual age, two state variables that can vary between and within individuals and determine asset. Repeated measures of nest defence towards a human intruder (flight initiation distance or FID) of females of known age were collected during 15 breeding seasons. Increasing values of FID represent increasing shyness. We found that females strongly and consistently differed in FID within‐ and between‐years. As predicted by theory, females adjusted their behaviour to state by decreasing their FID with season and age. Decomposing these population patterns into within‐ and between‐individual effects showed that the state‐dependent change in FID was driven by individual plasticity in FID and that bolder females were more plastic than shyer females. This study shows that nest defence behaviour differs consistently among individuals and is adjusted to individual state in a direction predicted by adaptive personality theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margje E de Jong
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Arctic Centre, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marion Nicolaus
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Science (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rienk W Fokkema
- Arctic Centre, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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7
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Zhang L, Liu J, Zhang H, Wan D, Liang W, Møller AP. Fight or flight: Geographic variation in antipredator defenses by cinereous tits. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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8
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Vincze E, Pipoly I, Seress G, Preiszner B, Papp S, Németh B, Liker A, Bókony V. Great tits take greater risk toward humans and sparrowhawks in urban habitats than in forests. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ernő Vincze
- MTA‐PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group University of Pannonia Veszprém Hungary
| | - Ivett Pipoly
- MTA‐PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group University of Pannonia Veszprém Hungary
| | - Gábor Seress
- Department of Limnology University of Pannonia Veszprém Hungary
| | - Bálint Preiszner
- Balaton Limnological Institute, Centre for Ecological Research Hungarian Academy of Sciences Tihany Hungary
| | - Sándor Papp
- Balaton Uplands National Park Directorate Csopak Hungary
| | - Brigitta Németh
- Centre of Environmental Sciences Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
| | - András Liker
- MTA‐PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group University of Pannonia Veszprém Hungary
- Department of Limnology University of Pannonia Veszprém Hungary
| | - Veronika Bókony
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest Hungary
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9
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Clermont J, Réale D, Lindsay MÈ, Giroux JF. Plasticity, state-dependency, and individual consistency in Canada goose nest defense behavior. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2681-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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10
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Merrill L, Baehl EM, Ripple KE, Benson TJ. Do Birds Alter Levels of Parental Investment Based on Nest-Site Habitat Features? Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Loren Merrill
- Illinois Natural History Survey; Prairie Research Institute; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Champaign IL USA
| | - Elizabeth M. Baehl
- Department of Animal Sciences; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana IL USA
| | - Kaitlyn E. Ripple
- Illinois Natural History Survey; Prairie Research Institute; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Champaign IL USA
| | - Thomas J. Benson
- Illinois Natural History Survey; Prairie Research Institute; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Champaign IL USA
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Morrell N, Johnson K, Tarwater C, Arcese P. Nest defense and parental investment in Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia). CAN J ZOOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2016-0042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Individual variation in nest defense behaviour is common in altricial birds, but despite clear predictions about why such variation exists, there is no consensus on its causes. We tested for an influence of five predictors of individual variation in nest defense behaviour, including time of season, offspring age, parental age and sex, and clutch size in a well-studied Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia (A. Wilson, 1810)) population. We recorded parental responses to a standardized human approach and used model selection to assess support for each predictor. Parents tended to approach observers less closely and alarm-call less as the breeding season progressed, indicating a modest seasonal decline in parental nest defense, which is consistent with the hypothesis that the reproductive value of offspring influenced parental defense behaviour. Clutch size effect estimates were insignificant, but it was weakly supported as a predictor of nest defense, which is expected if parental investment in defense and current reproductive effort are positively related. Offspring age, as well as parental age and sex, received little or no support as affecting parent nest defense. Our results offer limited support for the hypothesis that the reproductive value of offspring affects parental nest defense.
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Affiliation(s)
- N. Morrell
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, The University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - K.M. Johnson
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, The University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - C.E. Tarwater
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Biological Science Building, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - P. Arcese
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, The University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Mahr K, Riegler G, Hoi H. Parental risk management in relation to offspring defence: bad news for kids. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20141670. [PMID: 25392467 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.1670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Do parents defend their offspring whenever necessary, and do self-sacrificing parents really exist? Studies recognized that parent defence is dynamic, mainly depending on the threat predators pose. In this context, parental risk management should consider the threat to themselves and to their offspring. Consequently, the observed defence should be a composite of both risk components. Surprisingly, no study so far has determined the influence of these two threat components on parental decision rules. In a field experiment, we investigated parental risk taking in relation to the threat posed to themselves and their offspring. To disentangle the two threat components, we examined defence behaviours of parent blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus towards three different predators and during different nestling developmental stages. Nest defence strategies in terms of alarm call intensity and nearest predator approach differed between the three predators. Defence intensity was only partly explained by threat level. Most importantly, parental risk management varied in relation to their own, but not offspring risk. Parent defence investment was independent of nestling risk when parents followed a high-risk strategy. However, parents considered nestling as well as parental risk when following a low-risk strategy. Our findings could have general implications for the economy of risk management and decision-making strategies in living beings, including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Mahr
- Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstrasse 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Georg Riegler
- Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstrasse 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Herbert Hoi
- Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstrasse 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
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Koboroff A, Kaplan G, Rogers L. Clever strategists: Australian Magpies vary mobbing strategies, not intensity, relative to different species of predator. PeerJ 2013; 1:e56. [PMID: 23638394 PMCID: PMC3628829 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 03/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Anti-predator behaviour of magpies was investigated, using five species of model predators, at times of raising offspring. We predicted differences in mobbing strategies for each predator presented and also that raising juveniles would affect intensity of the mobbing event. Fourteen permanent resident family groups were tested using 5 different types of predator (avian and reptilian) known to be of varying degrees of risk to magpies and common in their habitat. In all, 210 trials were conducted (across three different stages of juvenile development). We found that the stage of juvenile development did not alter mobbing behaviour significantly, but predator type did. Aerial strategies (such as swooping) were elicited by taxidermic models of raptors, whereas a taxidermic model of a monitor lizard was approached on the ground and a model snake was rarely approached. Swooping patterns also changed according to which of the three raptors was presented. Our results show that, in contrast to findings in other species, magpies vary mobbing strategy depending on the predator rather than varying mobbing intensity.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Koboroff
- Centre for Neuroscience and Animal Behaviour, University of New England , Australia
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Abstract
The role of past investment in parental-care behaviour has often been controversial. Some researchers have argued that organisms basing present investment on past investment are committing the 'Concorde fallacy'. Others have incorporated life history theory to suggest that investing according to past investment is one component of investing according to expected future reproductive success: a parent can use past investment as well as other information, such as brood size, to make its optimal parental-investment decisions. Although parental-investment research is still in its infancy, the incorporation of life history theory suggests that the Concorde fallacy is a misleading concept.
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Svagelj WS, Magdalena Trivellini M, Quintana F. Parental Investment Theory and Nest Defence by Imperial Shags: Effects of Offspring Number, Offspring Age, Laying Date and Parent Sex. Ethology 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2011.02003.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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18
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Curio E, Regelmann K. The Behavioural Dynamics of Great Tits (Parus major) Approaching a Predator. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1985.tb00752.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Ukegbu AA, Huntingford FA. Brood Value and Life Expectancy as Determinants of Parental Investment in Male Three-spined Sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus. Ethology 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1988.tb00220.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Klump GM, Shalter MD. Acoustic Behaviour of Birds and Mammals in the Predator Context; I. Factors Affecting the Structure of Alarm Signals. II. The Functional Significance and Evolution of Alarm Signals. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1984.tb01365.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 228] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Lubjuhn T, Gerken T, Brün J, Schmoll T. Yearling male great tits, Parus major, suffer more strongly from cuckoldry than older males. ZOOLOGY 2007; 110:387-97. [PMID: 17888642 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2007.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2007] [Revised: 06/22/2007] [Accepted: 07/11/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
In the majority of socially monogamous bird species, females have offspring sired by males other than their social mate as the result of extra-pair copulations. While it is widely recognised that there is considerable variation in the frequency of extra-pair paternity between species, between populations of a species and between individuals of a population, determinants of this variation are surprisingly difficult to establish. With respect to individual variation within a population, it is an important step to test for male and female correlates of cuckoldry to better understand the patterns as well as the adaptive significance of extra-pair mating behaviour. Here, we analysed patterns of extra-pair paternity in relation to male age, female age and their interaction in the great tit Parus major, a socially monogamous passerine with a moderate frequency of extra-pair paternity. Based on a large sample of 316 genotyped first broods from five successive years, we failed to demonstrate interaction effects of male and female age on both the proportion of extra-pair offspring and the likelihood that at least one extra-pair offspring is present within a brood. However, both the proportion of extra-pair offspring and the likelihood of paternity loss were higher for yearling as compared to older males, while this was not the case for yearling vs. older females. Furthermore, the proportion of extra-pair offspring within a brood decreased with increasing age of the attending male in within-individual analyses. We found a comparable effect also for attending females in within-individual analyses, but only when excluding two individuals with 100% extra-pair paternity. A female (extra-pair) mating preference for older males and/or a limited ability of yearling males to prevent cuckoldry in their broods could explain these age-related patterns of paternity loss. Effect sizes, however, were not particularly large and substantial residual variation within age categories suggests the importance of further yet unidentified determinants of variation in paternity loss in the study population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Lubjuhn
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 1, D-53121, Bonn, Germany.
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Dawson RD, Bortolotti GR. Parental effort of American kestrels: the role of variation in brood size. CAN J ZOOL 2003. [DOI: 10.1139/z03-064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Brood size has the potential to determine the allocation of resources between parents and offspring, as well as influence the relative contributions of each sex to parental effort. However, it is unclear whether brood size is the proximate determinant of parental effort, or conversely whether parental effort is the proximate factor to which brood size is adjusted. If brood size determines parental effort, then theory suggests that parental effort should vary with experimental changes in brood size. In contrast, if parental effort determines brood size, then parental effort is expected to be independent of experimental variation in brood size. To distinguish between these hypotheses, we experimentally reduced brood sizes of American kestrels (Falco sparverius). Our results suggest that male parents responded to brood-size variation and adjusted their provisioning behaviour accordingly. Conversely, female parents did not adjust provisioning in response to brood size, and as a result, offspring in reduced broods received more food on a per-nestling basis. However, condition and survival of offspring were similar in reduced broods and control young, which may have been the result of larger food requirements of small broods, owing to increased thermoregulatory costs compared with control broods. Female parents with reduced broods also did not brood offspring more often, further suggesting that females do not respond to variation in brood size. We conclude that the proximate determinants of parental effort are sex-specific in American kestrels: for males, brood size determines behaviour, whereas for females, behaviour may be a proximate factor determining brood size.
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Carrillo J, Aparicio JM. Nest Defence Behaviour of the Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) Against Human Predators. Ethology 2001. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1439-0310.2001.00718.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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26
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Veen T, Richardson DS, Blaakmeer K, Komdeur J. Experimental evidence for innate predator recognition in the Seychelles warbler. Proc Biol Sci 2000; 267:2253-8. [PMID: 11413640 PMCID: PMC1690806 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2000.1276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nest predation is a major determinant of fitness in birds and costly nest defence behaviours have evolved in order to reduce nest predation. Some avian studies have suggested that predator recognition is innate whereas others have stressed the importance of learning. However, none of these studies controlled for the genetic origin of the populations investigated and the effect of unfamiliarity with the predator. Here we determined whether experience with a nest predator is a prerequisite for nest defence by comparing predator recognition responses between two isolated but genetically similar Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis) populations, only one of which had experience of the egg predating Seychelles fody (Foudia sechellarum). Individuals in the predator-free population significantly reduced nest guarding compared to individuals in the population with the predator, which indicates that this behaviour was adjusted to the presence of nest predators. However, recognition responses (measured as both alarm call and attack rates) towards a mounted model of the fody were equally strong in both populations and significantly higher than the responses towards either a mounted familiar non-predator and a mounted, novel, non-predator bird species. Responses did not differ with a warbler's age and experience with the egg predator, indicating that predator recognition is innate.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Veen
- Zoological Laboratory, University of Groningen, PO Box 14, 9750 AA Haren, The Netherlands
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27
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Lambrechts MM, Prieur B, Caizergues A, Dehorter O, Galan MJ, Perret P. Risk-taking restraints in a bird with reduced egg-hatching success. Proc Biol Sci 2000; 267:333-8. [PMID: 10722213 PMCID: PMC1690538 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2000.1005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Risk taking, as is any other phenotypic and/or behavioural trait, is determined by proximate constraints related to time or resource availability and by evolutionary adaptive restraints related to the differences in the costs of risk taking and its benefits in terms of fitness. Because risk taking is influenced by many confounding variables related to experimental design, environment, parents and offspring, few field studies have been reported which unambiguously separate the effects of restraints from those of constraints. We compared parental risk taking in blue tits (Parus caeruleus) during brood defence towards a nest predator in broods with experimentally reduced and natural egg-hatching success leaving the original number of eggs in the nest. The experimentally reduced broods had more time or resources available and lower risk-taking benefits compared to the control broods. 'Constraint' would predict more risk taking in broods having experimentally reduced egg-hatching success, whereas 'restraint' would predict the opposite effect with more risk taking in broods with natural egg-hatching success. We report, to our knowledge, the first field study experimentally demonstrating a brood defence restraint in response to reduced egg-hatching success. This demonstration was only possible after controlling for more than 20 potential confounding variables showing once more how complicated it is to separate proximate from evolutionary levels of analyses in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Lambrechts
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientific--Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Montpellier, France.
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Dewsbury DA. The proximate and the ultimate: past, present, and future. Behav Processes 1999; 46:189-99. [DOI: 10.1016/s0376-6357(99)00035-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/1998] [Revised: 03/22/1999] [Accepted: 03/22/1999] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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29
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Forbes MRL, Clark RG, Weatherhead PJ, Armstrong T. Risk-taking by female ducks: intra- and interspecific tests of nest defense theory. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 1994. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00164178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Conrad KF, Robertson RJ. Intraseasonal effects of clutch manipulation on parental provisioning and residual reproductive value of eastern phoebes (Sayornis phoebe). Oecologia 1992; 89:356-364. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00317413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/1991] [Accepted: 09/16/1991] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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32
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33
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34
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35
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Weatherhead PJ, Mcrae SB. Brood care in American robins: Implications for mixed reproductive strategies by females. Anim Behav 1990. [DOI: 10.1016/s0003-3472(05)80790-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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36
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37
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Redondo T, Carranza J. Offspring reproductive value and nest defense in the magpie (Pica pica). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 1989. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00302995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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38
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Nest defence by song sparrows: methodological and life history considerations. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 1989. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00302929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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39
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40
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41
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Lazarus J, Inglis I. Shared and unshared parental investment, parent-offspring conflict and brood size. Anim Behav 1986. [DOI: 10.1016/s0003-3472(86)80265-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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42
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Regelmann K, Curio E. Why do great tit (Parus major) males defend their brood more than females do? Anim Behav 1986. [DOI: 10.1016/s0003-3472(86)80180-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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43
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44
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Archer J. Animal sociobiology and comparative psychology: A review. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 1986. [DOI: 10.1007/bf02686596] [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]
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45
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Curio E, Regelmann K, Zimmermann U. Brood defence in the great tit (Parus major): the influence of life-history and habitat. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 1985. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00310991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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