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Sutton AO, Strickland D, Lachapelle J, Young RG, Hanner R, Brunton DF, Skevington JH, Freeman NE, Norris DR. Fecal DNA metabarcoding helps characterize the Canada jay's diet and confirms its reliance on stored food for winter survival and breeding. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300583. [PMID: 38656932 PMCID: PMC11042713 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Accurately determining the diet of wild animals can be challenging if food items are small, visible only briefly, or rendered visually unidentifiable in the digestive system. In some food caching species, an additional challenge is determining whether consumed diet items have been previously stored or are fresh. The Canada jay (Perisoreus canadensis) is a generalist resident of North American boreal and subalpine forests with anatomical and behavioural adaptations allowing it to make thousands of arboreal food caches in summer and fall that are presumably responsible for its high winter survival and late winter/early spring breeding. We used DNA fecal metabarcoding to obtain novel information on nestling diets and compiled a dataset of 662 published and unpublished direct observations or stomach contents identifications of natural foods consumed by Canada jays throughout the year. We then used detailed natural history information to make informed decisions on whether each item identified to species in the diets of winter adults and nestlings was best characterized as 'likely cached', 'likely fresh' (i.e., was available as a non-cached item when it appeared in a jay's feces or stomach), or 'either possible'. Of the 87 food items consumed by adults in the winter, 39% were classified as 'likely cached' and 6% were deemed to be 'likely fresh'. For nestlings, 29% of 125 food items identified to species were 'likely cached' and 38% were 'likely fresh'. Our results support both the indispensability of cached food for Canada jay winter survival and previous suggestions that cached food is important for late winter/early spring breeding. Our work highlights the value of combining metabarcoding, stomach contents analysis, and direct observations to determine the cached vs. non-cached origins of consumed food items and the identity of food caches, some of which could be especially vulnerable to degradation through climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex O. Sutton
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jacob Lachapelle
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert G. Young
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert Hanner
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daniel F. Brunton
- Beaty Centre for Species Discovery and Botany Section, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Nikole E. Freeman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
| | - D. Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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2
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Martin RJ, Dick MF, Sherry DF. Canada jays (Perisoreus canadensis) balance protein and energy targets simultaneously in both consumed and cached food. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2022; 266:111142. [PMID: 34990824 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.111142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Food scarce periods pose serious physiological challenges for birds, especially in energetically demanding conditions. For species in the northern hemisphere, a decrease in available resources during winter adds further physiological stress to the energetic demands of life at low temperatures. Some species cache food to provide a reliable energy and nutrient resource during scarcity. Canada Jays are a year-round food-caching resident of the North American boreal forest. Canada Jays also rear their young prior to spring green up, making food caching not only essential for adult winter survival, but also potentially important for meeting the requirements of growing offspring in late winter and early spring. We examined the diet choices of Canada Jays immediately prior to winter, and the macronutrient composition of the foods Canada Jay consumed and cached at this time. We found that Canada Jays cache the same relative amounts of macronutrients as they consume but did not vary macronutrients seasonally. The similarities in the macronutrient proportions cached and consumed suggest a consistent nutrient intake pattern, and that Canada Jays are foraging to simultaneously meet similar minimum energy and minimum protein targets for both the present and future. These simultaneous targets constrain the caching decisions of jays when presented with dietary choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Jeffrey Martin
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Advanced Facility for Avian Research, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Morag F Dick
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Advanced Facility for Avian Research, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
| | - David F Sherry
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Advanced Facility for Avian Research, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
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Fuirst M, McLeod J, Norris DR. Habitat preferences of adult Canada jays (Perisoreus canadensis) during the post-breeding period in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. CAN J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2021-0227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Habitat preferences in animals are often examined during the breeding period when individuals are easier to observe. However, habitat use may change once young become independent and if resource availability shifts with seasonality. While Canada jays (Perisoreus canadensis (Linneaeus, 1766)) in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario have been studied for several decades, there is no information on habitat use outside of the fall and late-winter nesting period, where they primarily used conifer forests. Using radio telemetry and resource selection functions comparing used versus available habitat, we estimated home-range size and habitat preferences of 12 adult Canada jays (n = 334) in the spring and summer. Mean (± s.d.) home-range size from minimum convex polygons was 84 (± 48 ha) and ranged from 35 - 201 ha. Canada jays strongly preferred forest-wetland edges, showed a weak preference for coniferous forests, a corresponding weak avoidance of shade-tolerant hardwood forests, and used mixed forest and wetlands in proportion to their availability. Our results suggest that, while adult Canada jays used multiple types of habitat during the post-breeding period, they also key into forest-wetland edges, likely to take advantage of emergent prey while remaining near forested areas to maximize protection from predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Fuirst
- University of Guelph, 3653, Integrative Biology, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joschka McLeod
- University of Guelph, 3653, Integrative Biology, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - D Ryan Norris
- University of Guelph, 3653, Integrative Biology, Guelph, Ontario, Canada,
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Swift K, Williams E, Marzluff J. An observational analysis of Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) foraging and caching ecology in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, USA. CAN J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2021-0053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Arctic and subarctic wildlife are among the most vulnerable species to climate change. Canada Jays (Perisoreus canadensis (Linnaeus, 1776)) are generalist residents of northern boreal forests and scatter-hoard food to insulate against food scarcity during winter. Unlike most scatter-hoarders, however, Canada Jays primarily cache perishable food, rendering their caches more susceptible to climate change induced degradation and loss. Here we use a mostly noninvasive approach to document Canada Jay foraging ecology among a population in interior Alaska, USA, including the types of food acquired, foraging and caching rates, and cache longevity and loss. We also tested for associations between foraging and caching rates with reproductive metrics to assess possible relationships among food and productivity. We found that Canada Jays have a varied diet that changed seasonally, and responded to a record-setting warm spring by directing foraging efforts away from cache recovery and towards the emergence of fresh food. We did not find evidence for relationships between foraging and caching rate with reproductive output, possibly owing to small sample sizes. We found that caches were recovered quickly (<4 weeks) and frequently lost to conspecific and heterospecific competitors. Our study suggests that Canada Jays may be better poised to respond to changes in cache integrity and food availability than has been previously recognized.
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Affiliation(s)
- K.N. Swift
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Box 352100, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - E.J. Williams
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - J.M. Marzluff
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Box 352100, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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Sonnenberg BR, Branch CL, Pitera AM, Benedict LM, Heinen VK, Pravosudov VV. Food-hoarding and nest-building propensities are associated in a cavity-nesting bird. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03114-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Quarrell NJ, Strickland D, Norris DR. Investigating factors that set the lower elevational limit of Canada Jays (Perisoreus canadensis) on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. CAN J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2021-0108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The biotic and abiotic factors responsible for determining ranges of most species are poorly understood. The Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis (Linnaeus, 1766)) relies on perishable cached food for over-winter survival and late-winter breeding and the persistence of cached food could be a driver of range limits. We confirmed that the Canada Jay’s lower elevational limit on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, matches that of the subalpine zone (900 m) and then conducted simulated caching experiments to examine the influence of antimicrobial properties of subalpine tree species (biotic) and of temperature (abiotic) on the preservation of cached food. We found that two high-elevation species, yellow cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis (D. Don) D.P. Little) and Amabilis fir (Abies amabilis Douglas ex J. Forbes), preserved cached blueberries and chicken flesh better than other trees, but they also occurred well below the lower limit of Canada Jays. The effect of temperature was similarly unclear; while food cached at 1150 m retained 17% more mass than food cached at 550 m, there was no difference in percent mass remaining of food placed 70 m above versus 120 m below the Canada Jay’s lower elevational limit. Thus, we were unable to provide definitive evidence that either of the proposed abiotic or biotic factors was responsible for setting thelower elevational limit of resident Canada Jays.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - D. Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
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Martin RJ, Sherry DF. Canada jays, Perisoreus canadensis, use multiple context-dependent cache protection strategies. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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Freeman NE, Norris DR, Sutton AO, Strickland D, Kyser TK, Newman AEM. Early-Life Corticosterone Body Condition Influence Social Status and Survival in a Food-Caching Passerine. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:9-19. [PMID: 34086914 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals undergo profound changes throughout their early life as they grow and transition between life-history stages. As a result, the conditions that individuals experience during development can have both immediate and lasting effects on their physiology, behavior, and, ultimately, fitness. In a population of Canada jays in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, we characterized the diet composition and physiological profile of young jays at three key time points during development (nestling, pre-fledge, and pre-dispersal) by quantifying stable-carbon (δ13C) and -nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes and corticosterone concentrations in feathers. We then investigated the downstream effects of early-life diet composition, feather corticosterone, and environmental conditions on a juvenile's social status, body condition, and probability of being observed in the fall following hatch. Across the three time points, the diet of Canada jay young was composed primarily of vertebrate tissue and human food with the proportion of these food items increasing as the jays neared dispersal. Feather corticosterone concentrations also shifted across the three time points, decreasing from nestling to pre-dispersal. Dominant juveniles had elevated corticosterone concentrations in their feathers grown pre-dispersal compared with subordinates. High body condition as nestlings was associated with high body condition as juveniles and an increased probability of being observed in the fall. Together, our results demonstrate that nestling physiology and body condition influence the social status and body condition once individuals are independent, with potential long-term consequences on survival and fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikole E Freeman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - D Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.,Nature Conservancy of Canada, 245 Eglington Avenue East, Toronto, ON M4P 3J1, Canada
| | - Alex O Sutton
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | | | - T Kurt Kyser
- Queen's Facility for Isotopic Research, Department of Geological Sciences, Queen's University, 99 University Avenue, Kingston, ON K2L 3N6, Canada
| | - Amy E M Newman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
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Sutton AO, Strickland D, Freeman NE, Norris DR. Environmental conditions modulate compensatory effects of site dependence in a food-caching passerine. Ecology 2020; 102:e03203. [PMID: 32970843 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Although density regulates the abundance of most wild animal populations by influencing vital rates, such as fecundity and survival, the mechanisms responsible for generating negative density dependence are unclear for many species. Site dependence occurs when there is preferential filling of high-quality territories, which results in higher per capita vital rates at low densities because a larger proportion of occupied territories are of high quality. Using 41 yr of territory occupancy and demographic data, we investigated whether site dependence was a mechanism acting to influence fecundity and, by extension, regulate a population of Canada Jays in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. As predicted by site dependence, the proportion of occupied territories that were of high quality was negatively correlated with population density and periods of vacancy were shorter for high-quality territories than for low-quality territories. We also found evidence that per capita fecundity was positively related to the proportion of occupied territories that were of high quality, but only when environmental conditions, which influence the entire population, were otherwise poor for breeding. Our results suggest that site dependence likely plays a role in regulating this population but that environmental conditions can modulate the strength of density dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex O Sutton
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Dan Strickland
- 1063 Oxtongue Lake Road, Dwight, Ontario, P0A 1H0, Canada
| | - Nikole E Freeman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - D Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada.,Nature Conservancy of Canada, 245 Eglington Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario, M4P 3J1, Canada
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Freeman NE, Norris DR, Sutton AO, Newman AEM. Raising young with limited resources: supplementation improves body condition and advances fledging of Canada Jays. Ecology 2019; 101:e02909. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Revised: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nikole E. Freeman
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph 50 Stone Road East Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - D. Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph 50 Stone Road East Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
- Nature Conservancy of Canada 245 Eglington Avenue East Toronto Ontario M4P 3J1 Canada
| | - Alex O. Sutton
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph 50 Stone Road East Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Amy E. M. Newman
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph 50 Stone Road East Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
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Sutton AO, Strickland D, Freeman NE, Newman AEM, Norris DR. Autumn freeze-thaw events carry over to depress late-winter reproductive performance in Canada jays. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:181754. [PMID: 31183119 PMCID: PMC6502392 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Evidence suggests that range-edge populations are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, but few studies have examined the specific mechanisms that are driving observed declines. Species that store perishable food for extended periods of time may be particularly susceptible to environmental change because shifts in climatic conditions could accelerate the natural degradation of their cached food. Here, we use 40 years of breeding data from a marked population of Canada jays (Perisoreus canadensis) located at the southern edge of their range in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, to examine whether climatic conditions prior to breeding carry over to influence reproductive performance. We found that multiple measures of Canada jay reproductive performance (brood size, nest success and nestling condition) in the late winter were negatively correlated with the number of freeze-thaw events the previous autumn. Our results suggest that freeze-thaw events have a significant detrimental impact on the quality and/or quantity of cached food available to Canada jays. Future increases in such events, caused by climate change, could pose a serious threat to Canada jays and other food caching species that store perishable foods for long periods of time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex O. Sutton
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaN1G 2W1
| | | | - Nikole E. Freeman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaN1G 2W1
| | - Amy E. M. Newman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaN1G 2W1
| | - D. Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaN1G 2W1
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