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Vriend SJG, Grøtan V, Gamelon M, Adriaensen F, Ahola MP, Álvarez E, Bailey LD, Barba E, Bouvier JC, Burgess MD, Bushuev A, Camacho C, Canal D, Charmantier A, Cole EF, Cusimano C, Doligez BF, Drobniak SM, Dubiec A, Eens M, Eeva T, Erikstad KE, Ferns PN, Goodenough AE, Hartley IR, Hinsley SA, Ivankina E, Juškaitis R, Kempenaers B, Kerimov AB, Kålås JA, Lavigne C, Leivits A, Mainwaring MC, Martínez-Padilla J, Matthysen E, van Oers K, Orell M, Pinxten R, Reiertsen TK, Rytkönen S, Senar JC, Sheldon BC, Sorace A, Török J, Vatka E, Visser ME, Saether BE. Temperature synchronizes temporal variation in laying dates across European hole-nesting passerines. Ecology 2023; 104:e3908. [PMID: 36314902 PMCID: PMC10078612 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Identifying the environmental drivers of variation in fitness-related traits is a central objective in ecology and evolutionary biology. Temporal fluctuations of these environmental drivers are often synchronized at large spatial scales. Yet, whether synchronous environmental conditions can generate spatial synchrony in fitness-related trait values (i.e., correlated temporal trait fluctuations across populations) is poorly understood. Using data from long-term monitored populations of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus, n = 31), great tits (Parus major, n = 35), and pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca, n = 20) across Europe, we assessed the influence of two local climatic variables (mean temperature and mean precipitation in February-May) on spatial synchrony in three fitness-related traits: laying date, clutch size, and fledgling number. We found a high degree of spatial synchrony in laying date but a lower degree in clutch size and fledgling number for each species. Temperature strongly influenced spatial synchrony in laying date for resident blue tits and great tits but not for migratory pied flycatchers. This is a relevant finding in the context of environmental impacts on populations because spatial synchrony in fitness-related trait values among populations may influence fluctuations in vital rates or population abundances. If environmentally induced spatial synchrony in fitness-related traits increases the spatial synchrony in vital rates or population abundances, this will ultimately increase the risk of extinction for populations and species. Assessing how environmental conditions influence spatiotemporal variation in trait values improves our mechanistic understanding of environmental impacts on populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan J G Vriend
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Vidar Grøtan
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Marlène Gamelon
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Frank Adriaensen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Markus P Ahola
- Environmental Research and Monitoring, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elena Álvarez
- Ecology of Terrestrial Vertebrates, 'Cavanilles' Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Liam D Bailey
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V, Berlin, Germany
| | - Emilio Barba
- Ecology of Terrestrial Vertebrates, 'Cavanilles' Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Malcolm D Burgess
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Sandy, UK.,Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Andrey Bushuev
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Carlos Camacho
- Department of Biological Conservation and Ecosystem Restoration, Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC), Jaca, Spain
| | - David Canal
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | | | - Ella F Cole
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Blandine F Doligez
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France.,Department of Ecology and Genetics/Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Szymon M Drobniak
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.,Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Anna Dubiec
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioural Ecology & Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Tapio Eeva
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Kevo Subarctic Research Institute, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Kjell Einar Erikstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Peter N Ferns
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Anne E Goodenough
- School of Natural and Social Sciences, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, UK
| | - Ian R Hartley
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | | | - Elena Ivankina
- Zvenigorod Biological Station, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Anvar B Kerimov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - John Atle Kålås
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Claire Lavigne
- INRAE, Plantes et Systèmes de culture Horticoles, Avignon, France
| | - Agu Leivits
- Department of Nature Conservation, Environmental Board, Saarde, Estonia
| | | | - Jesús Martínez-Padilla
- Department of Biological Conservation and Ecosystem Restoration, Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC), Jaca, Spain
| | - Erik Matthysen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Kees van Oers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Markku Orell
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Rianne Pinxten
- Research Group Didactica, Antwerp School of Education, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Tone Kristin Reiertsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Seppo Rytkönen
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Juan Carlos Senar
- Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology Research Unit, Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alberto Sorace
- Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Rome, Italy
| | - János Török
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest, Hungary
| | - Emma Vatka
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Ecological Genetics Research Unit, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bernt-Erik Saether
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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2
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Bailey LD, van de Pol M, Adriaensen F, Arct A, Barba E, Bellamy PE, Bonamour S, Bouvier JC, Burgess MD, Charmantier A, Cusimano C, Doligez B, Drobniak SM, Dubiec A, Eens M, Eeva T, Ferns PN, Goodenough AE, Hartley IR, Hinsley SA, Ivankina E, Juškaitis R, Kempenaers B, Kerimov AB, Lavigne C, Leivits A, Mainwaring MC, Matthysen E, Nilsson JÅ, Orell M, Rytkönen S, Senar JC, Sheldon BC, Sorace A, Stenning MJ, Török J, van Oers K, Vatka E, Vriend SJG, Visser ME. Bird populations most exposed to climate change are less sensitive to climatic variation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2112. [PMID: 35440555 PMCID: PMC9018789 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29635-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The phenology of many species shows strong sensitivity to climate change; however, with few large scale intra-specific studies it is unclear how such sensitivity varies over a species' range. We document large intra-specific variation in phenological sensitivity to temperature using laying date information from 67 populations of two co-familial European songbirds, the great tit (Parus major) and blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), covering a large part of their breeding range. Populations inhabiting deciduous habitats showed stronger phenological sensitivity than those in evergreen and mixed habitats. However, populations with higher sensitivity tended to have experienced less rapid change in climate over the past decades, such that populations with high phenological sensitivity will not necessarily exhibit the strongest phenological advancement. Our results show that to effectively assess the impact of climate change on phenology across a species' range it will be necessary to account for intra-specific variation in phenological sensitivity, climate change exposure, and the ecological characteristics of a population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam D Bailey
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands. .,Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Berlin, Germany.
| | - Martijn van de Pol
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands.,College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Frank Adriaensen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, Universiteitsplein 1, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Aneta Arct
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Emilio Barba
- 'Cavanilles' Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Paul E Bellamy
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, UK
| | - Suzanne Bonamour
- Sorbonne Université, Centre d'Écologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (UMR 7204), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | | | - Malcolm D Burgess
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, UK.,Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Anne Charmantier
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Blandine Doligez
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, CNRS UMR 5558, University of Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Szymon M Drobniak
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.,Ecology & Evolution Research Centre; School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Anna Dubiec
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa, Poland
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioural Ecology & Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Tapio Eeva
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Kevo Subarctic Research Institute, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Peter N Ferns
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Anne E Goodenough
- School of Natural and Social Sciences, Francis Close Hall, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, UK
| | - Ian R Hartley
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | | | - Elena Ivankina
- Zvenigorod Biological Station, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Anvar B Kerimov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Claire Lavigne
- INRAE, PSH, Plantes et Systèmes de culture Horticoles, Avignon, France
| | - Agu Leivits
- Department of Nature Conservation, Environmental Board, Tallinn, Estonia
| | | | - Erik Matthysen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, Universiteitsplein 1, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jan-Åke Nilsson
- Evolutionary Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden
| | - Markku Orell
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Seppo Rytkönen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Juan Carlos Senar
- Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology Research Unit, Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Martyn J Stenning
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Sussex, East Sussex, UK
| | - János Török
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Kees van Oers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Emma Vatka
- Ecological Genetics Research Unit, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Stefan J G Vriend
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
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3
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Culina A, Adriaensen F, Bailey LD, Burgess MD, Charmantier A, Cole EF, Eeva T, Matthysen E, Nater CR, Sheldon BC, Sæther B, Vriend SJG, Zajkova Z, Adamík P, Aplin LM, Angulo E, Artemyev A, Barba E, Barišić S, Belda E, Bilgin CC, Bleu J, Both C, Bouwhuis S, Branston CJ, Broggi J, Burke T, Bushuev A, Camacho C, Campobello D, Canal D, Cantarero A, Caro SP, Cauchoix M, Chaine A, Cichoń M, Ćiković D, Cusimano CA, Deimel C, Dhondt AA, Dingemanse NJ, Doligez B, Dominoni DM, Doutrelant C, Drobniak SM, Dubiec A, Eens M, Einar Erikstad K, Espín S, Farine DR, Figuerola J, Kavak Gülbeyaz P, Grégoire A, Hartley IR, Hau M, Hegyi G, Hille S, Hinde CA, Holtmann B, Ilyina T, Isaksson C, Iserbyt A, Ivankina E, Kania W, Kempenaers B, Kerimov A, Komdeur J, Korsten P, Král M, Krist M, Lambrechts M, Lara CE, Leivits A, Liker A, Lodjak J, Mägi M, Mainwaring MC, Mänd R, Massa B, Massemin S, Martínez‐Padilla J, Mazgajski TD, Mennerat A, Moreno J, Mouchet A, Nakagawa S, Nilsson J, Nilsson JF, Cláudia Norte A, van Oers K, Orell M, Potti J, Quinn JL, Réale D, Kristin Reiertsen T, Rosivall B, Russell AF, Rytkönen S, Sánchez‐Virosta P, Santos ESA, Schroeder J, Senar JC, Seress G, Slagsvold T, Szulkin M, Teplitsky C, Tilgar V, Tolstoguzov A, Török J, Valcu M, Vatka E, Verhulst S, Watson H, Yuta T, Zamora‐Marín JM, Visser ME. Connecting the data landscape of long-term ecological studies: The SPI-Birds data hub. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2147-2160. [PMID: 33205462 PMCID: PMC8518542 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The integration and synthesis of the data in different areas of science is drastically slowed and hindered by a lack of standards and networking programmes. Long-term studies of individually marked animals are not an exception. These studies are especially important as instrumental for understanding evolutionary and ecological processes in the wild. Furthermore, their number and global distribution provides a unique opportunity to assess the generality of patterns and to address broad-scale global issues (e.g. climate change). To solve data integration issues and enable a new scale of ecological and evolutionary research based on long-term studies of birds, we have created the SPI-Birds Network and Database (www.spibirds.org)-a large-scale initiative that connects data from, and researchers working on, studies of wild populations of individually recognizable (usually ringed) birds. Within year and a half since the establishment, SPI-Birds has recruited over 120 members, and currently hosts data on almost 1.5 million individual birds collected in 80 populations over 2,000 cumulative years, and counting. SPI-Birds acts as a data hub and a catalogue of studied populations. It prevents data loss, secures easy data finding, use and integration and thus facilitates collaboration and synthesis. We provide community-derived data and meta-data standards and improve data integrity guided by the principles of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR), and aligned with the existing metadata languages (e.g. ecological meta-data language). The encouraging community involvement stems from SPI-Bird's decentralized approach: research groups retain full control over data use and their way of data management, while SPI-Birds creates tailored pipelines to convert each unique data format into a standard format. We outline the lessons learned, so that other communities (e.g. those working on other taxa) can adapt our successful model. Creating community-specific hubs (such as ours, COMADRE for animal demography, etc.) will aid much-needed large-scale ecological data integration.
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Vatka E, Orell M, Rytkönen S, Merilä J. Effects of ambient temperatures on evolutionary potential of reproductive timing in boreal passerines. J Anim Ecol 2020; 90:367-375. [PMID: 33090475 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Many populations need to adapt to changing environmental conditions, such as warming climate. Changing conditions generate directional selection for traits critical for fitness. For evolutionary responses to occur, these traits need to be heritable. However, changes in environmental conditions can alter the amount of heritable variation a population expresses, making predictions about expected responses difficult. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of ambient temperatures on evolutionary potential and strength of natural selection on the timing of reproduction in two passerine birds breeding in boreal forests. Long-term data on individually marked Willow Tits Poecile montanus (1975-2018) and Great Tits Parus major (1969-2018) were analysed with random regression animal models to assess if spring temperatures affect the expressed amount of additive genetic variation (VA ) and heritability (h2 ) in the timing of breeding. We assessed if ambient temperatures of different seasons influenced the direction and strength of selection on breeding time. We also evaluated if the strength of selection covaried with evolutionary potential. Levels of VA or h2 expressed in laying date were unaffected by spring temperatures in both study species. Selection for earlier breeding was found in the Willow Tit, but not in the Great Tit. In the Willow Tit, selection for earlier breeding was more intense when the temperatures of following autumns and winters were low. Different measures of evolutionary potential did not covary strongly with the strength of selection in either species. We conclude that there is no or little evidence that climate warming would either constrain or promote evolutionary potential in timing of breeding through changes in amount of genetic variance expressed in boreal Willow and Great Tits. However, selection on the timing of breeding, a life-history event taking place in springtime, is regulated by temperatures of autumns and winters. Rapid warming of these periods have thus potential to reduce the rate of expected evolutionary response in reproductive timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Vatka
- Ecological Genetics Research Unit, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Markku Orell
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Seppo Rytkönen
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Juha Merilä
- Ecological Genetics Research Unit, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Division of Ecology & Biodiversity, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
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Rytkönen S, Vesterinen EJ, Westerduin C, Leviäkangas T, Vatka E, Mutanen M, Välimäki P, Hukkanen M, Suokas M, Orell M. From feces to data: A metabarcoding method for analyzing consumed and available prey in a bird-insect food web. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:631-639. [PMID: 30680143 PMCID: PMC6342092 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Diets play a key role in understanding trophic interactions. Knowing the actual structure of food webs contributes greatly to our understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. The research of prey preferences of different predators requires knowledge not only of the prey consumed, but also of what is available. In this study, we applied DNA metabarcoding to analyze the diet of 4 bird species (willow tits Poecile montanus, Siberian tits Poecile cinctus, great tits Parus major and blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus) by using the feces of nestlings. The availability of their assumed prey (Lepidoptera) was determined from feces of larvae (frass) collected from the main foraging habitat, birch (Betula spp.) canopy. We identified 53 prey species from the nestling feces, of which 11 (21%) were also detected from the frass samples (eight lepidopterans). Approximately 80% of identified prey species in the nestling feces represented lepidopterans, which is in line with the earlier studies on the parids' diet. A subsequent laboratory experiment showed a threshold for fecal sample size and the barcoding success, suggesting that the smallest frass samples do not contain enough larval DNA to be detected by high-throughput sequencing. To summarize, we apply metabarcoding for the first time in a combined approach to identify available prey (through frass) and consumed prey (via nestling feces), expanding the scope and precision for future dietary studies on insectivorous birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seppo Rytkönen
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
| | - Eero J. Vesterinen
- Biodiversity UnitUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Spatial Foodweb Ecology GroupUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Coen Westerduin
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
| | | | - Emma Vatka
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
- Ecological Genetics Research UnitUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Marko Mutanen
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
| | - Panu Välimäki
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
| | - Markku Hukkanen
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
| | - Marko Suokas
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
| | - Markku Orell
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
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6
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Pakanen VM, Orell M, Vatka E, Rytkönen S, Broggi J. Different Ultimate Factors Define Timing of Breeding in Two Related Species. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0162643. [PMID: 27611971 PMCID: PMC5017718 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Correct reproductive timing is crucial for fitness. Breeding phenology even in similar species can differ due to different selective pressures on the timing of reproduction. These selection pressures define species' responses to warming springs. The temporal match-mismatch hypothesis suggests that timing of breeding in animals is selected to match with food availability (synchrony). Alternatively, time-dependent breeding success (the date hypothesis) can result from other seasonally deteriorating ecological conditions such as intra- or interspecific competition or predation. We studied the effects of two ultimate factors on the timing of breeding, synchrony and other time-dependent factors (time-dependence), in sympatric populations of two related forest-dwelling passerine species, the great tit (Parus major) and the willow tit (Poecile montanus) by modelling recruitment with long-term capture-recapture data. We hypothesized that these two factors have different relevance for fitness in these species. We found that local recruitment in both species showed quadratic relationships with both time-dependence and synchrony. However, the importance of these factors was markedly different between the studied species. Caterpillar food played a predominant role in predicting the timing of breeding of the great tit. In contrast, for the willow tit time-dependence modelled as timing in relation to conspecifics was more important for local recruitment than synchrony. High caterpillar biomass experienced during the pre- and post-fledging periods increased local recruitment of both species. These contrasting results confirm that these species experience different selective pressures upon the timing of breeding, and hence responses to climate change may differ. Detailed information about life-history strategies is required to understand the effects of climate change, even in closely related taxa. The temporal match-mismatch hypothesis should be extended to consider subsequent critical periods when food needs to be abundantly available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veli-Matti Pakanen
- Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, P. O. Box 3000, FIN-90014 University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Markku Orell
- Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, P. O. Box 3000, FIN-90014 University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Emma Vatka
- Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, P. O. Box 3000, FIN-90014 University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Seppo Rytkönen
- Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, P. O. Box 3000, FIN-90014 University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Juli Broggi
- Research Unit of Biodiversity, (UMIB, UO-CISC, PA). Ed. de Investigación 5ª C/ Gonzalo Gutiérrez Quirós s/n. 33600 Mieres, Spain
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Longmoor GK, Lange CH, Darvell H, Walker L, Rytkönen S, Vatka E, Hohtola E, Orell M, Smulders TV. Different Seasonal Patterns in Song System Volume in Willow Tits and Great Tits. Brain Behav Evol 2016; 87:265-74. [PMID: 27442125 DOI: 10.1159/000447114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In most species of seasonally breeding songbirds studied to date, the brain areas that control singing (i.e. the song control system, SCS) are larger during the breeding season than at other times of the year. In the family of titmice and chickadees (Paridae), one species, the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), shows the typical pattern of seasonal changes, while another species, the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), shows, at best, very reduced seasonal changes in the SCS. To test whether this pattern holds up in the two Parid lineages to which these two species belong, and to rule out that the differences in seasonal patterns observed were due to differences in geography or laboratory, we compared the seasonal patterns in two song system nuclei volumes (HVC and Area X) in willow tits (Poecile montanus), closely related to black-capped chickadees, and in great tits (Parus major), more closely related to blue tits, from the same area around Oulu, Finland. Both species had larger gonads in spring than during the rest of the year. Great tit males had a larger HVC in spring than at other times of the year, but their Area X did not change in size. Willow tits showed no seasonal change in HVC or Area X size, despite having much larger gonads in spring than the great tits. Our findings suggest that the song system of willow tits and their relatives may be involved in learning and producing nonsong social vocalizations. Since these vocalizations are used year-round, there may be a year-round demand on the song system. The great tit and blue tit HVC may change seasonally because the demand is only placed on the song system during the breeding season, since they only produce learned vocalizations during this time. We suggest that changes were not observed in Area X because its main role is in song learning, and there is evidence that great tits do not learn new songs after their first year of life. Further study is required to determine whether our hypothesis about the role of the song system in the learned, nonsong vocalizations of the willow tit and chickadee is correct, and to test our hypothesis about the role of Area X in the great tit song system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia K Longmoor
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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Vatka E, Orell M, Rytkönen S. The relevance of food peak architecture in trophic interactions. Glob Chang Biol 2016; 22:1585-1594. [PMID: 26527602 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2015] [Revised: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 10/22/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Phenological shifts and associated changes in the temporal match between trophic levels have been a major focus of the study of ecological consequences of climate change. Previously, the food peak has been thought to respond as an entity to warming temperatures. However, food peak architecture, that is, timings and abundances of prey species and the level of synchrony between them, determines the timing and shape of the food peak. We demonstrate this with a case example of three passerine prey species and their predator. We explored temporal trends in the timing, height, width, and peakedness of prey availabilities and explained their variation with food peak architecture and ambient temperatures of prebreeding and breeding seasons. We found a temporal match between the predator's breeding schedule and food availability. Temporal trends in the timing of the food peak or in the synchrony between the prey species were not found. However, the food peak has become wider and more peaked over time. With more peaked food availabilities, predator's breeding success will depend more on the temporal match between its breeding schedule and the food peak, ultimately affecting the timing of breeding in the predator population. The height and width of the food peak depended on the abundances and breeding season lengths of individual prey species and their reciprocal synchronies. Peakednesses of separate prey species' availability distributions alone explained the peakedness of the food peak. Timing and quantity of food production were associated with temperatures of various time periods with variable relevance in different prey species. Alternating abundances of early and late breeding prey species caused high annual fluctuation in the timing of the food peak. Interestingly, the food peak may become later even when prey species' schedules are advanced. Climate warming can thus produce unexpected changes in the food availabilities, intervening in trophic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Vatka
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland
| | - Markku Orell
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland
| | - Seppo Rytkönen
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland
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Välimäki P, Kivelä SM, Raitanen J, Pakanen VM, Vatka E, Mäenpää MI, Keret N, Tammaru T. Larval melanism in a geometrid moth: promoted neither by a thermal nor seasonal adaptation but desiccating environments. J Anim Ecol 2015; 84:817-828. [PMID: 25581258 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2014] [Accepted: 12/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Spatiotemporal variation in the degree of melanism is often considered in the context of thermal adaptation, melanism being advantageous under suboptimal thermal conditions. Yet, other mutually nonexclusive explanations exist. Analysis of geographical patterns combined with laboratory experiments on the mechanisms of morph induction helps to unveil the adaptive value of particular cases of polyphenism. In the context of the thermal melanism hypothesis and seasonal adaptations, we explored an array of environmental factors that may affect the expression and performance of nonmelanic vs. melanic larval morphs in different latitudinal populations of the facultatively bivoltine moth Chiasmia clathrata (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). Geographical variation in larval coloration was independent of average temperatures experienced by the populations in the wild. The melanic morph was, however, more abundant in dry than in mesic habitats. In the laboratory, the melanic morph was induced especially under a high level of incident radiation but also at relatively high temperatures, but independently of photoperiod. Melanic larvae had higher growth rates and shorter development times than the nonmelanic ones when both temperature and the level of incident radiation were high. Our results that melanism is induced and advantageous in warm desiccating conditions contradict the thermal melanism hypothesis for this species. Neither has melanism evolved to compensate time constraints due to forthcoming autumn. Instead, larvae solve seasonal variation in the time available for growth by an elevated growth rate and a shortened larval period in the face of autumnal photoperiods. The phenotypic response to the level of incident radiation and a lack of adaptive adjustment of larval growth trajectories in univoltine populations underpin the role of deterministic environmental variation in the evolution of irreversible adaptive plasticity and seasonal polyphenism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panu Välimäki
- Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
| | - Sami M Kivelä
- Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
| | - Jani Raitanen
- Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
| | - Veli-Matti Pakanen
- Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
| | - Emma Vatka
- Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
| | - Maarit I Mäenpää
- Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
| | - Netta Keret
- Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
| | - Toomas Tammaru
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, Tartu, EE-51014, Estonia
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