虎纹伯劳的巢生境选择与繁殖行为

2005年3~7月通过焦点动物取样法(focal animal sampling)和完全记录法(all-occur rencerecording)对四川南充地区虎纹伯劳的繁殖行为进行了研究。结果表明,虎纹伯劳喜在5~12m的高大阔叶乔木的冠部分叉处营巢。对15个巢址主成分分析表明,前5个主成分特征值均大于1,累积贡献率高达83.15%,说明前5个主成分已经基本包含了所有参数的总信息量。4月下旬开始陆续有虎纹伯劳迁到,初到时并未配对。5月上旬开始出现求偶行为,并伴有递食行为。5月中旬首次见到营巢,两性参与营巢,营巢期5~7d。营巢结束一两天后开始产卵,一天一枚,窝卵数4~6枚。营巢期和产卵期都有求偶和交配行为。产完最后1枚卵后即开始由雌鸟单独孵卵,孵卵期13~14d。两性育雏,育雏期13~15d。     

Lateral hypothalamic neuronal ensembles regulate pre-sleep nest-building behavior

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年龄对小家鼠筑巢的影响

为研究不同年龄组小家鼠筑巢能力的差异,分别采用24-h等级法和连续4d巢材获取重量法,对幼年组、亚成年组、成年组小家鼠筑巢能力进行了测定。结果表明:1)小家鼠在亚成年期已具备较强的筑巢能力;2)成年组与亚成年组小家鼠能够快速完成筑巢,24h即可筑成稳定的杯状巢,而幼年组未能筑成稳定巢;3)小家鼠雄性与雌性筑巢能力相当;4)连续4d巢材获取重量表现为成年组>亚成年组,这与两组间身体大小有关,而4d后两组间筑巢等级无显著差异。研究结果提示,不同年龄组的小家鼠均有较强的筑巢需求,筑巢能力基本形成于亚成年期。     

苍鹭营巢习性的初步观察

2000年3－4月在辽宁省凌源市对苍鹭的营巢习性进行观察表明：苍鹭在营巢过程中雄性外出取材,雌性筑巢,营巢期6－9天;雄性取材次数随着营巢天数的增加而增多,每日取材次数有两个高峰期,即上午7－9时、下午3－5时;巢平均值为外径50cm,内径29．2cm,巢高24cm,巢深11cm,巢材主要为树木枯枝。     

Nesting, courtship and kidney hypertrophy in Schistocephalus-infected male three-spined stickleback from an upland lake

The effect of Schistocephalus solidus infection on reproductive development and behaviour of male three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus from an upland lake (Llyn Frongoch, Wales, U.K.) was investigated. Uninfected and infected males were collected on two separate occasions during the 2005 breeding season and encouraged to build nests under favourable laboratory conditions. Male nuptial colouration, courtship levels and nesting activity were recorded daily over two separate 21 day studies. Completed nests were removed, encouraging males to build multiple nests. On termination of each study, males were dissected and the kidney and any S. solidus plerocercoids were removed and weighed. In contrast to uninfected males, which readily built multiple nests, no infected males completed a nest during either study. Infected males also exhibited significantly reduced courtship levels, nesting activity, nuptial colouration, kidney development and body condition, compared with uninfected fish. Among infected three-spined stickleback, courtship and nesting behaviours tended to be more severely impacted in fish harbouring heavier plerocercoid burdens. In contrast to other populations, male three-spined stickleback from Llyn Frongoch appear to be unable to overcome the negative impacts of infections on reproductive development and behaviour when provided with short-term favourable conditions. Discrepancies between populations might have been related to the trophic status at the site of capture, emphasizing the importance of studying the biological effects of infections under different environmental conditions.     

The biology of the mud-wasp Zeta abdominale (Drury) (Hymenoptera: Eumenidae)

The adult female nesting behaviour and biology of the neotropical mud-wasp Zeta abdominale (Drury) was studied in Jamaica. The cell-building behaviour was generally similar to that of Eumenes, but Zeta closed the apical funnel of the cell by moistening and re-moulding it into a plug. Each nest was built by a solitary female, who often built several small, mostly one-celled nests. Females efficiently used mud in cell-building, and small nests were advantageous, in needing less mud per cell and incurring a lower rate of predation than larger nests. Cellwall construction and provisioning were each completed in < 3 h, but a long pause between these activities, probably for feeding, delayed cell completion to 2.33 ± 1.0 days.
The number of active nesting females during a 10-h cycle was influenced by the time of day and weather. A relatively dense population had about 6.4 females ha^-1, whose age distribution, longevity and fecundity were estimated.     

How to quantify embryo survival in nest-building fishes, exemplified with three-spined sticklebacks

Egg survival in manipulated nests of three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus in the field was not significantly different from that in unmanipulated nests.