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1.
Spotless and European starlings (Sturnus unicolor and Sturnus vulgaris) have attracted attention from researchers interested in sexual selection, evolution of parental care and reproductive strategies. Both species show high levels of intraspecific nest parasitism and extra‐pair paternity, but research in this area is hampered by a lack of molecular markers specific for these species. Here, we describe a set of primers for nine microsatellite loci in spotless starlings, eight of which are highly polymorphic (7.37 alleles in average). These microsatellites are also polymorphic in European starlings (6.75 alleles in average). 相似文献
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Predation can be an important agent of natural selection shaping parental care behaviours, and can also favour behavioural plasticity. Parent birds often decrease the rate that they visit the nest to provision offspring when perceived risk is high. Yet, the plasticity of such responses may differ among species as a function of either their relative risk of predation, or the mean rate of provisioning. Here, we report parental provisioning responses to experimental increases in the perceived risk of predation. We tested responses of 10 species of bird in north temperate Arizona and subtropical Argentina that differed in their ambient risk of predation. All species decreased provisioning rates in response to the nest predator but not to a control. However, provisioning rates decreased more in species that had greater ambient risk of predation on natural nests. These results support theoretical predictions that the extent of plasticity of a trait that is sensitive to nest predation risk should vary among species in accordance with predation risk. 相似文献
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P. J. de la Cruz-Cardiel B. Deceuninck S. J. Peris J. A. Elena-Rosselló 《Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research》1997,35(2):75-79
This paper reports a genetic study of Sturnus vulgaris and S. unicolor (Sturnidae), two similar bird species which have recently become sympatric in north-eastern Spain. Seven enzyme systems (alcohol dehydrogenase, esterase, glutamate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, leucin aminopeptidase, L-lactate dehydrogenase and superoxide dismutase) were analyzed, resolving 22 presumed genetic loci with 28 alleles; 27 of them were found in both species. Gene flow was estimated to be number of migrants per generation (Nm) = 6, and genetic identities among populations were high, ranging from I = 0.96 to I = 0.99. On the whole, the results demonstrate that these Sturnus populations share a gene pool, showing slight genetic differences between the two starling speices. 相似文献
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ABSTRACT As tropical habitats continue to be cleared or degraded, obtaining basic information about the ecology of birds in intact habitats is essential for understanding their life histories. We studied the breeding biology of Orange‐breasted Trogons (Harpactes oreskios) and Red‐headed Trogons (H. erythrocephalus) in Khao Yai National Park in Thailand from 2003 to 2009. Nests were in excavated cavities in well‐rotted stumps or other tree parts. Mean cavity heights were 2.1 m (N= 19) for Orange‐breasted Trogons and 2.0 m (N= 49) for Red‐headed Trogons. Eggs were laid every other day. For Orange‐breasted Trogons, the mean clutch size was 2.4 ± 0.1 (SE) eggs (N= 17); incubation periods for two nests were 17 and 18 d, respectively, and the nestling period ranged from 12 to at least 14 d (N= 4). For Red‐headed Trogons, the mean clutch size was 2.6 ± 0.1 eggs (N= 48), the mean incubation period was 18 d (N= 9), and the mean nestling period was 13.4 d (N= 5). In both species, both males and females excavated nest sites, incubated eggs, and brooded and provisioned nestlings. Only females incubated and brooded at night, and males provisioned nestlings more than females. Breeding seasons lasted from January to March for Orange‐breasted Trogons, and from late February to July for Red‐headed Trogons. Mayfield estimates of nest success were 8% and 9% for Orange‐breasted and Red‐headed trogons, respectively. Unusual for cavity nesters, nest failure due to predation was high and nestling periods short. The low nesting success is typical of many other tropical species, but considerably lower than reported for some Neotropical trogons, possibly due to the unenclosed structure of the nests of these Asian trogons. 相似文献
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Harold F. Greeney Robert C. Dobbs Paul R. Martin Rudolphe A. Gelis 《Journal of Field Ornithology》2008,79(2):113-129
ABSTRACT Grallaria and Grallaricula antpittas are poorly known ground antbirds (Formicariidae), which reach their center of diversity in the tropical Andes region. Here we review published literature on the reproductive ecology of these two genera, summarizing and synthesizing the information. Nests have been described for 13 of the 31 species of Grallaria and four of the eight species of Grallaricula. For both genera, nests are open cups placed either against a strong support (e.g., tree trunks; Grallaria) or with multiple small supports (e.g., vine tangles; both genera). Nest lining is generally sparse, with nest cup composition ranging from humid material (e.g., moss) to primarily sticks and leaf material, depending on the species. Grallaria typically lay two bluish‐green to turquoise eggs, sometimes with spotting, whereas Grallaricula lay 1–2 eggs with heavy markings and pale brown or buffy (rarely light green) background coloration. For the few species where information is available, both male and female parents are believed to participate in building, incubation, and nestling provisioning, with high incubation attentiveness (often >90%, especially later in incubation), and incubation periods of 17–21 d (Grallaria) and 15–20 d (Grallaricula). Grallaria nestlings are frequently fed earthworms (Oligochaeta) in addition to a variety of arthropods. Nestlings have pale skin (Grallaria) or dark skin (both genera), with pale or dark down (Grallaria) or red‐brown down (Grallaricula). Nestlings in both genera usually have brilliant orange mouth linings and cloacas, and usually fledge 15–19 d post hatching. Rapid probing, where adults rapidly thrust their bills into the nest and lining, is commonly observed across species during incubation and nestling periods, but its function remains unknown. Overall, our knowledge of the breeding biology of antpittas has improved significantly in recent years. However, much remains to be learned for most species. 相似文献
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Joseph Mwangi Henry K. Ndithia Rosemarie Kentie Muchane Muchai B. Irene Tieleman 《Journal of avian biology》2018,49(8)
Nest survival is critical to breeding in birds and plays an important role in life‐history evolution and population dynamics. Studies evaluating the proximate factors involved in explaining nest survival and the resulting temporal patterns are biased in favor of temperate regions. Yet, such studies are especially pertinent to the tropics, where nest predation rates are typically high and environmental conditions often allow for year‐round breeding. To tease apart the effects of calendar month and year, population‐level breeding activity and environmental conditions, we studied nest survival over a 64‐month period in equatorial, year‐round breeding red‐capped larks Calandrella cinerea in Kenya. We show that daily nest survival rates varied with time, but not in a predictable seasonal fashion among months or consistently among years. We found negative influences of flying invertebrate biomass and rain on nest survival and higher survival of nests when nests were more abundant, which suggests that nest predation resulted from incidental predation. Although an increase in nest predation is often attributed to an increase in nest predators, we suggest that in our study, it may be caused by altered predator activity resulting from increased activity of the primary prey, invertebrates, rather than activity of the red‐capped larks. Our results emphasize the need to conduct more studies in Afro‐tropical regions because proximate mechanisms explaining nest predation can be different in the unpredictable and highly variable environments of the tropics compared with the relatively predictable seasonal changes found in temperate regions. Such studies will aid in better understanding of the environmental influences on life‐history variation and population dynamics in birds. 相似文献
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Human modification of habitats can reduce reproductive success by providing novel cues to which birds may respond with behaviors that are actually maladaptive in those environments. Ad libitum human‐provided foods may provide the perception that urban habitats are food‐rich even as natural food availability decreases. Similarly, human activity may increase the perception that predation risk is high even as natural predators may decrease in abundance. In response, birds may reduce parental care with a subsequent cost to successful reproduction. Florida Scrub‐Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) in suburban areas have lower nest success during the nestling period than do wildland jays, possibly the result of such maladaptive responses, but maybe because of ecological differences with wildlands. We manipulated adult perception of predation risk and the availability of nestling foods in suburban and wildland areas to determine if these factors influenced parental care and nestling begging, and if the behavioral responses of adults influence nest survival during the nestling stage. Experimentally increasing perception of predation risk reduced parental care by both suburban and wildland females, but did not influence care by males. Increasing food availability, but not predation risk, had little influence on parental care, but resulted in decreased nestling begging rates and an increase in the frequency (pitch) of begging calls in both habitats. However, neither parental care nor food availability influenced nest survival during the nestling stage. Instead, the presence of helpers was the most important variable in nest survival analyses, suggesting that habitat‐specific differences in nest survival during the nestling stage were not simply the result of maladaptive parental behavior or shortage of nestling food resources in the suburban habitat. The lack of helpers combined with ecological differences, such as the abundance of nest predators, may be why fewer nests of Florida Scrub‐Jays survive during this stage in suburban areas. 相似文献
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KAREL WEIDINGER 《Ibis》2009,151(2):352-360
I used time-lapse videotaping to identify predators of open songbird nests in fragmented deciduous woodland (nine plots, 2–10 ha each) in the Czech Republic from 2002 to 2006. I documented 22 species of predators at 171 nests of 13 species (mainly Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla , Song Thrush Turdus philomelos , Common Blackbird Turdus merula , Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella and Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs ). The main predators were Pine Marten Martes martes (37% of 178 predation events), Jay Garrulus glandarius (29%), Buzzard Buteo buteo (7%) and Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major (7%); mammals accounted for 48% of total predation. At least 3% of nests were depredated by multiple predators. In spite of their local abundance, Hooded Crows Corvus cornix did not present a serious threat for shrub nesting songbirds (< 1% of total predation). No predation by mice was recorded, suggesting that their importance has been overestimated in artificial nest studies. The proportional species composition of predators depended on which species occupied the monitored nest and location (study plot), but not on the year or the time of season. Corvids and raptors accounted for a relatively larger percentage of total predation of small ('warblers') and large ('thrushes') prey species, respectively, whereas carnivores were important predators of all prey species. Active nests of thrushes were only rarely robbed by Jays (< 4% of 52 events), presumably due to parental nest defence. Predation by woodpeckers was spatially clumped, probably due to individual foraging specialization. Predation by the other major predators was documented on most/all study plots. 相似文献
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Catherine M. Young Kristal E. Cain Nina Svedin Patricia R. Y. Backwell Sarah R. Pryke 《Ethology : formerly Zeitschrift fur Tierpsychologie》2017,123(1):41-50
In avian systems, nest predation is one of the most significant influences on reproductive success. Selection for mechanisms and behaviours to minimise predation rates should be favoured. To avoid predation, breeding birds can often deter predators through active nest defence or by modifying behaviours around the nest (e.g. reducing feeding rates and vocalisations). Birds might also benefit from concealing nests or placing them in inaccessible locations. The relative importance of these strategies (behaviour vs. site selection) can be difficult to disentangle and may differ according to life history. Tropical birds are thought to experience higher rates of predation than temperate birds and invest less energy in nest defence. We monitored a population of crimson finches (Neochmia phaeton), in the Australian tropics, over two breeding seasons. We found no relationship between adult nest defence behaviour (towards a model reptile predator) and the likelihood of nest success. However, nest success was strongly related to the visibility of the nest and the structure of the vegetation. We found no evidence that adult nest building decisions were influenced by predation risk; individuals that re‐nested after a predation event did not build their nest in a more concealed location. Therefore, predator avoidance, and hence nest success, appears to be largely due to chance rather than due to the behaviour of the birds or their choice of nesting sites. To escape high predation pressures, multiple nesting attempts both within and between seasons may be necessary to increase reproductive success. Alternatively, birds may be limited in their nest‐site options; that is, high‐quality individuals dominate quality nest sites. 相似文献
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Elevated yolk androgen levels benefit offspring development in a between-clutch context 总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2
The field of androgen deposition in avian eggs and its consequencesfor offspring development has received a lot of attention inrecent research. However, although variation within clutchesin yolk androgens is relatively well understood, the adaptivesignificance of patterns of variation between clutches remainsrather unclear. Furthermore, it has been hypothesized that yolkandrogens act as a means of an adaptive maternal effect to adjustoffspring to a given posthatching environment. Thus, the consequencesof maternal yolk androgens for offspring development are likelyto depend on the specific environment of a given brood. We experimentallymanipulated yolk androgen concentrations in spotless starlingeggs, using a between-brood design in which full broods weremanipulated applying either an androgen or sham treatment, inorder to test the effects of between-brood variation in yolkandrogen levels. We also included in the analysis several femalecharacters that have been shown to affect androgen deposition.Androgen-chicks tended to gain more mass, a similar effect tothat shown in previous studies where direct competition betweenchicks belonging to different treatments was allowed, but didnot gain a survival benefit. Androgen-chicks had wider beakflanges, an effect that has not been described previously andcould play an important role in food acquisition. In addition,androgen-chicks had higher endogenous plasma levels of androgens,which could induce higher begging intensity. We hypothesizethat these effects are an important mechanistic link for ourunderstanding of how yolk androgens exert their effects on offspringdevelopment after hatching. Contrary to our predictions, wefound no evidence that the observed effects depended on theenvironment under which it was investigated. Because high yolkandrogen levels seem to be beneficial for nestlings in thisspecies, we hypothesize that yolk hormone deposition could becostly for females or alternatively that potential negativeeffects later in adulthood may constrain maternal hormone allocation. 相似文献
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Summary The diet of nestling linnets (Acanthis cannabina) living on a heathland in Brittany (France) was studied by faecal pellet analysis during the 1982 and 1983 breeding seasons. Seeds composed the main part of the diet. According to month,Taraxacum officinale (Compositae),Stellaria media (Caryophyllaceae),Brassica napus (Cruciferae),Anthoxantum odoratum (Gramineae) andEuphorbia helioscopia (Euphorbiaceae) dominated. Nestling age and brood size influenced parents' food selection, especially seed size selection. The younger the nestlings, the larger the selected seeds. Increased food demands of larger broods were compensated by larger seeds selected. Adults generally fed seeds within given size limits, but these limits were not imperative. Adults were opportunistic, raising their broods with the most available seeds, such as rape (Brassica napus) seed, but at the same time provisioning them with weed seeds from fallow lands or meadows.
Zur Nahrung nestjunger Hänflinge (Acanthis cannabina L.)
Zusammenfassung Die Nahrung nestjunger Hänflinge in einem Heidegebiet der Bretagne (Frankreich) in den Jahren 1982 und 1983 bestand vornehmlich aus Sämereien. Je nach Monat dominiertenTaraxacum officinale (Compositae),Stellaria media (Caryophyllaceae),Brassica napus (Cruciferae),Anthoxantum odoratum (Gramineae) undEuphorbia helioscopia (Euphorbiaceae). Die von den Elternvögeln verfütterte Nahrung und ihre Größe variierte mit dem Alter der Nestlinge und der Brutgröße. Jüngere Nestlinge wurden mit größerer Sämereien gefüttert als ältere. Der höhere Nahrungsbedarf großer Bruten wurde durch die Wahl größerer Objekte kompensiert. Die Nahrungswahl der Elternvögel war opportunistisch nach den jeweils am zahlreichsten verfügbaren Sämereien, z. B. Raps (Brassica napus). Die Nahrungssuche erfolgte sowohl im Brachland wie auf Wiesen.相似文献
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Oliver Robertson Martine Maron Yvonne Buckley Alan House Clive McAlpine 《Austral ecology》2014,39(3):255-266
Many passerine bird populations, particularly those that have open‐cup nests, are in decline in agricultural landscapes. Current theory suggests that an increase in habitat generalist predators in response to landscape change is partially responsible for these declines. However, empirical tests have failed to reach a consensus on how and through what mechanisms landscape change affects nest predation. We tested one hypothesis, the Additive Predation Model, with an artificial nest experiment in fragmented landscapes in southern Queensland, Australia. We employed structural equation modelling of the influence of the relative density of woodland and habitat generalist predators and landscape features at the nest, site, patch and landscape scales on the probability of nest predation. We found little support for the Additive Predation Model, with no significant influence of the density of woodland predators on the probability of nest predation, although landscape features at different spatial scales were important. Within woodlands fragmented by agriculture in eastern Australia, the presence of noisy miner colonies appears to influence ecological processes important for nest predation such that the Additive Predation Model does not hold. In the absence of colonies of the aggressive native bird, the noisy miner, the influence of woodland predators on the risk of artificial nest predation was low compared with that of habitat generalist predators. Outside noisy miner colonies, we found significant edge effects with greater predation rates for artificial nests within woodland patches located closer to the agricultural matrix. Furthermore, the density of habitat generalist predators increased with the extent of irrigated land‐use, suggesting that in the absence of noisy miner colonies, nest predation increases with land‐use intensity at the landscape scale. 相似文献
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1. The use of behavioural traits by females in signalling condition has been practically ignored in evolutionary theory. However, females may also exhibit ornaments and behavioural displays, although less elaborated than those of males. 2. In this study we suggest that the carrying of feathers by spotless starlings Sturnus unicolor Temminck females to decorate the nest represents an elaborated and costly behaviour that is displayed in response to a courtship male behaviour: the carrying of nest green plants. 3. By experimentally increasing the amount of green plants in the nests, to give the appearance that highly attractive males defended them, we induced females to increase their feather carrying rates. 4. The amount of feathers carried to the nest was correlated to female reproductive experience and laying date, two variables correlated with female body condition. These results suggests that this behaviour may work as an honest indicator of female quality. 5. We conclude that male carrying plants and female carrying feathers can be viewed as two sex-specific functionally related signalling behaviours involved in mutual courtship or status signalling. 相似文献
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Summary Breeding habitats in Mediterranean France consist in open, dry grasslands with a low and discontinuous grass layer and scattered bushes and trees. The choice of nest supports was largely opportunistic, the most abundant suitable nest support type (bush or tree) and the most abundant species being present at each study site have been used. About 75% of the nests were placed at heights between 1 and 3 m. Laying period lasted from 9 May until 6 July (peak of first clutches: 21–30 May). Mean clutch size was 5.14±0.82 eggs (n=114). Breeding success was independent from the site, the height and the concealment of nests. Mean survival rate of nests from laying to fledgling was 0.365. The main cause of low breeding success was high nest predation exerted by a rich guild of predators. The species is mainly threatened through dramatic habitat shrinkage due to pastoralism reduction leading to closures of lightly bushed grasslands in Mediterranean France.
Nistplatzwahl, Legeperiode und Bruterfolg des Rotkopfwürgers (Lanius senator) in Südfrankreich
Zusammenfassung Als Bruthabitat bevorzugt der Rotkopfwürgers im mediterranen Südfrankreich offene und trockene Graslandlandschaften mit niedrigem oder lückigem Grasbewuchs und einzelstehenden Büschen und/oder Bäumen. Häufigster Nestträger ist die jeweils im Brutterritorium häufigste Baum- oder Buschart. Ungefähr 75% der Nester standen zwischen 1 und 3 m über Boden. Die Legeperiode reichte vom 9. Mai bis 6. Juli (Gipfel der Erstgelege am 21.–30. Mai und der Ersatzgelege am 20.–24. Juni). Die Gelegegröße bestand aus 3 bis 7, meist 5 Eier (Erstgelege im Mittel 5,35±0,71 Eier, Ersatzgelege: 4,68±0,85). Der Bruterfolg war unabhängig von der Lage, der Höhe und der Verborgenheit des Nestes. Die mittlere Überlebensrate eines Nestes zwischen Bebrütung des Geleges und Ausfliegen der Jungen betrug 0,365. Dieser niedrige Bruterfolg wurde hauptsächlich durch Nesträuber verursacht. In Südfrankreich ist die Art aber vor allem durch die zunehmende Verschließung der Bruthabitate infolge des Rückgangs des extensiven Weidebetriebs gefährdet.相似文献
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We present a simple analytical model to investigate the conditionsfor the evolution of obligate interspecific brood parasitismin birds, based on clutch size optimization, when birds canlay more eggs than their optimal clutch size. The results showthat once intraspecific parasitism has appeared (i.e., femalesstart to spread their eggs over their own and other nests) theevolutionarily stable number of eggs laid in its own nest decreases.Two possible ESSs exist: (1) either the evolutionarily stablenumber of eggs laid in its own nest is larger than zero, anda fraction of the total number of eggs is laid parasitically(i.e., intraspecific parasitism); and (2) either the evolutionarilystable number of eggs laid in its own nest is zero and alleggs are laid parasitically. Since all females lay parasitically,this could favor the evolution of obligate interspecific broodparasitism. The key parameter allowing the shift from intraspecificto obligate interspecific parasitism is the intensity of density-dependentmortality within broods (i.e., nestling competition). Strongnestling competition, as in altricial species, can lead toan ESS where all eggs are laid parasitically. Altricial speciesare, therefore, predicted to evolve more easily toward obligateinterspecific parasitism than precocial species. These predictionsfit the observed distribution of brood parasitism in birds,where only one species out of 95 obligate interspecific parasitesexhibits a precocial mode of development. Different nestlingsurvival functions provided similar findings (i.e., obligatebrood parasitism is more likely to evolve in altricial species),suggesting that these results are robust with respect to themain assumption of the model. 相似文献
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《Ethology, Ecology and Evolution》2012,24(4):347-353
Experiments were carried out over 2 consecutive years to test whether heron nest predation differs between colonial and non-colonial nests. Dummy nests containing chicken eggs dyed light blue were placed in a mixed Night Heron and Little Egret heronry and in a control copse without nesting herons; in both areas Hooded Crows were the main egg predators. Experiments were performed both when the true nests had eggs (synchronized nests) and when the true nests contained chicks (delayed nests). Dummy nests within the heronry were more preyed upon than isolated dummy nests. Delayed dummy nests suffered higher predation than synchronized ones. A predictive logistic regression model for predation probability was developed for the dummy nests placed in the centre of the colony; for the synchronized dummy nests the distance from the nearest occupied real nest entered the model and dummy nests close to real nests were less likely to be preyed upon. Nesting in a colony is costly in terms of predation probability, probably because the great concentration of nesting herons attracts many predators. However, synchronization of nesting phases among pairs seems to reduce the rate of predation because of diluted risk and predator appetite satiation. 相似文献