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1.
    
Examining factors that operate outside the breeding season may provide new insights into life‐history traits such as egg size, in which individual variation has not been fully explained. We measured corticosterone (CORT) levels and δ15N values (trophic level) in feathers grown several months before egg‐laying to test the prediction that a female's physiological state and feeding behaviour prior to the breeding season can influence egg mass in Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica. As predicted, egg mass increased with both CORT and δ15N values in feathers, suggesting that the ability of female Puffins to meet the nutritional costs of egg production is related to CORT promoting increased foraging effort during moult and to consumption of a higher trophic‐level diet.  相似文献   

2.
    

Aim

Recent, rapid population declines in many Afro‐Palaearctic migratory bird species have focussed attention on changing conditions within Africa. However, processes influencing population change can operate throughout the annual cycle and throughout migratory ranges. Here, we explore the evidence for impacts of breeding and non‐breeding conditions on population trends of British breeding birds of varying migratory status and wintering ecology.

Location

Great Britain (England & Scotland).

Methods

Within‐ and between‐species variation in population trends is quantified for 46 bird species with differing migration strategies.

Results

Between 1994 and 2007, rates of population change in Scotland and England differed significantly for 19 resident and 15 long‐distance migrant species, but were similar for 12 short‐distance migrant species. Of the six long‐distance migrant species that winter in the arid zone of Africa, five are increasing in abundance throughout Britain. In contrast, the seven species wintering in the humid zone of Africa are all declining in England, but five of these are increasing in Scotland. Consequently, populations of both arid and humid zone species are increasing significantly faster in Scotland than England, and only the English breeding populations of species wintering in the humid zone are declining.

Main conclusions

Population declines in long‐distance migrants, especially those wintering in the humid zone, but not residents or short‐distance migrants suggest an influence of non‐breeding season conditions on population trends. However, the consistently less favourable population trends in England than Scotland of long‐distance migrant and resident species strongly suggest that variation in the quality of breeding grounds is influencing recent population changes. The declines in humid zone species in England, but not Scotland, may result from poorer breeding conditions in England exacerbating the impacts of non‐breeding conditions or the costs associated with a longer migration, while better conditions in Scotland may be buffering these impacts.
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3.
    
In migratory species breeding in temperate zones and wintering in tropical areas, the prevalence of blood parasites may be affected by migratory strategies and winter habitat choice. We explored whether African winter habitat was linked to the probability of haemosporidian infection in the House Martin Delichon urbicum breeding in Spain, and tested for potential differences between age‐classes. As a proxy for winter habitat features, we analysed stable isotope (δ2H, δ13C and δ15N) values of winter‐grown feathers moulted in tropical Africa. Rainfall at the African winter grounds was related to the probability of being infected with haemosporidians and this effect differed among age‐classes. We found that haemosporidian prevalence was similar for young and experienced birds wintering in habitats of higher rainfall (2H‐depleted), whereas there were great differences in winter habitats of lower rainfall (2H‐enriched), with young having a much higher prevalence compared with experienced birds. Likewise, experienced birds wintering in habitats of higher rainfall had a higher probability of haemosporidian infection compared with experienced birds wintering in habitats of lower rainfall. By contrast, young birds wintering in habitats of lower rainfall had a higher probability of haemosporidian infection compared with young birds wintering in habitats of higher rainfall. These outcomes highlight the interaction of age with haemosporidian infection in the migratory ecology of the House Martin, which may drive carry‐over effects in this long‐distance aerial insectivore.  相似文献   

4.
    
Abstract A central tenet of life‐history theory is the presence of a trade‐off between the size and number of offspring that a female can produce for a given clutch. A crucial assumption of this trade‐off is that larger offspring perform better than smaller offspring. Despite the importance of this assumption empirical, field‐based tests are rare, especially for marine organisms. We tested this assumption for the marine invertebrate, Diplosoma listerianum, a colonial ascidian that commonly occurs in temperate marine communities. Colonies that came from larger larvae had larger feeding structures than colonies that came from smaller larvae. Colonies that came from larger larvae also had higher survival and growth after 2 weeks in the field than colonies that came from smaller larvae. However, after 3 weeks in the field the colonies began to fragment and we could not detect an effect of larval size. We suggest that offspring size can have strong effects on the initial recruitment of D. listerianum but because of the tendency of this species to fragment, offspring size effects are less persistent in this species than in others.  相似文献   

5.
    
Consequences of climate change-driven shifts in the relative timing of spring activities of interacting species are insufficiently understood, especially for insects. We use a controlled experiment which simulates a trophic mismatch scenario in which lepidopteran larvae predominately feed on older leaves due to foliage developing faster than larvae growth rates. As a case study our experiment uses Orthosia cerasi, which is a widespread but declining woodland moth whose UK declines appear to be driven by warming temperatures. In the control experiment larvae are fed young oak Quercus robur leaves (bud burst stages six and seven), whilst in the treatment newly emerged larvae are fed young leaves but then gradually transition to feed on older leaves (post bud burst stage seven). We assess impacts on duration of the larval stage, pupal size and overwintering duration and survival. Larvae in the phenological mismatch treatment had a longer larval period, and smaller and lighter pupae. Larval diet did not carry over to influence emergence dates as earlier pupation of control larvae was balanced by an equivalent increase in the duration of the pupal stage. Increased time spent as larvae could increase predation rates from avian predators, whilst slowing the seasonal decline in food availability for those bird species. Reduced pupal size and weight are indicators of lower fecundity in emerging adults. Notably, we find that adults emerging from the mismatch treatment exhibited greater rates of abnormal vestigial wing development, which is likely to further reduce fitness. Trophic mismatches in which caterpillars have reduced availability of young leaves may thus contribute to the population declines observed in many woodland moth species due to increased mortality at larval stages, and adverse effects of early life conditions that reduce the reproductive success of emerging adults.  相似文献   

6.
    
Natural populations are exposed to seasonal variation in environmental factors that simultaneously affect several demographic rates (survival, development and reproduction). The resulting covariation in these rates determines population dynamics, but accounting for its numerous biotic and abiotic drivers is a significant challenge. Here, we use a factor‐analytic approach to capture partially unobserved drivers of seasonal population dynamics. We use 40 years of individual‐based demography from yellow‐bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) to fit and project population models that account for seasonal demographic covariation using a latent variable. We show that this latent variable, by producing positive covariation among winter demographic rates, depicts a measure of environmental quality. Simultaneously, negative responses of winter survival and reproductive‐status change to declining environmental quality result in a higher risk of population quasi‐extinction, regardless of summer demography where recruitment takes place. We demonstrate how complex environmental processes can be summarized to understand population persistence in seasonal environments.  相似文献   

7.
    
In their association with myrmecophytes (i.e. plants that shelter a limited number of ant species in hollow structures), ants sometimes provide only poor biotic protection for their host plants, but may supply them with nutrients (myrmecotrophy). We studied three geophytic myrmecophytes growing in the understorey of Guianian rain forests. Allomerus ants build spongy-looking galleries rich in detritus and insect debris over the stems of their host plants [ Cordia nodosa Lamark (Boraginaceae) and Hirtella physophora Martius & Zuccharini (Chrysobalanaceae)], while Pheidole minutula Mayr colonies deposit their waste in the leaf pouches of their host plant [ Maieta guianensis Aublet (Melastomataceae)]. This waste is more nitrogen-rich than that found in the Allomerus galleries, themselves containing more nitrogen than the plant leaves. Using stable isotope analysis we noted a significant difference in δ15N between ant-occupied and unoccupied plants only for Maieta , for which 80% of the host plant nitrogen is derived from Pheidole waste. Experiments on all three plants using a 15N-supplemented solution of NH4Cl confirmed these results, with an increase in this isotope noted between control and experimental plants only for Maieta . The internal surfaces of Maieta leaf pouches bear protuberances whose likely role is to absorb nutrients from the Pheidole waste. The alternative hypothesis, that these protuberances play a role in provisioning ants, was rejected after comparing their structure with those of extrafloral nectaries and food bodies in a histological study.  © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 83 , 433–439.  相似文献   

8.
    
1. The variability in the stable isotope signatures of carbon and nitrogen (δ13C and δ15N) in different phytoplankton taxa was studied in one mesotrophic and three eutrophic lakes in south‐west Finland. The lakes were sampled on nine to 16 occasions over 2–4 years and most of the time were dominated by cyanobacteria and diatoms. A total of 151 taxon‐specific subsamples covering 18 different phytoplankton taxa could be isolated by filtration through a series of sieves and by flotation/sedimentation, followed by microscopical identification and screening for purity. 2. Substantial and systematic differences between phytoplankton taxa, seasons and lakes were observed for both δ13C and δ15N. The values of δ13C ranged from ?34.4‰ to ?5.9‰ and were lowest in chrysophytes (?34.4‰ to ?31.3‰) and diatoms (?30.6‰ to ?26.6‰). Cyanobacteria were most variable (?32.4‰ to ?5.9‰), including particularly high values in the nostocalean cyanobacterium Gloeotrichia echinulata (?14.4‰ to ?5.9‰). For δ13C, the taxon‐specific amplitude of temporal changes within a lake was usually <1–8‰ (<1–4‰ for microalgae alone and <1–8‰ for cyanobacteria alone), whereas the amplitude among taxa within a water sample was up to 31‰. 3. The values of δ15N ranged from ?2.1‰ to 12.8‰ and were high in chrysophytes, dinophytes and diatoms, but low in the nitrogen‐fixing cyanobacteria Anabaena spp., Aphanizomenon spp. and G. echinulata (?2.1‰ to 1.6‰). Chroococcalean cyanobacteria ranged from ?1.4‰ to 8.9‰. For δ15N, the taxon‐specific amplitude of temporal changes within a lake was 2–6‰, (2–6‰ for microalgae alone and 2–4‰ for cyanobacteria alone) and the amplitude among taxa within a water sample was up to 11‰. 4. The isotopic signatures of phytoplankton changed systematically with their physical and chemical environment, most notably with the concentrations of nutrients, but correlations were non‐systematic and site‐specific. 5. The substantial variability in the isotopic signatures of phytoplankton among taxa, seasons and lakes complicates the interpretation of isotopic signatures in lacustrine food webs. However, taxon‐specific values and seasonal patterns showed some consistency among years and may eventually be predictable.  相似文献   

9.
稳定同位素作为一种自然标记物是研究鸟类生态学的重要工具之一,与传统研究方法相比其呈现的信息更为真实全面,是一种日趋成熟的鸟类生态学研究方法。近几年该方法在鸟类迁徙生态学、取食生态学等方面取得较大成就,展现出传统研究方法无可比拟的优越性。但目前该方法在我国鸟类生态学上的应用较少,基于此,从迁徙、取食等方面分别阐述稳定同位素在鸟类生态学上的应用,以促进我国鸟类生态学的快速发展和推动稳定同位素生态学与其它学科的交叉融合。  相似文献   

10.
    
For oviparous species such as birds, conditions experienced while in the egg can have long‐lasting effects on the individual. The impact of subtle changes in incubation temperature on nestling development, however, remains poorly understood, especially for open‐cup nesting species with altricial young. To investigate how incubation temperature affects nestling development and survival in such species, we artificially incubated American robin (Turdus migratorius) eggs at 36.1°C (“Low” treatment) and 37.8°C (“High” treatment). Chicks were fostered to same‐age nests upon hatching, and we measured mass, tarsus, and wing length of experimental nestlings and one randomly selected, naturally incubated (“Natural”), foster nest‐mate on days 7 and 10 posthatch. We found significant effects of incubation temperature on incubation duration, growth, and survival, in which experimentally incubated nestlings had shorter incubation periods (10.22, 11.50, and 11.95 days for High, Low, and Natural eggs, respectively), and nestlings from the Low treatment were smaller and had reduced survival compared to High and Natural nestlings. These results highlight the importance of incubation conditions during embryonic development for incubation duration, somatic development, and survival. Moreover, these findings indicate that differences in incubation temperature within the natural range of variation can have important carryover effects on growth and survival in species with altricial young.  相似文献   

11.
    
While deploying immune defences early in ontogeny can trade‐off with the production and maintenance of other important traits across the entire life cycle, it remains largely unexplored how features of the environment shape the magnitude or presence of these lifetime costs. Greater predation risk during the juvenile stage may particularly influence such costs by (1) magnifying the survival costs that arise from any handicap of juvenile avoidance traits and/or (2) intensifying allocation trade‐offs with important adult traits. Here, we tested for predator‐dependent costs of immune deployment within and across life stages using the dragonfly, Pachydiplax longipennis. We first examined how larval immune deployment affected two traits associated with larval vulnerability to predators: escape distance and foraging under predation risk. Larvae that were induced to mount an immune response had shorter escape distances but lower foraging activity in the presence of predator cues. We also induced immune responses in larvae and reared them through emergence in mesocosms that differed in the presence of large predatory dragonfly larvae (Aeshnidae spp.). Immune‐challenged larvae had later emergence overall and lower survival in pools with predators. Immune‐challenged males were also smaller at emergence and developed less sexually selected melanin wing coloration, but these effects were independent of predator treatment. Overall, these results highlight how mounting an immune defence early in ontogeny can have substantial ecological and physiological costs that manifest both within and across life stages.  相似文献   

12.
Copper absorption was measured at two levels of dietary zinc in six healthy young men who were confined to a metabolic unit for a 75 d study of zinc utilization. A diet of conventional foods was fed, providing either 16.5 or 5.5 mg zinc and 1.3 mg copper daily. Copper absorption was determined by feeding65Cu, a stable isotope of copper, once during the 16.5 mg Zn diet and near the beginning and end of the 5.5 mg Zn diet. Apparent copper absorption averaged 48.1% when the 16.5 mg Zn diet was fed. This was significantly higher than the averages of 37.2 and 38.5% when the 5.5 mg Zn diet was fed. Absorption also differed significantly among subjects. Fecal copper did not differ between diets or among subjects. All subjects were in positive copper balance at both levels of dietary zinc. These results suggest that a dietary zinc intake slightly above the Recommended Dietary Allowance of 15 mg/d does not increase fecal copper loss and does not interfere with copper absorption.  相似文献   

13.
1. Use of the natural ratios of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes as tracers of trophic interactions has some clear advantages over alternative methods for food web analyses, yet is limited to situations where organic materials of interest have adequate isotopic separation between potential sources. This constrains the use of natural abundance stable isotope approaches to a subset of ecosystems with biogeochemical conditions favourable to source separation. 2. Recent studies suggest that stable hydrogen isotopes (δD) could provide a robust tracer to distinguish contributions of aquatic and terrestrial production in food webs, but variation in δD of consumers and their organic food sources are poorly known. To explore the utility of the stable hydrogen isotope approach, we examined variation in δD in stream food webs in a forested catchment where variation in δ13C has been described previously. 3. Although algal δD varied by taxa and, to a small degree, between sites, we found consistent and clear separation (by an average of 67‰) from terrestrial carbon sources. Environmental conditions known to affect algal δ13C, such as water velocity and stream productivity did not greatly influence algal δD, and there was no evidence of seasonal variation. In contrast, algal δ13C was strongly affected by environmental factors both within and across sites, was seasonally variable at all sites, and partially overlapped with terrestrial δ13C in all streams with catchment areas larger than 10 km2. 4. While knowledge of isotopic exchange with water and trophic fractionation of δD for aquatic consumers is limited, consistent source separation in streams suggests that δD may provide a complementary food web tracer to δ13C in aquatic food webs. Lack of significant seasonal or spatial variation in δD is a distinct advantage over δ13C for applications in many aquatic ecosystems.  相似文献   

14.
    
The phases of the annual cycle for migratory species are inextricably linked. Yet, less than five percent of ecological studies examine seasonal interactions. In this study, we utilized stable hydrogen isotopes to geographically link individual black‐and‐white warblers (Mniotilta varia) captured during spring migration with breeding destinations to understand a migrant's stopover strategy in the context of other phases of the annual cycle. We found that stopover strategy is not only a function of a bird's current energetic state, but also the distance remaining to breeding destination and a bird's time‐schedule, which has previously been linked to habitat conditions experienced in the preceding phase of the annual cycle. Birds in close proximity to their breeding destination accumulate additional energy reserves prior to arrival on the breeding grounds, as reflected by higher migratory condition upon arrival, higher refueling rates measured via blood plasma metabolites, and longer stopover durations compared to birds migrating to breeding destinations farther from the stopover site. However, late birds near their breeding destination were more likely to depart on the day of arrival (i.e., transients), and among birds that stopped over at the site, the average duration of stopover was almost half the time of early conspecifics, suggesting late birds are trying to catch‐up with the overall time‐schedule of migration for optimal arrival time on the breeding grounds. In contrast, birds with long distances remaining to breeding destinations were more likely to depart on the day of arrival and primarily used stopover to rest before quickly resuming migration, adopting similar strategies regardless of a bird's time‐schedule. Our study demonstrates that migrants adjust their en route strategies in relation to their time‐schedule and distance remaining to their breeding destination, highlighting that strategies of migration should be examined in the context of other phases of the annual cycle.  相似文献   

15.
    
Birds experience a sequence of critical events during their life cycle, and past events can subsequently determine future performance via carry‐over effects. Events during the non‐breeding season may influence breeding season phenology or productivity. Less is understood about how events during the breeding season affect individuals subsequently in their life cycle. Using stable carbon isotopes, we examined carry‐over effects throughout the annual cycle of prairie warblers (Setophaga discolor), a declining Nearctic–Neotropical migratory passerine bird. In drier winters, juvenile males that hatched earlier at our study site in Massachusetts, USA, occupied wetter, better‐quality winter habitat in the Caribbean, as indicated by depleted carbon isotope signatures. For juveniles that were sampled again as adults, repeatability in isotope signatures indicated similar winter habitat occupancy across years. Thus, hatching date of juvenile males appears to influence lifetime winter habitat occupancy. For adult males, reproductive success did not carry over to influence winter habitat occupancy. We did not find temporally consecutive “domino” effects across the annual cycle (breeding to wintering to breeding) or interseasonal, intergenerational effects. Our finding that a male''s hatching date can have a lasting effect on winter habitat occupancy represents an important contribution to our understanding of seasonal interactions in migratory birds.  相似文献   

16.
    
The life history trade‐off between current and future reproduction is a theoretically well‐established concept. However, empirical evidence for the occurrence of a fitness cost of reproduction is mixed. Evidence indicates that parents only pay a cost of reproduction when local competition is high. In line with this, recent experimental work on a small passerine bird, the Great tit (Parus major) showed that reproductive effort negatively affected the competitive ability of parents, estimated through competition for high quality breeding sites in spring. In the current study, we further investigate the negative causal relationship between reproductive effort and future parental competitive ability, with the aim to quantify the consequences for parental fitness, when breeding sites are scarce. To this end, we (a) manipulated the family size of Great tit parents and (b) induced severe competition for nest boxes among the parents just before the following breeding season by means of a large‐scale nest box removal experiment. Parents increased their feeding effort in response to our family size manipulation and we successfully induced competition among the parents the following spring. Against our expectation, we found no effect of last season's family size on the ability of parents to secure a scarce nest box for breeding. In previous years, if detected, the survival cost of reproduction was always paid after midwinter. In this year, parents did pay a survival cost of reproduction before midwinter and thus before the onset of the experiment in early spring. Winter food availability during our study year was exceptionally low, and thus, competition in early winter may have been extraordinarily high. We hypothesize that differences in parental competitive ability due to their previous reproductive effort might have played a role, but before the onset of our experiment and resulted in the payment of the survival cost of reproduction.  相似文献   

17.
    
Using photo‐identification data, bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) populations can be differentiated based on their use of particular estuaries or coastal habitats. Questions remain, however, about the validity of such fine‐scale population partitioning and whether the resulting assemblages utilize unique forage bases. To address the issue of forage base use, stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N) and sulfur (δ34S) were analyzed from skin tissues (n= 74) of bottlenose dolphins sampled seasonally along the coast and in three estuaries near Charleston, South Carolina. Autumn values of δ34S, δ15N, and δ13C and summer values of δ34S indicated that dolphins sampled from these four assemblages utilized unique forage bases, despite limited sample sizes. Likewise, autumn and spring differences in δ15N and δ13C values were evident in the North Edisto River, and in δ34S from dolphins sampled from all three estuarine assemblages; no seasonal differences were identified in the coastal assemblage. Results demonstrate the importance of considering spatial and temporal variation in forage base when developing local management plans for bottlenose dolphin and highlight the discriminatory power of δ34S for estuarine and coastal marine mammals. These results also suggest that stable isotopes could be developed as a complementary tool for photo‐identification based partitioning of bottlenose dolphin populations.  相似文献   

18.
    
Migration is a critical period of time with fitness consequences for birds. The development of tracking technologies now allows researchers to examine how different aspects of bird migration affect population dynamics. Weather conditions experienced during migration are expected to influence movements and, subsequently, the timing of arrival and the energetic costs involved. We analysed satellite‐tracking data from 68 Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola fitted with Argos satellite tags in the British Isles and France (2012–17). First, we evaluated the effect of weather conditions (temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, atmospheric stability and visibility) on migration movements of individuals. Then we investigated the consequences for breeding success (age ratio) and brood precocity (early‐brood ratio) population‐level indices while accounting for climatic variables on the breeding grounds. Air temperature, wind and relative humidity were the main variables related to migration movements, with high temperatures and northward winds greatly increasing the probability of onward flights, whereas a trend towards greater humidity over 4 days decreased the probability of movement. Breeding success was mostly affected by climatic variables on the breeding grounds. The proportion of juveniles in autumn was negatively correlated with temperature in May, but positively correlated with precipitation in June and July. Brood precocity was poorly explained by the covariates used in this study. Our data for the Eurasian Woodcock indicate that, although weather conditions during spring migration affect migration movements, they do not have a major influence on subsequent breeding success.  相似文献   

19.
    
1. Migratory behaviour can result in reduced prevalence of pathogens in host populations. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain this relationship: (i) ‘migratory escape’, where migrants benefit from escaping pathogen accumulation in contaminated environments; and (ii) ‘migratory culling’, where the selective removal of infected individuals occurs during migration. 2. In the host–parasite system between the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus Linn.) and its obligate protozoan parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE), there is evidence to support both hypotheses, particularly during the monarchs' autumn migration. However, these processes can operate simultaneously and could vary throughout the monarchs' annual migratory cycle. Assessing the relative strength for each hypothesis has not previously been done. 3. To evaluate both hypotheses, parasite infection prevalence was examined in monarchs sampled in eastern North America during April–September, and stable isotopes (δ2H, δ13C) were used to estimate natal origin and infer migration distance. There was stronger support for the migratory escape hypothesis, wherein infection prevalence increased over the breeding season and was higher at southern latitudes, where the breeding season tends to be longer compared with northern latitudes. Little support was found for the migratory culling hypothesis, as infection prevalence was similar whether monarchs travelled shorter or longer distances. 4. These results suggest that migration allows individuals to escape parasites not only during the autumn, as shown in previous work, but during the monarchs' spring and summer movements when they recolonise the breeding range. These results imply a potential fitness advantage to monarchs that migrate further north to exploit parasite‐free habitats.  相似文献   

20.
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