Ectoparasitism shortens the breeding season in a colonial bird

Brown, Charles R.; Brown, Mary Bomberger

doi:10.1098/rsos.140508

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(60 reference statements)

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“…Cliff Swallows will sometimes initiate second nesting at a colony site, with these late nesting attempts by both birds that had nested earlier that season and ones not having nested previously (Brown and Brown 2015, Brown et al 2015). Second nesting was considered to have occurred at a site when we observed birds engaged in nesting activities (e.g., nest‐building) there after the early round of nesting had been completed (known by fledging of young from most nests).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The cost of ectoparasitism in Cliff Swallows declines over 35 years

Brown

Hannebaum

O’Brien

et al. 2021

Ecological Monographs

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Host-parasite dynamics often vary over time, brought about by changes in the parasite's virulence or the host's ability to resist or tolerate the parasite. Although virulence evolution in microparasites is well studied, we know little about temporal change in the pathogenicity of macroparasites such as blood-feeding insects. Using data collected over 35 yr, we report a reduction in pathogenicity of the hematophagous swallow bug (Cimex vicarius) on its Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) host. Relative to experimentally fumigated, parasite-free nests, the negative effects of bugs on nestling swallow body mass and survival were less in the later years of the study than in the earlier years, and the negative relationship between nestling body mass and bug abundance became weaker over time. The survival of adult birds exposed to swallow bugs increased throughout the study, while survival of birds from parasitefree nests decreased over time. Swallow bug abundance per nest, bug body size, and bug age ratios did not change during the study. Between-colony transmission of bugs showed less immigration into larger colonies than in earlier studies, but there was no net change in transmission. Cliff Swallows did not reduce their exposure to bugs over time by being more likely to avoid infested nest or colony sites. Parents increased the number of food deliveries to their offspring over time in the presence of parasites, but the total amount of food delivered was unchanged. The reduced cost of swallow bug ectoparasitism does not seem related to changes in parasite narrow-sense virulence, the host's avoidance of parasites, the presence of alternative hosts for bugs, or climate-driven phenological mismatches. The results probably reflect the Cliff Swallow's evolving of greater tolerance to swallow bugs, brought about by the bird's shift from natural cliff nesting sites to artificial structures that may harbor more bugs than natural cliffs. This study shows that hosts can respond relatively rapidly to high levels of parasitism, and provides support for models that suggest the evolution of tolerance should be expected in some host-parasite systems.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The cost of ectoparasitism in Cliff Swallows declines over 35 years

Brown

Hannebaum

O’Brien

et al. 2021

Ecological Monographs

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“…To better understand the role of social behavior in influencing morphological evolution, we compared the evolution of morphological features important to flight and foraging to the evolution of social behaviors in the socially diverse bird clade, the Hirundinidae (swallows and martins, see Figure for an image of one member of the Hirundinidae family). The Hirundinidae consist of 84 species distributed worldwide, which have a long history of field studies focused on social behaviors, foraging strategies, and general natural history (Beecher, Beecher, & Lumpkin, ; Møller, ; Brown, ; Brown & Brown, , , , , , , ; Turner & Rose, ; Turner, ; Sheldon, Whittingham, Moyle, Slikas, & Winkler, ; Roche, Brown, & Brown, ; Brown, Brown, & Roche, ; Brown et al., , ). All species are obligate aerial insectivores (Turner, ; Turner & Rose, ), a foraging strategy that requires agile, acrobatic flight.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Convergent evolution in social swallows (Aves: Hirundinidae)

Johnson

Mitchell

Brown

2016

Ecology and Evolution

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Behavioral shifts can initiate morphological evolution by pushing lineages into new adaptive zones. This has primarily been examined in ecological behaviors, such as foraging, but social behaviors may also alter morphology. Swallows and martins (Hirundinidae) are aerial insectivores that exhibit a range of social behaviors, from solitary to colonial breeding and foraging. Using a well‐resolved phylogenetic tree, a database of social behaviors, and morphological measurements, we ask how shifts from solitary to social breeding and foraging have affected morphological evolution in the Hirundinidae. Using a threshold model of discrete state evolution, we find that shifts in both breeding and foraging social behavior are common across the phylogeny of swallows. Solitary swallows have highly variable morphology, while social swallows show much less absolute variance in all morphological traits. Metrics of convergence based on both the trajectory of social lineages through morphospace and the overall morphological distance between social species scaled by their phylogenetic distance indicate strong convergence in social swallows, especially socially foraging swallows. Smaller physical traits generally observed in social species suggest that social species benefit from a distinctive flight style, likely increasing maneuverability and foraging success and reducing in‐flight collisions within large flocks. These results highlight the importance of sociality in species evolution, a link that had previously been examined only in eusocial insects and primates.

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“…As the breeding season progresses, ectoparasite loads increase in swallow colonies (Burke 2017), affecting both adults and young (Szép and Møller 2000). In the Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), ectoparasites have even been shown to shorten the breeding season, with adults departing for migration earlier when infection levels are high than when they are low (Brown and Brown 2015). Prospecting future breeding habitat may also drive this behavior near the end of the breeding season.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological and environmental factors related to communal roosting behavior of breeding Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)

Saldanha¹,

Taylor²,

Imlay³

et al. 2019

ACE

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Although communal roosting during the wintering and migratory periods is well documented, few studies have recorded this behavior during the breeding season. We used automated radio telemetry to examine communal roosting behavior in breeding Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) and its relationship with biological and environmental factors. Specifically, we used (generalized) linear mixed models to determine whether the probability of roosting communally and the timing of departure from and arrival at the colony (a measure of time away from the nest) was related to adult sex, nestling age, brood size, nest success, weather, light conditions, communal roosting location, and date. We found that Bank Swallow individuals roosted communally on 70 ± 25% of the nights, suggesting that this behavior is common. The rate of roosting communally was higher in males than in females with active nests, increased with older nestlings in active nests, and decreased more rapidly with nestling age in smaller broods. Together, these results suggest that that communal roosting is limited by the thermoregulatory needs of the offspring. The rate of roosting communally and the total time spent away from the nest while roosting also decreased with humidity and low temperatures (total time only), supporting the conclusion that the thermoregulatory needs of both offspring and adults limit this behavior. Communal roosting was also restricted to dark nights, suggesting that the Bank Swallow may roost communally to avoid predation. Individuals also roosted communally and spent more time at the roosts as the breeding season progressed, suggesting that communal roosting may be a way of avoiding the growing number of ectoparasites at the colony or taking advantage of prospecting opportunities in the morning. The Bank Swallow is listed as Threatened in Canada, so understanding the factors that relate to communal roosting is essential for identifying the critical habitat of this declining species. Facteurs biologiques et environnementaux liés au comportement de nidification communautaire de l'hirondelle de rivage (Riparia riparia) pendant la saison de reproductionRÉSUMÉ. Bien que la nidification communautaire au cours des périodes d'hivernage et de migration soit bien documentée, rares sont les études qui ont enregistré ce même comportement au cours de la saison de reproduction. Nous avons utilisé la radio-télémétrie automatisée pour examiner le comportement de nidification communautaire de l'hirondelle de rivage (Riparia riparia) en période de reproduction et sa relation avec les facteurs biologiques et environnementaux. Plus précisément, nous avons (généralement) utilisé des modèles linéaires mixtes pour déterminer si la probabilité de nidification communautaire et le moment du départ et de l'arrivée dans la colonie (permettant de mesurer le temps passé en dehors du nid) était liée au sexe chez les adultes, à l'âge de nidification, à la taille de la couvée, à l'efficacité du nid, aux conditions météorologiques, à l'emplacement du nid collectif et à la...

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Ectoparasitism shortens the breeding season in a colonial bird

Cited by 17 publications

References 36 publications

The cost of ectoparasitism in Cliff Swallows declines over 35 years

The cost of ectoparasitism in Cliff Swallows declines over 35 years

Convergent evolution in social swallows (Aves: Hirundinidae)

Biological and environmental factors related to communal roosting behavior of breeding Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)

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