A non‐destructive approach to collect nest material data using photographs

Sugasawa, Shoko; Edwards, Sophie C.; Stanforth, Rowan; Bruton, Emily; Hansell, Mike; Reilly, Maggie; Healy, Susan D.

doi:10.1111/ibi.12961

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…Of commonly used nest materials, for example, down feathers exhibit the best insulating properties while grass performs the worst (Hilton et al, 2004). An assessment of materials incorporated in the museum specimens, for example, by employing non‐invasive techniques where the nest composition is estimated from images of specimens (Sugasawa et al, 2021), in combination with direct estimates of thermal conductance of each nest following Heenan et al (2015), could provide further insight into the variation in nest properties across different climates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global drivers of variation in cup nest size in passerine birds

Vanadzina

Street

Healy

et al. 2022

Journal of Animal Ecology

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1. The size of a bird's nest can play a key role in ensuring reproductive success and is determined by a variety of factors. The primary function of the nest is to protect offspring from the environment and predators. Field studies in a number of passerine species have indicated that higher-latitude populations in colder habitats build larger nests with thicker walls compared to lower-latitude populations, but that these larger nests are more vulnerable to predation. Increases in nest size can also be driven by sexual selection, as nest size can act as a signal of parental quality and prompt differential investment in other aspects of care.It is unknown, however, how these microevolutionary patterns translate to a macroevolutionary scale.2. Here, we investigate potential drivers of variation in the outer and inner volume of open cup nests using a large dataset of nest measurements from 1117 species of passerines breeding in a diverse range of environments. Our dataset is sourced primarily from the nest specimens at the Natural History Museum (UK), complemented with information from ornithological handbooks and online databases.3. We use phylogenetic comparative methods to test long-standing hypotheses about potential macroevolutionary correlates of nest size, namely nest location, clutch size and variables relating to parental care, together with environmental and geographical factors such as temperature, rainfall, latitude and insularity. 4. After controlling for phylogeny and parental body size, we demonstrate that the outer volume of the nest is greater in colder climates, in island-dwelling species and in species that nest on cliffs or rocks. By contrast, the inner cup volume is associated solely with average clutch size, increasing with the number of chicks raised in the nest. We do not find evidence that nest size is related to the length of parental care for nestlings. 5. Our study reveals that the average temperature in the breeding range, along with several key life-history traits and proxies of predation threat, shapes the global interspecific variation in passerine cup nest size. We also showcase the

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global drivers of variation in cup nest size in passerine birds

Vanadzina

Street

Healy

et al. 2022

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…New computational techniques are not just restricted to analyzing behavior, they can also assist in quantifying variation in architectures. Now that most smartphones have a good‐quality camera, for instance, photographs of structure images could be used to analyze material composition (Sugasawa et al, 2021) while specialized techniques like computerized tomography (CT) scan can provide cross‐sectional images of structures, revealing internal mechanical properties (Alba Tercedor et al, 2016). By better quantifying the nature and variation of animal architecture, we can provide a foundation for unraveling larger questions about how this fascinating interaction between animals and their environment is controlled, develops, and evolves.…”

Section: Discussion: Rounding Out the Study Of Animal Architecturementioning

confidence: 99%

The significance of building behavior in the evolution of animal architecture

Sugasawa

Pritchard

2022

Ecological Research

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Animals make a diverse array of architectures including nests, bowers, roosts, traps, and tools. Much of the research into animal architecture has focused on the analysis of physical properties such as the dimensions and material of the architectures, rather than the behavior responsible for creating these architectures. However, the relationship between the architecture itself and the construction behavior that built it is not straightforward, and overlooking behavior risks obtaining an incomplete or even misleading picture of how animal architecture evolves. Here we review data about animal architectures broadly, with a particular focus on building by birds and social insects. We then highlight three ways in which a better understanding of building behavior could benefit the study of animal architecture: by clarifying how behavior leads to physical properties; by examining the costs and benefits of building behavior; and by determining the role of learning and how this interacts with selection on behavior.To integrate questions about building behavior alongside those about architectures, we propose a framework inspired by Niko Tinbergen's four questions, examining the mechanistic, ontogenetic, phylogenetic, and functional basis of animal building. By integrating the study of behavior and architecture across levels of analysis, we can gain a more holistic view of the behavior-architecture interactions, and a better understanding of how behavior, cognition, and evolution interact to produce the diversity seen in animal architecture.

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“…For example, that both bird beaks and ant foraging are correlated with the morphology of the artefacts made by both groups brings strength to a recent suggestion by Sugasawa et al . [ 29 , 30 ] regarding our understanding of object manipulation and dexterity. Currently that understanding largely depends on how primate hands work, but bird beaks and ant mandibles seem capable of manipulating diverse objects into functional structures, structures that rival objects made by human hands.…”

Section: The Evolution Of Nest Building Via Comparative Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bird nest building: visions for the future

Healy

Tello-Ramos

Hébert

2023

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Successful reproduction for most birds requires them to have built ‘good’ nests. The remarkable diversity of nests across approximately 10 000 species of living birds suggests that ‘good’ nest design depends critically on a species' microhabitat, life history and behaviour. Unravelling the key drivers of nest diversity remains a key research priority—bolstered by renewed appreciation for nest museum collections and increasing correlational field and experimental laboratory data. Phylogenetic analyses—coupled with powerful datasets of nest traits—are increasingly shedding light on the evolution of nest morphology and there are functional questions yet to be addressed. For birds, at least, developmental and mechanistic analyses of building (behaviour, hormones, neuroscience) itself, rather than measurements and analyses of nest morphology, are already becoming the next major challenge. We are moving towards a holistic picture in which Tinbergen's four levels of explanation: evolution, function, development, and mechanism, are being used to explain variation and convergence in nest design—and, in turn, could shed light on the question of how birds know how to build ‘good’ nests. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach’.

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A non‐destructive approach to collect nest material data using photographs

Cited by 9 publications

References 23 publications

Global drivers of variation in cup nest size in passerine birds

Global drivers of variation in cup nest size in passerine birds

The significance of building behavior in the evolution of animal architecture

Bird nest building: visions for the future

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