Advances in the Study of Coevolution Between Avian Brood Parasites and Their Hosts

Abstract

The interactions between avian obligate interspecific brood parasites and their hosts provide tractable systems for studying coevolutionary processes in nature. This review highlights recent advances in understanding coevolution in these systems. First, we discuss the evolution and phylogenetic history of avian brood parasitism. Next, we examine coevolved adaptations and counteradaptations in brood parasites and hosts at all stages of the host nesting cycle: those that precede laying of the parasitic egg and those at the egg, chick, and fledgling stages. We then consider the factors that affect the evolution of offense and defense portfolios (the suites of adaptations and counteradaptations across the nesting cycle), and the outcomes of coevolutionary interactions between brood parasites and hosts. Ongoing efforts to document the diversity of host defenses and parasite offenses will facilitate understanding of coevolutionary processes and the ecological and evolutionary consequences of species interactions in the natural world.

Egg-spot matching in common cuckoo parasitism of the oriental reed warbler: effects of host nest availability and egg rejection

“…Mutual interactions between parasitic cuckoos and their hosts represent an outstanding textbook example of co-evolution (Rothstein 1990;Feeney et al 2014). Such interactions have led to the evolution of many amazing biological phenomena (Davies 2011;Spottiswoode and Stevens 2012;Soler 2014).…”

Reducing cuckoo parasitism risk via informed habitat choices

“…As a model system for coevolutionary interactions between species, the arms race between obligate brood parasites and their hosts has interested researchers for centuries (Rothstein 1990, Davies 2000, Feeney et al 2014, Soler 2014. A wide range of birds suffer severe fitness costs due to parasitism; for example, Common Cuckoos (Cuculus canorus; hereafter ''cuckoos'') regularly parasitize as many as 30 avian species (Davies 2000).…”

“…To deter parasites and salvage their own reproduction, hosts possess diverse adaptations that, in turn, have selected for counteradaptations in parasites. Particularly well studied are traits that occur during the egg-laying stage (e.g., Davies and Brooke 1989, Langmore et al 2005, Avilés et al 2006, Spottiswoode and Stevens 2010, Igic et al 2012), but host antiparasite adaptations exist in all stages of the breeding cycle (Feeney et al 2014, Soler 2014.…”

“…Such ''front-line defenses'' (Feeney et al 2012) early in the breeding cycle would enable hosts to prevent, or at least minimize, the costs of parasitism. Consequently, front-line defenses may reduce the selection pressure for, or block the evolution of, later-stage host adaptations and, thus, affect the whole sequence and outcome of the parasite-host coevolutionary arms race (Britton et al 2007, Feeney et al 2014. Host breedinghabitat selection as an adaptation against brood parasitism, however, has been neglected (but see Forsman and Martin 2009).…”

Superb Fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus) increase vigilance near their nest with the perceived risk of brood parasitism

“…The interactions between brood parasites and their hosts can lead to ''arms races'' of adaptations and counteradaptations (Dawkins and Krebs 1979); however, the evolution, composition, and fate of adaptive portfolios-the cumulative suite of offensive or defensive adaptations-are little understood (Feeney et al 2014b, Soler 2014. Host defensive adaptations, such as rejection of foreign eggs, persist in some species despite generations of allopatry with brood parasites (Briskie et al 1992, Rothstein 2001, Lahti 2006, Hale and Briskie 2007, Peer et al 2007, 2011, Soler 2014; but see Samas et al 2014).…”