Center-Periphery Gradients of Chick Survival in the Colonies of Whiskered Terns<i>Chlidonias hybrida</i>may be Explained by the Variation in the Maternal Effects of Egg Size

Minias, Piotr; Janiszewski, Tomasz; Lesner, Bartosz

doi:10.3161/000164513x678829

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Recapture probability of marked hatchlings in the colony at Jeziorsko reservoir was estimated at 0.89 in the earlier seasons (Minias et al. ), which confirms that we were able to effectively locate most of hatched chicks and reliably assess hatching success (expressed as the number of hatchlings). Male productivity was not likely to be considerably affected by the incidence of extra‐pair paternity, as the proportion of extra‐pair offspring was estimated at 8.1% in the studied colony (Minias et al.…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 77%

Heterozygosity correlates with body size, nest site quality and productivity in a colonial waterbird, the whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida, Aves: Sternidae)

Minias

Dziadek

2014

J Zoolog Syst Evol Res

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Positive effects of individual heterozygosity on naturally selected traits have been reported in wild populations of many animal taxa. The aim of this study was to test whether heterozygosity predicts the quality of acquired nest sites and productivity in a colonially breeding waterbird, the whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida). For this purpose, 40 adult terns from a small, recently established population in Central Poland were typed at eight microsatellite loci. We demonstrate that individual heterozygosity is positively related to hatching success. We hypothesize that this association could be mediated by direct effects of heterozygosity on the competitive abilities of individuals. We found that more heterozygous terns tended to breed in better protected central parts of the colony, suggesting that they had capabilities of outcompeting less heterozygous individuals and relegating them to the less attractive peripheries of the colony. It was also demonstrated that the link between heterozygosity and individual abilities to acquire more attractive nest site could be mediated by the larger size of heterozygous individuals. Although no correlations between heterozygosity and different components of condition were found, there was a positive association between female heterozygosity and both clutch size and egg size. We suggest that demonstrated heterozygosity‐fitness correlations could be primarily caused by inbreeding depression in the studied whiskered tern population.

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 77%

Heterozygosity correlates with body size, nest site quality and productivity in a colonial waterbird, the whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida, Aves: Sternidae)

Minias

Dziadek

2014

J Zoolog Syst Evol Res

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“…Manuscript to be reviewed Andersson, 1994, Minias et al, 2013, although other studies do not support this conclusions (Brunton, 1997). In our studies, depending on the year and the vegetation cover, the nests were more concentrated or dispersed, even in different areas with different depths.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 56%

Peer Review #2 of "Reproductive success of Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida in eastern Spain in relation to water level variation (v0.1)"

Ledwon¹

2018

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Background. A study on the Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida was carried out between 2002 and 2009 in wetlands of eastern Spain to evaluate how water level fluctuation affects its reproductive success (hatching, fledgling and breeding success). This species is catalogued as Vulnerable in Spain and has an unfavorable conservation status in Europe. Methods. Our study includes 18 sampling areas from 5 wetlands, covering a total of 663 nests, 1,618 eggs, 777 nestlings and 225 fledglings. The colonies were visited at least twice per week in breeding period. The number of eggs and/or nestlings present in each nest were annotated each time the colonies were visited with the aim to compare the evolution of these parameters with time. Hatching success was calculated as the proportion of egg that hatched successfully. Fledgling success and breeding success were calculated as the proportion of chicks that fledged successfully and the proportion of eggs that produced fledglings. We used Kruskal-Wallis test to analyze the differences in the dependent variables hatching, fledgling and breeding success among the wetlands and the sampling areas. We explored the relationship between the different reproductive success with the average fluctuation rate and the anchoring depth of nests, using statistics of the linear regression. Results. It was observed that the reproductive success varied significantly in the interaction among the different categories of water level fluctuation and the different areas (using Kruskal-Wallis test). Our records showed that pronounced variations in water level destroyed several nests, which affected the Whiskered Tern reproductive success. Considering all events that occurred in 18 areas, the mean (± SD) of nests, eggs and nestlings that were lost after water level fluctuations were of 25.60 ± 21.79 %, 32.06 ± 27.58 % and 31.91 ± 21.28 % respectively, including also the effects of rain and predation. Discussion. Unfavorable climatic events, such as strong wind, rain or hail, also caused the lost of nests, eggs and nestlings, even when wetland water levels remained constant. The influence of the anchorage depth of the nest and the water level fluctuation rate were analyzed and did not provide statistically significant results. It was not possible to establish a clear pattern on these latter variables, so further studies are needed to obtain more significant results. We propose to undertake similar studies in wetlands where water level can be regulated, with the range of nest anchorage depth on the emergent vegetation being between 30-60 cm, what could improve the reproductive success in this kind of habitats. As recommendation, in water level controlled wetlands (that use sluices), it should not vary more than ± 6 cm in a short time (1-2 days) once the nests are established since it negatively affects their reproductive success.

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“…Hatching success in little terns Sternula albifrons is also higher in larger clutches (Hong et al, 1998). In whiskered terns C. hybrida, preferred central locations in colonies are occupied by parents who nest earlier and produce larger eggs, resulting in enhanced chick survival (Minias et al, 2013).…”

Section: Mating Systems Sex Roles and Sex Ratiosmentioning

confidence: 98%

The role of behavior in tern conservation

Palestis

2014

Current Zoology

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Behavioral research has long had an important role in the conservation of terns (Aves: Sternidae). Habitat management and restoration of breeding colony sites depends on knowledge of the cues used to select colony and nest sites. For example, conspecific attraction with playback and decoys is commonly used to bring terns to suitable colony sites and habitat modification is often used to increase the availability of suitable nest sites. Tern colonies are interconnected by dispersal, and a metapopulation approach is needed for effective management. Population dynamics are therefore affected by behaviors that influence the frequency of movement among colony sites: site fidelity, natal and breeding dispersal, and group adherence. The monogamous breeding system of terns should keep effective population size similar to census population size, but variation in sex ratios (likely resulting from sex differences in behavior) and in parental quality can result in a smaller than expected effective population size. In addition to the behavior of terns, knowledge of the behavior of predators on terns contributes to management plans, because predator behavior can sometimes be manipulated and predation is often performed by only a few specialized individuals. Other examples of links between tern behavior and conservation are also briefly reviewed, such as behavioral toxicology research and studies of behavioral responses to human disturbance and manmade structures. More work is needed on the behavior of migratory terns at staging sites, stopover sites and wintering grounds, and on the behavior of less well-studied species and species in less well-studied geographic regions [Current Zoology 60 (4): 500-514, 2014].

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Center-Periphery Gradients of Chick Survival in the Colonies of Whiskered TernsChlidonias hybridamay be Explained by the Variation in the Maternal Effects of Egg Size

Cited by 15 publications

References 41 publications

Heterozygosity correlates with body size, nest site quality and productivity in a colonial waterbird, the whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida, Aves: Sternidae)

Heterozygosity correlates with body size, nest site quality and productivity in a colonial waterbird, the whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida, Aves: Sternidae)

Peer Review #2 of "Reproductive success of Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida in eastern Spain in relation to water level variation (v0.1)"

The role of behavior in tern conservation

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