Group Adherence in the Common Tern

Austin, O. L.

doi:10.2307/4510223

Cited by 29 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Sudden abandonment of colonies, as sometimes happens in the common tern (e.g. Austin ; Becker & Ludwigs ; Morris, Pekarik & Moore ), could also increase the number of potential immigrants in certain years, but to our knowledge, there was no such event in adjacent colonies in our study period (Appendix S2). This suggests that there are factors specific to Banter See colony that regulates how many of the potential immigrants in the system actually settle there in each year.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…As common terns tend to exhibit low rates of breeding dispersal (Austin ; Becker et al . ; Szostek & Becker ; but see Austin ; Morris, Pekarik & Moore ), immigrants are likely first‐time breeders and therefore between 2 and 6 years old (Ludwigs & Becker ; mean age of first breeding 3·7 ± 0·1 years, n = 14 years, Szostek & Becker ). Because many individuals start reproducing at 3 years, we assumed in our integrated population model that all immigrants were 3 years old.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Immigrants are attracted by local pre‐breeders and recruits in a seabird colony

Szostek

Schaub

Becker

2014

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Summary1. Immigration is a major demographic factor shaping population dynamics. However, due to methodological difficulties, the extent of immigration and factors affecting immigration are insufficiently studied. This is also true for seabird colonies. 2. We estimated annual immigration based on a long-term study of a colony of common terns Sterna hirundo marked with transponders, using a Bayesian integrated population model that links colony size and productivity with individual life histories. 3. Strong annual fluctuations in the number of immigrants were found. To identify whether colony-specific covariates influenced immigration, we related the number of immigrants to various proxy variables for breeding site quality, specifically colony size, productivity, number of local subadults and local recruits. Numbers of local recruits and local subadults showed strong positive correlations with number of immigrants. 4. We found that variation in immigration rate had strongly contributed to variation in colony growth rate, more so than variation in local recruitment or adult survival. 5. Collectively, results suggest that immigration strongly affects colony growth rate, that the driving force behind immigration is natal dispersal and that immigrants were attracted by local recruits.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immigrants are attracted by local pre‐breeders and recruits in a seabird colony

Szostek

Schaub

Becker

2014

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…Site fidelity is probably lower for the marsh terns (Chlidonias) than for most other terns because of the unpredictability of the habitat (Ledwón et al, 2013). Group adherence, a preference for nesting with many of the same neighbors in a colony (Austin, 1951;McNicholl, 1975), can have opposing effects on the degree of philopatry. Among typically philopatric species, group adherence may enhance site fidelity, as terns are attracted not just to familiar colony and territory sites but also to familiar neighbors and are thus less likely to disperse.…”

Section: Philopatry and Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anecdotal evidence showed that in three species of North American terns (Sterna spp. ), individuals from one colony site settled together at another colony site the next year, sometimes nesting in close proximity to each other (Austin 1951, Haymes and Blokpoel 1978, Gochfeld 1979, Massey and Fancher 1989, Spendelow et al 1995. In the only systematic study of group integrity in a colonial species, groups of slender-billed gulls (Chroicocephalus genei) that had nested together and presumably had some familiarity with each other often settled together at a new site the next year, and groups were more likely to stay together if reproduction had been successful at the previous year's site (Francesiaz et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological correlates of group integrity among dispersing cliff swallows

Hannebaum

Brown

2019

Ecosphere

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Breeding colonies of birds represent groups of individuals that associate during one breeding season, at least partially dissociate for the non‐breeding season, and may re‐associate the next year through collective settlement at another breeding site. Little is known about the extent to which colonial birds maintain group integrity when occupying different sites in different years or the benefits of long‐term associations among colonial individuals. For cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) in western Nebraska, USA, we examined ecological correlates and potential benefits associated with group integrity. Using a dataset of over 25,000 individuals, we found that associations between dispersing cliff swallows were greater than would be predicted by purely random settlement among colony sites. The extent of group integrity varied widely among sites, with birds seeming to settle together more often at sites with fewer ectoparasites and at colonies similar in size and closer in physical proximity to the one they had previously occupied. Some associations of birds lasted three years in which they used a different site each year. Successful colonies had higher levels of group integrity among their settlers than did colonies that failed completely. Cliff swallows that were known to have settled with at least one conspecific from the previous year's site had a higher survival the next year than those not known to have settled with past residents. The results are consistent with cliff swallows choosing colonies based in part on parasite load and with sorting among colonies based on the birds’ preferences for colonies of certain sizes.

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Group Adherence in the Common Tern

Cited by 29 publications

References 1 publication

Immigrants are attracted by local pre‐breeders and recruits in a seabird colony

Immigrants are attracted by local pre‐breeders and recruits in a seabird colony

The role of behavior in tern conservation

Ecological correlates of group integrity among dispersing cliff swallows

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