Nest size and breeding success in first and replacement clutches: an experimental study in Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus

Lambrechts, Marcel M.; Aimé, Carla; Midamegbe, Afiwa; Galan, Marie-Jo; Perret, Philippe; Grégoire, Arnaud; Doutrelant, Claire

doi:10.1007/s10336-011-0722-1

Cited by 52 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The contrasting findings of these two studies suggest that the availability of food influences nest building females in complex ways that vary over temporal and spatial scales and further studies in which blue tits or great tits are provided with supplementary food during the nest building period would be informative. Nevertheless, when the nests and eggs of experimental blue tit pairs were removed after 5 days of incubation so that they were forced to build their nests again, they built smaller nests and laid smaller replacement clutches (Lambrechts et al, 2012). Thus, there is evidence that nest building is an energetically expensive activity that is limited by the availability of food (Martin, 1987) in birds generally and also in blue tits, and probably therefore also in great tits, meaning that their nest building behaviors are extended phenotypic signals of the females' quality and may play a role in sexual selection.…”

Section: Sexual Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes and Consequences of Intraspecific Variation in Nesting Behaviors: Insights from Blue Tits and Great Tits

Mainwaring

2017

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Nest building is an important and yet under-studied stage of the reproductive cycle in many taxa, including birds, and whilst we have a decent understanding of interspecific variation in avian nesting behaviors, our understanding of intraspecific variation in nesting behaviors is much less developed. This is largely because an insufficient number of studies have been performed on any one species to draw robust conclusions. Fortunately, though, the amount of research on the nesting behaviors of nestbox-breeding blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and great tits (Parus major) has increased dramatically in recent years and their nesting behaviors are now sufficiently well-studied to offer useful insights into intraspecific variation in avian nesting behaviors. Studies show that individuals of both species select nest sites based on the presence and/or absence of conspecifics and heterospecifics and whilst neighbors were assumed to adversely affect focal individuals by competing for resources, they are now considered beneficial as they provide information about habitat quality and contribute to anti-predator defenses. Nest-building females accurately gauge local weather conditions and respond to predictable variation in environmental conditions by building nests with variable amounts of cup lining material to create suitable nest microclimates for nestlings. Meanwhile, both species vary the amount of aromatic plant materials in their nests in relation to the abundance of nest-dwelling parasites and pathogens and as aromatic plant materials also play a role in sexual selection then nest materials can have multiple functions. The height of nests is negatively correlated with the local risk of predation but whilst predator avoidance favors lower nests, sexual selection favors taller nests. In fact, higher quality females build taller nests that contain more green plant material which in turn influences the amount of care provided by males. This suggests there is considerable intraspecific variation in nesting behaviors in blue and great tits, and in birds generally, and highlights that birds are adept at adaptively varying their nesting behaviors in response to multiple factors. There is, however, a paucity of evidence directly linking such variation in nest building behaviors to reproductive success or fitness more broadly and so further studies could usefully examine such links because trade-offs between competing selection pressures may constrain adaptive nesting behaviors.

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Section: Sexual Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes and Consequences of Intraspecific Variation in Nesting Behaviors: Insights from Blue Tits and Great Tits

Mainwaring

2017

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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“…After removing the front door of the box (cf. Lambrechts et al 2012Lambrechts et al , 2016, we quantified nest building by measuring the vertical height of the external nest wall at 60.5 cm (measured from the bottom of the nest box to the top of the nest rim on the frontal part of the nest), also called ''nest depth'' (Hansell 2000), ''nest height'' (Lambrechts et al 2012), or ''nest thickness '' (Hurtrez-Boussès et al 1999). Thus, nest volume as a proxy of nest size was estimated by multiplying nest height with the inner surface of the standardized box floor (cf.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apart from testing experimentally the roles of photoperiod and temperature, we also controlled for the influence of 2 other potential determinants of nest size, namely clutch size and laying date. Several studies have indeed explored and reported relationships between nest size, laying date, and/or clutch size (e.g., Moreno et al 2008, Lambrechts et al 2012, 2017, Møller et al 2014. For example, early breeders or birds breeding in colder conditions could have the option to build larger, more insulated, nests and/or to lay larger clutches, thereby decreasing heat loss.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If the absolute length of the photoperiod per se proximately causes breeders to adjust nest size, independent from non-photoperiodic factors, we expected that birds would build larger nests during longer photoperiods, since longer photoperiods provide more opportunities to find the resources needed to build larger nests. If, rather, the rate of change in the length of the photoperiod or in ambient temperature proximately causes breeders to adjust nest size, independent from other factors, we expected that birds would build more rapidly smaller nests when photoperiod or temperature increases rapidly (e.g., Moreno et al 2008, Lambrechts et al 2012. Apart from testing experimentally the roles of photoperiod and temperature, we also controlled for the influence of 2 other potential determinants of nest size, namely clutch size and laying date.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Longer days provide more opportunities to find the resources needed to build larger nests and have been shown to increase nest-building rates (Hinde et al 1974). However, if breeders are time constrained, they are also expected to build smaller nests when they breed later in spring, under longer photoperiods (e.g., to speed up the breeding cycle to prevent progeny from fledging too late; e.g., Moreno et al 2008, Lambrechts et al 2012. Similarly, if low ambient temperatures are expected to induce larger and more insulated nests, the patterns of temperature changes during the prebreeding season could also inform birds about the local conditions and influence nest size, as was shown for egg-laying dates in Great Tits (Schaper et al 2012b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Experimental manipulation of photoperiod and temperature does not influence nest size in Blue and Great tits

Lambrechts

Samuel

2018

The Auk

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To anticipate future breeding conditions in spatiotemporally dynamic environments, any proximate aspect of breeding is expected to be causally associated with environmental cues or constraints. Photoperiod, ambient temperature, and food are considered to be among the most important environmental determinants of breeding performance. However, the importance of these determinants in the expression of nest size has not previously been investigated experimentally in laboratory conditions. We report that captive Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tits (Parus major) did not adjust the size of their cavity nest to experimental changes in photoperiod or ambient-temperature regimes. Results did not change when we controlled for first-egg date and clutch size. In addition, captive birds fed ad libitum did not build larger nests than free-ranging breeders in standardized nest boxes. Thus, we report no evidence that nest size per se is proximately influenced by commonly studied environmental factors like photoperiod, temperature, food abundance, or the level of investment in egg production-factors that can all pose energetic challenges to breeding birds. However, we do not exclude the possibility that, in natural conditions, energy-or resource-associated constraints might influence aspects of nest design other than nest size (e.g., rare nest components) or that constraints on nest building might only be revealed when birds need to build substantially larger nests (i.e. in larger cavities). Therefore, additional experimental work will be required to determine which are the proximate determinants of nest design in cavity breeders. Keywords: Blue Tit, breeding, Cyanistes caeruleus, Great Tit, nest size, Parus major La manipulación experimental del fotoperiodo y la temperatura no influencian el tamaño del nido en Cyanistes caeruleus y Parus major RESUMEN Para anticipar las condiciones reproductivas futuras en ambientes espacial y temporalmente dinámicos, se espera que cualquier aspecto que influencie de modo directo la reproducción este causalmente asociado con señales o restricciones ambientales. Se considera que el fotoperiodo, la temperatura ambiente y el alimento están entre los determinantes ambientales más importantes del desempeño reproductivo. Sin embargo, hasta la fecha, la importancia de estos determinantes en la expresión del tamaño del nido no ha sido investigada experimentalmente en condiciones de laboratorio. Nuestros hallazgos indican que los individuos cautivos de Cyanistes caeruleus y Parus major no ajustaron el tamaño de sus nidos en cavidades a los cambios experimentales en los regímenes del fotoperiodo o de la temperatura ambiente. Los resultados no cambiaron cuando controlamos por la fecha del primer huevo y el tamaño de la nidada. Adicionalmente, las aves cautivas alimentadas ad libitum no construyeron nidos más grandes que las aves libres que criaron en cajas nido estandarizadas. De este modo, no hallamos evidencia de que el tamaño del nido per se esté influenciado directamente por los fact...

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The design and function of birds' nests

Mainwaring

Hartley

Lambrechts

et al. 2014

Ecology and Evolution

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321

346

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All birds construct nests in which to lay eggs and/or raise offspring. Traditionally, it was thought that natural selection and the requirement to minimize the risk of predation determined the design of completed nests. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that sexual selection also influences nest design. This is an important development as while species such as bowerbirds build structures that are extended phenotypic signals whose sole purpose is to attract a mate, nests contain eggs and/or offspring, thereby suggesting a direct trade-off between the conflicting requirements of natural and sexual selection. Nest design also varies adaptively in order to both minimize the detrimental effects of parasites and to create a suitable microclimate for parents and developing offspring in relation to predictable variation in environmental conditions. Our understanding of the design and function of birds' nests has increased considerably in recent years, and the evidence suggests that nests have four nonmutually exclusive functions. Consequently, we conclude that the design of birds' nests is far more sophisticated than previously realized and that nests are multifunctional structures that have important fitness consequences for the builder/s.

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Nest size and breeding success in first and replacement clutches: an experimental study in Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus

Cited by 52 publications

References 48 publications

Causes and Consequences of Intraspecific Variation in Nesting Behaviors: Insights from Blue Tits and Great Tits

Causes and Consequences of Intraspecific Variation in Nesting Behaviors: Insights from Blue Tits and Great Tits

Experimental manipulation of photoperiod and temperature does not influence nest size in Blue and Great tits

The design and function of birds' nests

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