Predation risk induces changes in nest-site selection and clutch size in the Siberian jay

Eggers, Sönke; Griesser, Michael; Nystrand, Magdalena; Ekman, Jan

doi:10.1098/rspb.2005.3373

Cited by 289 publications

(278 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(43 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

257

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Coastal territories experienced a much higher predation risk, and coastal females had a greater cumulative seasonal investment in eggs. This investment pattern follows a within-season, bethedging strategy-as expected under conditions defined by a high probability of failure (Eggers et al 2006;Slagsvold 1984). Coastal individuals also exhibited numerous behavioral adaptations to increased predation risk.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Causes of reduced clutch size in a tidal marsh endemic

et al. 2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We tested three hypotheses of clutch size variation in two subspecies of the swamp sparrow (Melospiza georgiana georgiana and M. g. nigrescens). Swamp sparrows follow the pattern of other estuarine endemics, where clutch size is smaller among tidal salt marsh populations (M. g. nigrescens) than their closest inland relatives (M. g. georgiana). Our results support predation risk and temperature, but not adult survival, as explanations of this pattern in swamp sparrows. Coastal nests were twice as likely to fail as inland nests, and parental activity around the nest site was positively related to clutch size at both sites. When brood size was controlled for, coastal adults visited nests less often and females vocalized less frequently during visits than inland birds, which may decrease nest detectability to predators. Coastal parents waited longer than inland birds to feed offspring in the presence of a model nest predator, but there was no difference in their response to models of predators of adults, as would be expected if coastal birds possessed increased longevity. Additionally, coastal females laid more eggs than inland females over a single season, following a within-season bet-hedging strategy rather than reducing within-season investment. Coastal territories experienced ambient air temperatures above the physiological zero of egg development more often, and higher temperatures during laying correlated with smaller clutches and increased egg inviability among coastal birds. Similar effects were not seen among inland nests, where laying temperatures were generally below physiological zero. Both subspecies showed an increase in hatching asynchrony and a decrease in apparent incubation length under high temperatures. Coastal individuals, however, showed less hatching asynchrony overall despite higher temperatures. Both air temperatures during laying and predation risk could potentially explain reduced clutch size in not only coastal plain swamp sparrows, but also other tidal marsh endemics.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Causes of reduced clutch size in a tidal marsh endemic

et al. 2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Preference for tall nest trees is common among many forest-dwelling raptors (Titus and Mosher 1981;Bednarz and Dinsmore 1982) and may be the evolutionary result of several stimuli such as reduced thermoregulatory stress or predation risk. Martin (1993) and Eggers et al (2006) described how predation risks can influence nesting habitat selection of many bird species, and Franklin et al (2000) showed thermoregulatory considerations may influence habitat selection of northern spotted owls Strix occidentalis.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Red-Shouldered Hawk Nesting Habitat Preference in South Texas

Strobel

Boal

2010

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We examined nesting habitat preference by red-shouldered hawks Buteo lineatus using conditional logistic regression on characteristics measured at 27 occupied nest sites and 68 unused sites in 2005-2009 in south Texas. We measured vegetation characteristics of individual trees (nest trees and unused trees) and corresponding 0.04-ha plots. We evaluated the importance of tree and plot characteristics to nesting habitat selection by comparing a priori tree-specific and plot-specific models using Akaike's information criterion. Models with only plot variables carried 14% more weight than models with only center tree variables. The model-averaged odds ratios indicated red-shouldered hawks selected to nest in taller trees and in areas with higher average diameter at breast height than randomly available within the forest stand. Relative to randomly selected areas, each 1-m increase in nest tree height and 1-cm increase in the plot average diameter at breast height increased the probability of selection by 85% and 10%, respectively. Our results indicate that red-shouldered hawks select nesting habitat based on vegetation characteristics of individual trees as well as the 0.04-ha area surrounding the tree. Our results indicate forest management practices resulting in tall forest stands with large average diameter at breast height would benefit red-shouldered hawks in south Texas.

show abstract

“…Therefore, the risk of predation exerts strong selection pressures not only on the location and design of birds' nests but also on the behaviors of the parent birds when they visit the nest site (reviewed by Martin, 1993;Lima, 2009;Mainwaring et al, 2014bMainwaring et al, , 2015Ibáñez-Álamo et al, 2015). Accordingly, the risk of predation influences aspects of nest site selection (Marzluff, 1988;Forstmeier and Weiss, 2004;Eggers et al, 2006) and nest design (Biancucci and Martin, 2010;Lovell et al, 2013) in a wide range of birds. For example, the open cup nests of common blackbirds (Turdus merula) that were experimentally increased in size were predated more often than either control nests that remained unchanged in size or nests that were experimentally decreased in size (Møller, 1990a).…”

Section: Predator Avoidancementioning

confidence: 99%

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

Mainwaring

2017

Front. Ecol. Evol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

Predation risk induces changes in nest-site selection and clutch size in the Siberian jay

Cited by 289 publications

References 32 publications

Causes of reduced clutch size in a tidal marsh endemic

Causes of reduced clutch size in a tidal marsh endemic

Red-Shouldered Hawk Nesting Habitat Preference in South Texas

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

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About