Some important overlooked aspects of odors in avian nesting ecology

Shutler, Dave

doi:10.1111/jav.02003

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Finally, the olfactory crypsis hypothesis could apply not just to mammals, but to any olfactorily searching nest predators, regardless of taxon (e.g. insects, snakes, and even birds; Shutler, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Olfactory camouflage and communication in birds

Grieves

Gilles

Cuthill³

et al. 2022

Biological Reviews

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Smell is a sensory modality that is rarely considered in birds, but evidence is mounting that olfaction is an important aspect of avian behaviour and ecology. The uropygial gland produces an odoriferous secretion (preen oil) that can differ seasonally and between the sexes. These differences are hypothesized to function in olfactory camouflage, i.e. minimizing detection by nest predators (olfactory crypsis hypothesis), and/or intraspecific olfactory communication, particularly during breeding (sex semiochemical hypothesis). However, evidence for seasonal and sex differences in preen oil is mixed, with some studies finding differences and others not, and direct evidence for the putative function(s) of seasonal variation and sex differences in preen oil remains limited. We conducted a systematic review of the evidence for such changes in preen oil chemical composition, finding seasonal differences in 95% of species (57/60 species in 35 studies) and sex differences in 47% of species (28/59 species in 46 studies). We then conducted phylogenetic comparative analyses using data from 59 bird species to evaluate evidence for both the olfactory crypsis and sex semiochemical hypotheses. Seasonal differences were more likely in the incubating than non‐incubating sex in ground‐nesting species, but were equally likely regardless of incubation strategy in non‐ground‐nesting species. This result supports the olfactory crypsis hypothesis, if ground nesters are more vulnerable to olfactorily searching predators than non‐ground nesters. Sex differences were more likely in species with uniparental than biparental incubation and during breeding than non‐breeding, consistent with both the olfactory crypsis and sex semiochemical hypotheses. At present, the data do not allow us to disentangle these two hypotheses, but we provide recommendations that will enable researchers to do so.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Olfactory camouflage and communication in birds

Grieves

Gilles

Cuthill³

et al. 2022

Biological Reviews

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“…Olfactory foraging is likely more profitable in landscapes where ducks nest at higher densities (Nams , Larivière and Messier , Ringelman ). As such, selecting nest sites with lateral concealment on the prairies may help dissipate scent more effectively and reduce the likelihood of nests being located by olfactory predators (Fogarty et al , , Shutler ). Boreal‐forest predators, e.g., black bear ( Ursus americanus ), Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis ), and Mustela sp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microhabitat nest‐site selection by ducks in the boreal forest

2019

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The boreal forest is one of the North America's most important breeding areas for ducks, but information about the nesting ecology of ducks in the region is limited. We collected microhabitat data related to vegetation structure and composition at 157 duck nests and paired random locations in Alberta's boreal forest region from 2016 to 2018. We identified fine-scale vegetation features selected by ducks for all nests, between nesting guilds, and among five species using conditional logistic regression. Ducks in the boreal forest selected nest sites with greater overhead and graminoid cover, but less forb cover than random sites. Characteristics of the nest sites of upland-and overwater-nesting guilds differed, with species nesting in upland habitat selecting nests that provided greater shrub cover and less lateral concealment and species nesting over water selecting nests with less shrub cover. We examined the characteristics of nest sites of American Wigeon (Mareca americana), Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors), Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca), Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), and Ring-necked Ducks (Aythya collaris), and found differences among species that may facilitate species coexistence at a regional scale. Our results suggest that females of species nesting in upland habitat selected nest sites that optimized concealment from aerial predators while also allowing detection of and escape from terrestrial predators. Consequently, alteration in the composition and heterogeneity of vegetation and predator communities caused by climate change and industrial development in the boreal forest of Canada may affect the nest-site selection strategies of boreal ducks. RESUMEN.Selecci on del microh abitat de anidamiento de parte de patos en un bosque boreal El bosque boreal es uno de los lugares m as importantes para la reproducci on de patos en Norte Am erica, pero la informaci on que se tiene sobre la ecolog ıa de anidamiento de estos, en la regi on, es limitada. Recopilamos datos del microh abitat, relacionado con la composici on y estructura de la vegetaci on, de 157 nidos de patos y pareamos localidades al azar en la regi on de bosque boreal de Alberta, Canad a de 2016 a 2018. Identificamos atributos, a pequeña escala, del microh abitat de la vegetaci on seleccionada por los patos para anidar, entre gremios de nidos, y entre cinco especies, utilizando una regresi on log ıstica condicionada. En el bosque boreal, los patos seleccionaron lugares para anidar con mayor cantidad de cubertura superior de gram ıneas, pero con menos cubierta de herb aceas que lugares seleccionados al azar. Las caracter ısticas del lugar de anidamiento de gremios que anidaron en tierras altas y sobre el agua result o diferente, al de especies que anidaron en h abitat de tierras altas, y que seleccionaron para anidar lugares que proveyeron de mayor cobertura arbustiva y menos cubierta lateral y especies que anidaron sobre agua y que seleccionaron lugares con menor cobertura arbustiva. Examinamos las caracter ısticas del lugar de anidamiento de ...

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“…There are a great variety of mechanisms to identify other individuals according to their unique chemical (e.g., odour and taste) or physical (e.g., sounds and appearance) features [9]. Birds rely mainly on their visual and auditory sense to collect information about their environment [10][11][12] (but see [13,14]). There is substantial evidence on the ability of birds to discriminate voices at individual level [1][2][3][4][15][16][17][18][19], while the mechanisms underlying individual visual recognition are still poorly understood [1,[20][21][22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Egg recognition: The importance of quantifying multiple repeatable features as visual identity signals

Gómez¹,

Gordo

Minias

2021

PLoS ONE

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Brood parasitized and/or colonial birds use egg features as visual identity signals, which allow parents to recognize their own eggs and avoid paying fitness costs of misdirecting their care to others’ offspring. However, the mechanisms of egg recognition and discrimination are poorly understood. Most studies have put their focus on individual abilities to carry out these behavioural tasks, while less attention has been paid to the egg and how its signals may evolve to enhance its identification. We used 92 clutches (460 eggs) of the Eurasian coot Fulica atra to test whether eggs could be correctly classified into their corresponding clutches based only on their external appearance. Using SpotEgg, we characterized the eggs in 27 variables of colour, spottiness, shape and size from calibrated digital images. Then, we used these variables in a supervised machine learning algorithm for multi-class egg classification, where each egg was classified to the best matched clutch out of 92 studied clutches. The best model with all 27 explanatory variables assigned correctly 53.3% (CI = 42.6–63.7%) of eggs of the test-set, greatly exceeding the probability to classify the eggs by chance (1/92, 1.1%). This finding supports the hypothesis that eggs have visual identity signals in their phenotypes. Simplified models with fewer explanatory variables (10 or 15) showed lesser classification ability than full models, suggesting that birds may use multiple traits for egg recognition. Therefore, egg phenotypes should be assessed in their full complexity, including colour, patterning, shape and size. Most important variables for classification were those with the highest intraclutch correlation, demonstrating that individual recognition traits are repeatable. Algorithm classification performance improved by each extra training egg added to the model. Thus, repetition of egg design within a clutch would reinforce signals and would help females to create an internal template for true recognition of their own eggs. In conclusion, our novel approach based on machine learning provided important insights on how signallers broadcast their specific signature cues to enhance their recognisability.

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Some important overlooked aspects of odors in avian nesting ecology

Cited by 12 publications

References 64 publications

Olfactory camouflage and communication in birds

Olfactory camouflage and communication in birds

Microhabitat nest‐site selection by ducks in the boreal forest

Egg recognition: The importance of quantifying multiple repeatable features as visual identity signals

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