Article
Ecology
Bruce E. Lyon, Alejandra Carminati, Genevieve Goggin, John M. Eadie
Summary: Obligate brood parasites rely completely on other species to raise their offspring. The evolution of obligate parasitism is likely due to the increased reproductive success that comes with being emancipated from parental care. However, the evolution of brood parasitism in black-headed ducks is puzzling because their self-feeding precocial offspring should not limit the reproductive potential of potential brood parasites. Experimental evidence suggests that high nest predation rates may have played a role in the evolution of brood parasitism in this duck.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Peter Santema, Lotte Schlicht, Kristina B. Beck, Bart Kempenaers
Summary: Research shows that factors such as age, time of day, and other aspects of fledging behavior are not affected even in the presence of simulated predation risk. However, nestlings exposed to predator treatment are more likely to fledge alone rather than with siblings. Parents visited predator-treated nests less frequently, but this effect decreased over time.
Article
Ornithology
Shoko Sugasawa, Sophie C. Edwards, Rowan Stanforth, Emily Bruton, Mike Hansell, Maggie Reilly, Susan D. Healy
Summary: The study introduces a photographic method for quantifying nest materials in birds' nests, which reduces time and can be applied to previously inaccessible data, encouraging further research on nesting materials and enhancing understanding of avian nest diversification.
Article
Forestry
Sophia Hochrein, Oliver Mitesser, Andrew M. Liebhold, Wolfgang W. Weisser, Benjamin M. L. Leroy, Hans Pretzsch, Torben Hilmers, Dominik Rabl, Joerg Mueller
Summary: This study investigated the effects of pest control activities on cavity nesting bird nest boxes. While the density of L. dispar decreased, it had no effect on early broods but had a negative impact on late broods. This impact may be due to increased parental effort from birds in response to caterpillar shortages during the first brood, resulting in a reduced number of second broods.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Jonas Rafael Rodrigues Rosoni, Carla Suertegaray Fontana, Caio Jose Carlos
Summary: This study examined the breeding ecology of the Chestnut Seedeater in southeast South America. The researchers investigated clutch size, productivity, nestling sex ratio, and nest success. They found a relationship between environmental variables and the number of active nests, and the sex ratio of nestlings did not deviate from the expected ratio. Nest success was 31%, with predation being the leading cause of nest failure. The starting date was the main predictor of nest survival.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Qiuhui Yang, Xiangyang Chen, Ziqi Zhang, Jingru Han, Neng Wu, Canchao Yang
Summary: Birds often clean their nests and reject foreign eggs to ensure the survival of their own eggs. The study suggests that nest sanitation in barn swallows may be an evolutionary precursor to egg rejection. Both male and female barn swallows engage in nest sanitation and egg rejection, but females invest more time. This provides evidence for the evolutionary relationship between nest sanitation and egg rejection behaviors in barn swallows.
Article
Zoology
Alfredo Attisano, Kasper Hlebowicz, Roman Gula, Jorn Theuerkauf
Summary: The study found that adult fan-tailed gerygones can discriminate between different predator and brood parasite models and respond accordingly. Although adult gerygones do not show awareness of parasitism risk and do not increase nestling ejection rates following exposure to the cuckoo model.
Article
Ornithology
Kevin B. Briggs, Mark C. Mainwaring
Summary: This study examined the microgeographic use of habitat by Roe Deer and three bird species. The findings showed that there were differences in habitat use between the deer and the bird species, indicating a lack of overlap in their habitat use at microgeographic scales.
Article
Ecology
Jordan M. Herman, Vanina D. Fiorini, Ignacio Crudele, Juan C. Reboreda, Shawn A. Pladas, Andre P. Watson, Sarah E. Bush, Dale H. Clayton
Summary: This study examined the separate and combined effects of nest flies and cowbirds on the fitness of a shared bird host, and found that both parasites reduce host fitness, but without interactive effects. The study highlights the complexity of co-parasitism and the potential role of predators in exacerbating the effects on hosts.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Xingmin Chen, Qin Zhang, Sisi Lan, Qin Huang, Shuihua Chen, Yanping Wang
Summary: Urbanization influences the reproductive life-history traits of Chinese Bulbuls in Hangzhou, China. The laying date of Chinese Bulbuls significantly advances with increasing urbanization, while other life-history traits show no significant change. Furthermore, increased feeding frequency and decreased nest predation pressure are observed with higher levels of urbanization. The earlier laying date of Chinese Bulbuls may be attributed to increased food resources and reduced nest predation pressure in urban areas.
Article
Ecology
Guixia Wan, Huahua Zhao, Xizhu Liu, Longwu Wang, Wei Liang
Summary: Birds carefully choose nest sites for survival, but face risks of predation. This study examined the breeding ecology of Daurian redstarts by providing nest boxes. Predation of redstarts' eggs and nestlings by Oriental magpie-robins and tree sparrows was observed. The abandonment of nests by redstarts after predation events provides valuable insight into the potential predators of cavity-nesting birds.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Todd M. Jones, Scott J. Chiavacci, Thomas J. Benson, Michael P. Ward
Summary: Research shows that most songbirds fledge in the early morning to avoid peak times of nest predation risk later in the day. Species under greater risk of nest predation tend to fledge earlier in the day and in closer succession to their siblings.
Article
Ornithology
Manuel Soler, Tomas Perez-Contreras, Francisco Ruiz-Raya
Summary: Brood parasites usually lay only one egg per nest to avoid competition, but multiparasitism is surprisingly frequent in the great spotted cuckoo. This is because the cuckoo is less harmful and magpie hosts can successfully raise multiple parasitic nestlings. The total number of cuckoo chicks raised is higher in multiparasitized nests and there is no difference in magpie breeding success between single-, double-, and multiparasitized nests. The intensity of parasitism does not affect nest desertion or predation rate, suggesting that nest concealment does not impact susceptibility to parasitism and predation.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Alexandra M. Israel, Sue Hayes, Brendan P. Boyd, Bridget J. M. Stutchbury
Summary: In North America, temperate zone songbirds often face high levels of nest predation and Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism, which may lead to population declines. This study investigates whether nest concealment can reduce the risk of nest predation and cowbird parasitism in the Wood Thrush, a declining forest bird species.
JOURNAL OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Loren Merrill, Todd M. Jones, Jeffrey D. Brawn, Michael P. Ward
Summary: Life history studies show that trade-offs between growth and survival are common, both within and among species. This study examined traits in temperate-zone passerine birds to understand the causes and consequences of variation in early-life growth. The results suggest that nest predation risk and trait covariance play a role in postfledging mortality.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biology
Nils Chr. Stenseth, Joel M. Durant, Mike S. Fowler, Erik Matthysen, Frank Adriaensen, Niclas Jonzen, Kung-Sik Chan, Hai Liu, Jenny De Laet, Ben C. Sheldon, Marcel E. Visser, Andre A. Dhondt
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2015)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
David H. Ley, Dana M. Hawley, Steven J. Geary, Andre A. Dhondt
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES
(2016)
Article
Biology
S. Barve, A. A. Dhondt, V. B. Mathur, Z. A. Cheviron
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2016)
Article
Ecology
Frank A. La Sorte, Wesley M. Hochachka, Andrew Farnsworth, Andre A. Dhondt, Daniel Sheldon
Editorial Material
Parasitology
Andre A. Dhondt, Andrew P. Dobson
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Ecology
Andre A. Dhondt, Keila V. Dhondt, Sophie Nazeri
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE
(2017)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Arietta E. Fleming-Davies, Paul D. Williams, Andre A. Dhondt, Andrew P. Dobson, Wesley M. Hochachka, Ariel E. Leon, David H. Ley, Erik E. Osnas, Dana M. Hawley
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Brian L. Sullivan, Jocelyn L. Aycrigg, Jessie H. Barry, Rick E. Bonney, Nicholas Bruns, Caren B. Cooper, Theo Damoulas, Andre A. Dhondt, Tom Dietterich, Andrew Farnsworth, Daniel Fink, John W. Fitzpatrick, Thomas Fredericks, Jeff Gerbracht, Carla Gomes, Wesley M. Hochachka, Marshall J. Iliff, Carl Lagoze, Frank A. La Sorte, Matthew Merrifield, Will Morris, Tina B. Phillips, Mark Reynolds, Amanda D. Rodewald, Kenneth V. Rosenberg, Nancy M. Trautmann, Andrea Wiggins, David W. Winkler, Weng-Keen Wong, Christopher L. Wood, Jun Yu, Steve Kelling
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2014)
Article
Ecology
P. D. Williams, A. P. Dobson, K. V. Dhondt, D. M. Hawley, A. A. Dhondt
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2014)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Andre A. Dhondt, Keila V. Dhondt, Wesley M. Hochachka, Karel A. Schat
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES
(2013)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andre A. Dhondt, Jonathan C. DeCoste, David H. Ley, Wesley M. Hochachka
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andre A. Dhondt, Keila V. Dhondt, Wesley M. Hochachka
Article
Ecology
Maria Teresa Reinoso-Perez, Keila Dhondt, Agnes Sydenstricker, Dieter Heylen, Andre A. Dhondt
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Wesley M. Hochachka, Andrew P. Dobson, Dana M. Hawley, Andre A. Dhondt
Summary: The study investigates the interactions between house finches and the bacterium Mycoplasma gallisepticum, and how changes in bacterial virulence and host immunity drive the evolution of virulence. The initial emergence of the pathogen led to a rapid decrease in house finch populations and disease prevalence, with fluctuations over time. Acquired immunity appears to play a crucial role in the observed eco-evolutionary dynamics between house finches and Mycoplasma gallisepticum.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Andre A. Dhondt
Summary: This article provides an overview of the debate on intra- and interspecific competition and emphasizes the need for long-term field experiments to draw firm conclusions. The study examines the factors that limit population size of secondary cavity nesting birds and the use of nestbox configurations to manipulate breeding densities. The results demonstrate the effects of competition on population size, body size, and behavior.