Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bram Catfolis, Tosca Vanroy, Kris Verheyen, Lander Baeten, An Martel, Frank Pasmans, Diederik Strubbe, Luc Lens
Summary: Sylvicultural practices increasingly focus on forest conservation, restoration, and sustainable management. Forests with higher structural complexity provide a more favorable nutritional environment for forest birds, resulting in better nutritional status, possibly due to increased food availability and sheltered habitat. The dominant tree species, architecture, and associated ecology also influence these relationships. Understanding the condition, performance, and health of forest species is crucial for informing managers and policymakers on the impact of changing forestry practices on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Sydney F. Hope, William A. Hopkins, Frederic Angelier
Summary: With 68% of the world's population expected to live in cities by 2050, it is crucial to understand how animals respond to urbanization. This study examines the effects of urbanization on parental care and incubation behavior in great tits. The results show that urban females spent more time incubating, had shorter off-bouts, and ended their last daily off-bouts at a later hour compared to forest females. However, there were no significant differences in egg temperatures or fitness-related offspring variables between urban and forest populations.
Article
Ecology
Miklos Laczi, Gabor Herczeg, Gyula Szabo, Helga Gyarmathy, Fanni Sarkadi, Janos Torok, Gergely Hegyi
Summary: This study investigated sexual dichromatism in great tits. The results showed marked differences between the breast section of males and the throat and belly sections, with the female's breast appearing less bright. This sexual dichromatism is not easily detected by the human eye. Additionally, a hidden ultraviolet patch was discovered in the male's breast, which may serve as a sexual ornament or signal amplifier.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Cesare Pacioni, Marina Sentis, Catherine Hambly, John R. Speakman, Anvar Kerimov, Andrey Bushuev, Luc Lens, Diederik Strubbe
Summary: Understanding how birds allocate energy to cope with changing environmental conditions and physiological states is crucial. This study on great tits found that their energy requirements increase during the breeding season compared to winter, but overall they maintain a relatively stable energy budget.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Liam D. Bailey, Martijn van de Pol, Frank Adriaensen, Aneta Arct, Emilio Barba, Paul E. Bellamy, Suzanne Bonamour, Jean-Charles Bouvier, Malcolm D. Burgess, Anne Charmantier, Camillo Cusimano, Blandine Doligez, Szymon M. Drobniak, Anna Dubiec, Marcel Eens, Tapio Eeva, Peter N. Ferns, Anne E. Goodenough, Ian R. Hartley, Shelley A. Hinsley, Elena Ivankina, Rimvydas Juskaitis, Bart Kempenaers, Anvar B. Kerimov, Claire Lavigne, Agu Leivits, Mark C. Mainwaring, Erik Matthysen, Jan-Ake Nilsson, Markku Orell, Seppo Rytkonen, Juan Carlos Senar, Ben C. Sheldon, Alberto Sorace, Martyn J. Stenning, Janos Torok, Kees van Oers, Emma Vatka, Stefan J. G. Vriend, Marcel E. Visser
Summary: The study reveals significant intra-specific variation in phenological sensitivity to temperature among populations of two songbird species. Populations inhabiting deciduous habitats demonstrate greater phenological sensitivity compared to those in evergreen and mixed habitats. However, populations with higher sensitivity have experienced slower climate change over the past decades.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ella F. Cole, Charlotte E. Regan, Ben C. Sheldon
Summary: Studies have found small-scale spatial variation in the timing of egg laying for great tits, linked to the health of nearby oak trees, in response to climate change. This suggests spatial differences in the impact of climate change on animals and plants, highlighting the importance of local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity in responding to climate change, as well as the role of behavioral responses like habitat selection and dispersal in mitigating challenges from climate extremes.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Csenge Sinkovics, Gabor Seress, Ivett Pipoly, Erno Vincze, Andras Liker
Summary: The study found that the scarcity of high-quality food in cities may lead to poor reproductive performance in urban birds, and although urban great tit parents can provide the same quantity of food per nestling as forest parents in some ways, they still cannot fully compensate for the lack of caterpillars in poor years.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maaike Griffioen, Arne Iserbyt, Wendt Mueller
Summary: The study found that in a condition of conditional cooperation, female blue tits invested more in caring for nestlings under cold conditions without affecting visit rates. Additionally, females showed higher levels of turn taking in the more demanding cold conditions, while males did not adjust their visit rates, indicating that turn taking was not restricted by other sex-specific tasks and did not lead to greater investment by male partners.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Marcel E. Visser, Melanie Lindner, Phillip Gienapp, Matthew C. Long, Stephanie Jenouvrier
Summary: Climate change has caused phenological shifts in different species and trophic levels, with a recent slowdown in the rate of advance due to a decrease in late spring temperatures. It is projected that prey phenology will advance faster than predator phenology in the coming decades, intensifying phenological mismatches.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Natalie E. van Dis, Kamiel Spoelstra, Marcel E. Visser, Davide M. Dominoni
Summary: Artificial light at night (ALAN) can impact bird incubation behavior, leading to lower nest temperatures, fewer but longer off-bouts, and potentially severe consequences for embryo development. However, no clear effects on hatchling number or weight were found in this study. The subtle alterations in natural behaviors due to ALAN may not have immediate fitness consequences, but could potentially accumulate and negatively affect parent condition, survival, and offspring recruitment in the long term, especially in urban environments with high levels of environmental pollutants.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bernice Sepers, A. Christa Mateman, Fleur Gawehns, Koen J. F. Verhoeven, Kees van Oers
Summary: The early life environment is crucial for many organisms and can have profound effects on morphology, physiology, and fitness. The molecular mechanisms that mediate these effects are largely unknown, but DNA methylation has been suggested as a potential mechanism. This study investigated the association between DNA methylation changes and experimentally induced early developmental effects in great tit nestlings.
Article
Ornithology
Krisztina Sandor, Andras Liker, Csenge Sinkovics, Aron Peter, Gabor Seress
Summary: The study found that urban Great Tit nestlings have fewer feathers but slightly higher density of feathers due to smaller feather tracts, possibly as an adaptation to higher urban temperatures, constrained feather development due to limited optimal nestling-food sources in urban environments, or both.
Article
Ornithology
Pawel Podkowa, Adrian Surmacki
Summary: Natural light plays a significant role in the biology, ecology, and behavior of birds. This study investigates the impact of light environment on nestlings and adult female birds in their first breeding attempt. The results show that light environment does not significantly affect nestlings' body condition and growth, but females in their first breeding attempt prefer bright nest boxes and their offspring have higher weights and immune responses compared to those in dark nest boxes.
JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sheng Zhang, Yue Shen, Shengnan Wang, Zhaocun Lin, Rui Su, Fei Jin, Yingmei Zhang
Summary: The gut microbiota of tree sparrow nestlings is susceptible to heavy metals during early development. However, the results also highlight the presence of adaptive responses that enable them to effectively cope with environmental heavy metal pollution.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Evy Goossens, Roschong Boonyarittichaikij, Daan Dekeukeleire, Lionel Hertzog, Sarah Van Praet, Frank Pasmans, Dries Bonte, Kris Verheyen, Luc Lens, An Martel, Elin Verbrugghe
Summary: This study investigates the impact of forest structure on the gut microbiome of wild great tit nestlings. The results show an interaction effect of edge density with tree species richness or composition on the microbial richness and community structure. There is no significant short-term impact of the overall fecal microbiome on host characteristics, but specific bacterial genera have adverse effects on fledging success.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
