Article
Biology
Kang Nian Yap, Donald R. Powers, Melissa L. Vermette, Olivia Hsin- Tsai, Tony D. Williams
Summary: Experimental manipulation of foraging effort in captive zebra finches showed that increased workload during reproduction resulted in lower fecundity, but final reproductive output was not significantly different from controls. Offspring of parents subjected to high workload during reproduction also exhibited higher levels of oxidative stress at 90 days of age. Overall, there was an increase in oxidative stress in response to training, which may explain the lower fecundity observed in birds with increased workload during reproduction.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Luke S. C. McCowan, Simon C. Griffith
Summary: In a monitored population of wild Zebra Finches, a prolonged heatwave led to the complete mortality of the majority of clutches laid before or during the event, highlighting the catastrophic effects of high temperatures on avian reproduction.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alice Monnier-Corbel, Anne-Christine Monnet, Leo Bacon, Blas M. Benito, Alexandre Robert, Yves Hingrat
Summary: The study indicates that reproductive success of North African Houbara bustard is negatively impacted by local densities, with this relationship remaining constant over time and space and not varying with habitat quality.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sharon E. Lynn, Tudor Lungu, Seung Yeon Lee
Summary: Short-term unpredictable food leads to increased HPA axis activation and food intake in zebra finches, but prolonged unpredictable food does not result in chronic elevation of baseline corticosterone.
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Emma Vatka, Markku Orell, Seppo Rytkonen, Juha Merila
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of ambient temperatures on the evolutionary potential and strength of natural selection on the timing of reproduction in two passerine birds. The results indicate that spring temperatures did not significantly affect the amount of additive genetic variation or heritability expressed in laying date.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Rita Fortuna, Matthieu Paquet, Andre C. Ferreira, Liliana R. Silva, Franck Theron, Claire Doutrelant, Rita Covas
Summary: The study on sociable weavers suggests that females can adjust clutch size but show high individual consistency in egg mass. While breeding in different ecological conditions, females may alter clutch size but do not necessarily adjust egg mass based on the number of helpers.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jinlong Liu, Han Yan, Guopan Li, Shaobin Li
Summary: The study found strong and positive associations between nest concealment and clutch size, incubation period, nestling period, and nest success across 21 sympatric bird species living on the Tibet Plateau at 3,400m altitude. This suggests that nest-site characteristics, such as concealment, play a crucial role in reproductive performance in alpine bird communities.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jessica A. Haines, David M. Delaney, Andrea E. Wishart, Andrew G. McAdam, David W. Coltman, Jeffrey E. Lane, Ben Dantzer, Stan Boutin
Summary: Reproduction is energetically expensive for both sexes, and if males and females have different timing of reproduction, there is an opportunity for sex-specific selection to act on energetic resource acquisition. In North American red squirrels, males have larger caches than females, and this is likely driven by a stronger positive connection between cache size and fitness components for males. Males with larger caches have greater siring success, while females with larger caches only experience a positive effect on the number of recruits produced if they breed early. Additionally, males and females with larger caches sire pups and give birth earlier. These findings demonstrate that sexual selection extends beyond mating behavior traits and can act on traits related to acquiring resources needed for reproduction.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Pietro B. D'Amelio, Andre C. Ferreira, Rita Fortuna, Matthieu Paquet, Liliana R. Silva, Franck Theron, Claire Doutrelant, Rita Covas
Summary: Climate plays a significant role in reproductive processes, and this study investigated the effects of weather and nest predation on reproductive output in a social species. The results showed that larger group sizes have limited capacity to mitigate the effects of adverse weather.
Article
Biology
W. C. Oosthuizen, P. A. Pistorius, M. N. Bester, R. Altwegg, P. J. N. de Bruyn
Summary: Population-level shifts in reproductive phenology in response to environmental change are common, but the individual-level responses are influenced by demographic and genetic factors. Researchers quantified reproductive timing variation in female southern elephant seals breeding at Marion Island and found that breeding arrival dates were more repeatable at the individual level, even after considering individual traits associated with phenological variability. Similarities in breeding phenology between mother and daughter seals suggest genetic effects contribute to between-individual variation. The study also found no correlation between annual fluctuations in phenology and environmental variation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Alexis J. Breen, Susan D. Healy, Lauren M. Guillette
Summary: The study explores the impact of stiff and flexible materials on nest-building behavior of zebra finches, finding that fewer pieces were used by stiff-string builders while more pieces were used by flexible-string builders, leading to different fledgling numbers. These results indicate that physical properties of nest materials can affect avian reproduction performance.
BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Peter W. Greig-Smith
Summary: This study found that hole-nesting bird species exhibit variability in nesting habits, with group nesting more likely a result of birds independently selecting good nesting sites in an unpredictable habitat rather than social benefits.
Article
Biology
Naouel Benharzallah, Abdelkrim Si Bachir, Christophe Barbraud
Summary: The study aimed to examine the impact of nest site characteristics and food supplementation from rubbish dumps on the reproductive parameters of white storks. The results showed that white storks breeding near rubbish dumps had larger nest sizes, hatched more chicks, and raised more fledglings compared to those breeding far from rubbish dumps. The study also found that nest size was positively correlated with nest surface area, and breeding success was lower for storks nesting on electricity poles compared to those nesting in trees.
Article
Ecology
Ryan P. Bourbour, Breanna L. Martinico, Emily M. Phillips, Jessica N. Schlarbaum, Michelle G. Hawkins, Joshua M. Hull, Sara M. Kross
Summary: This study aimed to describe the breeding season of barn owls in California using nestling records. The results showed that barn owls typically begin to lay eggs in winter, and suggested that nest box maintenance should be conducted in fall to minimize nest disturbance.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2022)
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
Behavioral Sciences
Hugo Loning, Simon C. Griffith, Marc Naguib
Summary: Zebra finches in their natural habitat produce soft songs with limited transmission range, which challenges the conventional understanding of birdsong as long-range communication. These findings, combined with data on hearing physiology, offer a new ecological perspective on the function of zebra finch song. The study highlights the contrast between zebra finches' short-range vocal communication in the wild and the use of song as a long-range advertisement signal by other songbirds.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elizabeth L. Sheldon, Riccardo Ton, Winnie Boner, Pat Monaghan, Shirley Raveh, Aaron W. Schrey, Simon C. Griffith
Summary: The study revealed a negative correlation between increases in DNAm levels and telomere length changes during early life, while also confirming the effects of post hatch growth rate and clutch size on telomere length. No effect of ambient temperature on telomere length dynamics was detected. The absolute telomere length of wild zebra finches was found to be similar to that of captive birds, highlighting potential relationships between DNA based biomarkers of ageing and physiological reactions to environmental change.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Corinna Adrian, Simon C. Griffith, Marc Naguib, Wiebke Schuett
Summary: This study experimentally tested the use of acoustic cues in wild zebra finches to locate conspecifics and access social information. The results indicate that zebra finches were more likely to land near the sound source when vocalizations from foraging conspecific groups were broadcast. This suggests that they use acoustic cues as a source of social information for grouping decisions.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Callum S. McDiarmid, Laura L. Hurley, Madiline Le Mesurier, Andrew C. Blunsden, Simon C. Griffith
Summary: Sperm traits, including midpiece length, velocity, and motility, can be influenced by factors such as diet quality and seminal fluid composition. This study found that diet quality reduction led to a significant decrease in sperm midpiece length in wild-derived captive zebra finches. Additionally, both experimental groups showed a decrease in sperm velocity and motile sperm proportion over time, suggesting that there are other important determinants of sperm velocity.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hugo Loning, Laura Verkade, Simon C. Griffith, Marc Naguib
Summary: Male songbirds sing to establish territories and attract mates, but recent research has shown that singing also serves other functions, such as social cohesion and breeding synchronization. The study of zebra finches found that despite not having territories, males still sing and form long-term monogamous bonds with females. The study also revealed that singing plays an important role in social aggregations by attracting conspecifics. These findings demonstrate that birdsong has important functions beyond territoriality and mate choice.
Article
Ornithology
Haruka Wada, Leslie Dees, Laura L. Hurley, Simon C. Griffith
Summary: Avian females can modify their nest-site selection and breeding behavior in response to changes in ambient temperature. However, their response to high ambient temperature in terms of eggshell characteristics has not been extensively studied. To address this, wild-derived and domesticated Zebra Finches were bred under temperatures of 18 degrees C, 30 degrees C, or 35 degrees C. The study found that eggs from finches bred at 18 degrees C and 30 degrees C had similar characteristics, but females exposed to 35 degrees C laid significantly thinner eggs compared to the 18 degrees C group. These findings suggest that ecologically relevant temperatures in arid regions of Australia can affect eggshell thickness, an important factor for bird hatchability.
Article
Ecology
Hector Pacheco-Fuentes, Riccardo Ton, Simon C. Griffith
Summary: Understanding the consequences of heat exposure on mitochondrial function is vital for the understanding of metabolic processes and population dynamics. Experiments with zebra finches showed that heat treatments during early development led to decreased mitochondrial metabolism in adults. The intensity, pattern, and duration of temperature conditions at early-life stages affected the reaction of adult birds to heat. Our study provides insights into the complexity of mitochondrial metabolism variation and raises questions about the adaptive value of long-lasting physiological adjustments triggered by the early-life thermal environment.
Article
Ecology
Callum S. McDiarmid, Fiona Finch, Marianne Peso, Erica van Rooij, Daniel M. Hooper, Melissah Rowe, Simon C. Griffith
Summary: Mating behavior plays a crucial role in speciation by influencing gene flow between closely related species. The long-tailed finch provides an opportunity to study mating behavior and species barriers through the examination of hybrid zones. Behavioral assays revealed an assortative mating preference for males of the same subspecies, but this preference was not observed when bill color was manipulated. This suggests that mate preference may be based on other traits or a combination of traits, or the bill manipulations were not convincing to the female choosers.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Laura L. Hurley, Riccardo Ton, Melissah Rowe, Katherine L. Buchanan, Simon C. Griffith, Ondi L. Crino
Summary: Birds that breed opportunistically maintain partial activation of reproductive systems to rapidly exploit environmental conditions when they become suitable for breeding. Males of seasonally breeding birds downregulate testosterone production outside of a breeding context to minimize costs.
HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Madeleine Wheeler, Riccardo Ton, Hanja B. Brandl, Wiebke Schuett, Simon C. Griffith
Summary: Due to global warming, understanding how organisms adapt their behavior to environmental temperature conditions has become an increasingly important question in animal biology. Temperature-driven adjustments in parental care are important as they affect offspring size and survival. A study on zebra finches found that with every 1°C increase in daytime temperature, there was a 0.91% reduction in the frequency of parental visits to the nest, indicating the potential impact on food availability for nestlings.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Hugo Loning, Rita Fragueira, Marc Naguib, Simon C. Griffith
Summary: This study identified semi-permanent gathering locations, or "social hotspots," in free-living populations of zebra finches and found that these hotspots are continuously visited by the birds for social interactions and information exchange. These findings reveal the social organization of zebra finches in the wild and contribute to our understanding of their natural social life.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Kumkum Dubey, Callum S. Mcdiarmid, Simon C. Griffith
Summary: This study assessed the impact of experimentally manipulated diet on the sperm traits of long-tailed finches. The results showed that diet had no significant impact on sperm length, in contrast to a study on zebra finches. However, there was a slight increase in head, flagellum, and total sperm length during the treatment period. The dietary manipulation also affected bill color saturation and body mass in the long-tailed finches.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Riccardo Ton, Winnie Boner, Shirley Raveh, Pat Monaghan, Simon C. Griffith
Summary: This study investigates the effects of heat waves on telomere dynamics and parental brooding behavior in zebra finch nestlings. The results suggest that the impact of heat waves on telomere dynamics varies depending on the age and thermoregulatory stage of the offspring, as well as parental brooding behavior.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katja Della Libera, Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin, Simon C. Griffith, Stephan T. Leu
Summary: Fission-fusion events are a mechanism for animals to adjust the social environment in response to short-term changes in the cost-benefit ratio of group living. This study identified fission-fusion events in free-ranging sheep based on high-resolution GPS data and found that group size was highest during resting times, while fission and fusion frequencies were highest during periods of high activity. However, fission and fusion events were not more frequent near food patches and water resources, suggesting limited role of resource competition.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katja Della Libera, Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin, Simon C. Griffith, Stephan T. Leu
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
James A. Klarevas-Irby, Damien R. Farine
Summary: Little is known about how animals overcome temporal constraints on movement during dispersal. This study used GPS tracking of vulturine guineafowl and found that dispersers showed the greatest increase in movement at the same times of day when they moved the most prior to dispersal. These findings suggest that individuals face the same ecological constraints during dispersal as they do in daily life and achieve large displacements by maximizing movement when conditions are most favorable.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Simone Ciaralli, Martina Esposito, Stefano Francesconi, Daniela Muzzicato, Marco Gamba, Matteo Dal Zotto, Daniela Campobello
Summary: Male cuckoos may transfer nest location information to females as a nonmaterial nuptial gift through specific postures and behaviors, potentially influencing mating choices of female cuckoos.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Anne E. Aulsebrook, Rowan Jacques-Hamilton, Bart Kempenaers
Summary: Accelerometry and machine learning have been used to quantify mating behaviors of captive male ruffs. Different machine learning methods were compared and evaluated for their classification performance. The study highlights the challenges and potential pitfalls in classifying mating behaviors using accelerometry and provides recommendations and considerations for future research.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Maria G. Smith, Joshua B. LaPergola, Christina Riehl
Summary: This study analyzed individual contributions to parental care in the greater ani bird and found that workload inequality varied between groups of two and three pairs. However, there was no clear evidence of division of labour within the groups, suggesting individual differences in overall work performed.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Noah M. T. Smith, Reuven Dukas
Summary: Winner and loser effects are observed in many animals, and recent experiments suggest that they may also occur in humans. In two experiments involving video games and reading comprehension, participants who won in the first phase performed significantly better in the second phase compared to those who lost. The effect size was larger in the video game experiment, and men and women showed similar magnitudes of winner and loser effects.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Bianca J. L. Marcellino, Peri Yee, Shannon J. Mccauley, Rosalind L. Murray
Summary: This study examines the trade-off between mating effort and thermoregulatory behavior in dragonflies in response to temperature changes, and investigates the effect of wing melanin on these behaviors. The results indicate that as temperature increases, dragonflies reduce their mating effort and increase their thermoregulatory behavior.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Rafael Rios Moura, Paulo Inacio Prado, Joao Vasconcellos-Neto
Summary: This study examined the escape behavior and decision-making of Aglaoctenus castaneus spiders on different substrates. It was found that spiders inhabiting injurious substrates displayed shorter flight initiation distances and lower sensitivity to predators.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Luigi Baciadonna, Cwyn Solvi, Francesca Terranova, Camilla Godi, Cristina Pilenga, Livio Favaro
Summary: In this study, it was found that African penguins could use ventral dot patterns to recognize their lifelong partner and nonpartner colonymates. This challenges the previous assumption of limited visual involvement in penguin communication, highlighting the complex and flexible recognition process in birds.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Nick A. R. Jones, Jade Newton-Youens, Joachim G. Frommen
Summary: Environmental conditions, particularly temperature, have a significant impact on animal behavior. This study focused on aggression in Neolamprologus pulcher fish and found that aggression rates increased with temperature at lower levels, but decreased after reaching a peak. Additionally, the influence of high temperatures on aggression changed over time during the trials. These findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of the short-term effects of temperature on aggression and highlight the importance of considering non-linear changes in thermal performance.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Bruno Herlander Martins, Andrea Soriano-Redondo, Aldina M. A. Franco, Ines Carry
Summary: Human activities have affected the availability of resources for wildlife, particularly through the provision of anthropogenic food subsidies at landfill sites. This study explores the influence of age on landfill attendance and foraging behavior in white storks. Adult storks visit landfills more frequently and show dominance over juveniles in food acquisition. Juveniles have limited access to landfill resources and are forced to use lower quality areas.