Wild zebra finches do not use social information from conspecific reproductive success for nest site choice and clutch size decisions
Wild zebra finches do not use social information from conspecific reproductive success for nest site choice and clutch size decisions
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DOI：
10.1007/s00265-018-2533-3
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发表时间：
2018-07-01
影响因子：
2.3
通讯作者：
Schuett, Wiebke
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Brandl, Hanja B.;Griffith, Simon C.;Schuett, Wiebke
有关当地栖息地质量的信息可以极大地帮助提高个体的决策能力，并最终提高其适应性。然而，人们对生殖决策中信息使用的机制和意义知之甚少，特别是在不可预测的环境中。我们以斑胸草雀（Taeniopygia guttata）为模型物种，验证了一种假设，即同种种的感知繁殖成功可以作为栖息地质量的线索，从而影响繁殖决策（巢址选择和卵数）。斑胸草雀在澳大利亚不可预测的干旱地区伺机繁殖。它们经常检查同种蚁巢，潜在地预测同种蚁的繁殖成功，即收集社会信息。我们进行了一个窝和窝的大小操纵实验，以创造高和低质量区域的感知。在6个地区，近300个斑胸草雀巢的卵数在一个繁殖季节要么增加（N = 3个），要么减少（N = 3个）。不同区域的繁殖成功率对繁殖对数和新产卵卵的大小影响不显著。因此，斑胸草雀不使用社会线索来决定它们的繁殖决定，这与温带物种的发现形成对比，这可能是对其栖息地高度不可预测性的适应。即使是重新繁殖鸟类的个人经验也不会直接影响它们的蛋数。我们的研究表明，斑胸草雀将高度的机会主义作为繁殖的关键策略。此外，据我们所知，这是第一次在野外使用实验方法来证明，在不可预测的自然环境中做出的决策可能与在温带环境中进行季节性繁殖的决策不同。社会信息可以帮助优化动物的行为。在温带气候中，有季节性的鸟类利用其他鸟类的繁殖成功来预测它们应该在哪里繁殖。然而，在不太可预测的环境中，人们对信息的使用知之甚少。在野外实验中，我们通过增加和减少野生斑胸草雀的产卵量来创造一个斑驳的环境，以测试社会信息在不可预测的条件下是否也被使用。我们没有发现证据表明澳大利亚内陆的斑胸草雀在决定筑巢地点和窝卵数量时使用来自其同类的社会信息。他们可能会收集有关环境参数和当前资源可用性的个人信息，这些信息可能比社会信息更可靠。
Information about the quality of local habitat can greatly help to improve an individual's decision-making and, ultimately, its fitness. Nevertheless, little is known about the mechanisms and significance of information use in reproductive decisions, especially in unpredictable environments. We tested the hypothesis that perceived breeding success of conspecifics serves as a cue for habitat quality and hence influences breeding decisions (nest site choice and clutch size), using the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) as a model species. Zebra finches breed opportunistically in the unpredictable, arid zone of Australia. They often inspect the nests of conspecifics, potentially to prospect on conspecific reproductive success, i.e., to collect social information. We conducted a clutch and brood size manipulation to experimentally create the perception of high and low quality areas. In six areas, clutch sizes of almost 300 zebra finch nests were either all increased (N = 3 areas) or reduced (N = 3 areas) throughout one breeding season. The number of breeding pairs and sizes of newly laid clutches were not significantly affected by the manipulated reproductive success of the areas. Thus, zebra finches did not use social cues for their reproductive decisions, which contrasts with findings of species in temperate zones, and could be an adaptation to the high unpredictability of their habitat. Even the personal experience of rebreeding birds did not directly affect their clutch size. Our study suggests that zebra finches employ a high level of opportunism as a key strategy for reproduction. Further, this is the first study to our knowledge using an experimental approach in the wild to demonstrate that decision-making in unpredictable natural environments might differ from decision-making in temperate environments with seasonal breeding.Social information can help to optimize the behavior of animals. Birds in temperate climates with seasonality use breeding success of others to predict where they should breed. However, very little is known about information use in less predictable environments. In a field experiment, we created a patchy environment by increasing and decreasing brood sizes of wild zebra finches to test if social information is also used in unpredictable conditions. We found no evidence that zebra finches in the Australian outback use social information from their conspecifics when deciding on nest site and clutch size. They probably gather personal information on environmental parameters and the current availability of resources, which might be more reliable than social information.