Adaptive nest site choice by birds

鸟类适应性巢址选择

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-05617
• 负责人: Shutler, Dave
• 金额: $ 1.53万
• 依托单位: Acadia University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=613650
• 关键词: Adaptive; nest; site; choice; birds

Early in the imperative of reproduction, birds must decide where to breed, taking into account aspects of habitat such as proximity of foraging areas, predators, and vegetative cover. Because nest habitat can have profound influences on reproductive success, there is intense interest in unravelling bases for these decisions. Birds suffering nest failure are presumed to learn and disperse adaptively to better nest habitats. Nest failure is more often ascribed to predation than to any other cause. Accordingly, parents are predicted to invest significantly in strategies to conceal nests from predators. My research program will make novel contributions in rigorously testing aspects of the preceding framework, focusing on evaluating adaptive choices of nest habitat relative to previous nest success, and on parents’ anti-predator defences. I will also mine my 15-year data set on reproduction in tree swallows wherein I have manipulated nest habitat to enable me to test experimentally for effects of nest habitat on reproductive success. Using recapture data, I will test whether adults adaptively choose better nest sites in successive reproductive attempts. Next, I will evaluate strategies of behavioral crypsis; breeding pairs of birds can improve crypsis of nest sites by synchronizing nest visits to limit opportunities for predators to observe feedings. In addition, predators may be more likely to home in on nest locations if parent birds’ approach and departure vectors clearly end at a particular location. Thus, parents that approach nests should depart in a direction that differs by 180 degrees; in this way, a predator may conclude that a bird merely stopped temporarily en route to a final destination. I propose and develop the Choreography Hypothesis that predicts both feeding synchrony and coordinated approach/departure vectors of parents to reduce detection of breeding sites by predators. The hypothesis makes a wealth of original predictions with respect to, for example, predator communities, frequency of feeding, brood value, and how long parent birds have bred together, and influences of the preceding on choreography. Initial testing of the Choreography Hypothesis will be done using tree swallows; subsequent tests will be extended to other species. My research will have broad interest for others working on these critical aspects of Darwinian fitness; my unique and exciting predictions can be tested in a variety of systems. My primary research objectives are to conduct cutting edge research on factors that constitute significant contributors to avian reproductive success and survival. Funding from Canadians through the federal government enables me to train students, one of the most rewarding parts of my research program. My students leave as mature scientists who have unravelled novel aspects of birds’ biology that can have important positive conservation impacts.

在繁殖的早期，鸟类必须决定在哪里繁殖，考虑到栖息地的各个方面，如觅食区的接近程度，捕食者和植被覆盖。由于巢栖息地可以有深远的影响，繁殖成功，有强烈的兴趣解开这些决定的基础。鸟类遭受巢失败被认为是学习和分散适应更好的巢栖息地。巢失败往往归因于捕食比任何其他原因。因此，父母预计投资显着的策略，以隐藏巢掠食者。我的研究计划将作出新的贡献，在严格的测试方面的前面的框架，侧重于评估适应性选择的巢栖息地相对于以前的巢成功，和父母的反捕食者防御。我还将挖掘我的15年数据集繁殖树燕子，其中我已经操纵巢栖息地，使我能够测试实验巢栖息地对繁殖成功的影响。使用再捕获数据，我将测试是否成人适应性地选择更好的巢址在连续的生殖尝试。接下来，我将评估的策略，行为的隐蔽性，繁殖对鸟类可以提高隐蔽性的巢址同步巢访问，以限制捕食者观察喂养的机会。此外，如果亲鸟的接近和离开矢量明显地在一个特定的位置结束，捕食者可能更有可能在巢的位置安家。因此，接近鸟巢的父母应该以180度的方向离开;这样，捕食者可能会得出结论，认为鸟类只是在前往最终目的地的途中暂时停留。我提出并发展的舞蹈假说，预测喂养同步和协调的方法/离开向量的父母，以减少检测繁殖场所的捕食者。该假说作出了丰富的原始预测，例如，捕食者社区，频率的喂养，育雏值，多长时间的父母鸟一起繁殖，以及前面对舞蹈的影响。舞蹈假说的初步测试将使用树燕进行，随后的测试将扩展到其他物种。我的研究将对其他研究达尔文适应性的关键方面的人产生广泛的兴趣;我独特而令人兴奋的预测可以在各种系统中进行测试。 我的主要研究目标是对鸟类繁殖成功和生存的重要因素进行前沿研究。加拿大人通过联邦政府提供的资金使我能够培训学生，这是我的研究计划中最有价值的部分之一。我的学生们作为成熟的科学家离开了，他们解开了鸟类生物学的新方面，这些方面可以产生重要的积极保护影响。