Aggressive behavior by Western Bluebirds (<i>Sialia mexicana</i>) varies with anthropogenic disturbance to breeding habitat

Bhardwaj, Manisha; Dale, Catherine A.; Ratcliffe, Laurene M.

doi:10.1676/14-087.1

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…We also predict that long-term exposure to continuous anthropogenic noise will be linked to reduced fitness. Incorporating multiple species and disturbance (53)(54)(55)(56)(57) into a multiyear study defined by a chronic, homotypic stressor represents the most highly integrated study of the effects of anthropogenic noise on wild birds to date.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic anthropogenic noise disrupts glucocorticoid signaling and has multiple effects on fitness in an avian community

Kleist

Guralnick

Cruz

et al. 2018

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

200

159

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Anthropogenic noise is a pervasive pollutant that decreases environmental quality by disrupting a suite of behaviors vital to perception and communication. However, even within populations of noise-sensitive species, individuals still select breeding sites located within areas exposed to high noise levels, with largely unknown physiological and fitness consequences. We use a study system in the natural gas fields of northern New Mexico to test the prediction that exposure to noise causes glucocorticoid-signaling dysfunction and decreases fitness in a community of secondary cavity-nesting birds. In accordance with these predictions, and across all species, we find strong support for noise exposure decreasing baseline corticosterone in adults and nestlings and, conversely, increasing acute stressor-induced corticosterone in nestlings. We also document fitness consequences with increased noise in the form of reduced hatching success in the western bluebird (), the species most likely to nest in noisiest environments. Nestlings of all three species exhibited accelerated growth of both feathers and body size at intermediate noise amplitudes compared with lower or higher amplitudes. Our results are consistent with recent experimental laboratory studies and show that noise functions as a chronic, inescapable stressor. Anthropogenic noise likely impairs environmental risk perception by species relying on acoustic cues and ultimately leads to impacts on fitness. Our work, when taken together with recent efforts to document noise across the landscape, implies potential widespread, noise-induced chronic stress coupled with reduced fitness for many species reliant on acoustic cues.

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Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic anthropogenic noise disrupts glucocorticoid signaling and has multiple effects on fitness in an avian community

Kleist

Guralnick

Cruz

et al. 2018

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

200

159

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Despite the lack of clarity in understanding the mechanisms linking habitat features and nest-defense behavior, we have provided some indication that parental investment can covary with the surrounding habitat. There is evidence from other research that birds alter their behavior in more human-impacted areas (Evans et al 2010;Scales et al 2011;Bhardwaj et al 2015), including changes in nest-defense behavior in urban and rural crows (Knight et al 1987). In that study, urban birds exhibited greater levels of parental investment in that they flushed later and were more aggressive toward the simulated nest predator (a human climbing the nest tree).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…; Bhardwaj et al. ), including changes in nest‐defense behavior in urban and rural crows (Knight et al. ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Birds Alter Levels of Parental Investment Based on Nest‐Site Habitat Features?

et al. 2016

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Many habitats have undergone rapid changes over the past century as a result of anthropogenic activities. Organisms can respond to changes in their environment in many ways, including how much they invest in a given reproductive bout. Optimality theory and life history theory together have provided a framework for understanding how individuals make decisions about the risks and rewards of investing high levels of resources into their offspring within the context of current vs. future reproduction. Shrubland birds in the United States often breed in habitat that has been impacted by humans to varying degrees and provide an ideal system for examining whether organisms alter their levels of parental investment based on the habitat around the nest site. In this study, we assessed levels of nest‐defense behavior during a simulated nest predation event in four shrubland birds: American robins (Turdus migratorius), gray catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis), brown thrashers (Toxostoma rufum), and northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis). We found that thrashers and catbirds exhibited significantly higher levels of nest defense compared to robins and cardinals and that birds with larger broods acted more aggressively in defending them. We also found that thrashers acted less aggressively as the proportion of shrubland around the nest increased and as the proportion of developed land around the nest decreased and that cardinals acted less aggressively as the proportion of developed land around the nest increased. These patterns suggest that nest‐defense behavior can covary with features of the landscape surrounding the nest, but that the factors shaping that behavior can differ by species.

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Negative effects of artificial nest boxes on birds: A review

Zhang¹,

Ma²,

Chen³

et al. 2023

Avian Research

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Aggressive behavior by Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) varies with anthropogenic disturbance to breeding habitat

Cited by 6 publications

References 43 publications

Chronic anthropogenic noise disrupts glucocorticoid signaling and has multiple effects on fitness in an avian community

Chronic anthropogenic noise disrupts glucocorticoid signaling and has multiple effects on fitness in an avian community

Do Birds Alter Levels of Parental Investment Based on Nest‐Site Habitat Features?

Negative effects of artificial nest boxes on birds: A review

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