Effects of Food Abundance, Weather, and Female Condition on Reproduction in Tree Swallows (Tachycineta Bicolor)

Nooker, Jacqueline K.; Dunn, Peter O.; Whittingham, Linda A.

doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2005)122[1225:eofawa]2.0.co;2

Cited by 57 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…This suggested a potential cost for late-breeding birds, but low insect abundance was not related to decreased nestling survival and mass for the species studied. These results are consistent with Nooker et al (2005), but differ from the results of several previous studies showing that periods of low insect abundance are associated with reduced nestling survival and body condition in Tree Swallows (Quinney et al 1986, McCarty and Winkler 1999a, Winkler et al 2013, and reduced postfledgling survival in Barn Swallows (Grüebler and Naef-Daenzer 2008). We suggest four possible explanations for our results.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Relationships between insect abundance and swallow breeding success, especially nestling and postfledgling survival, have been investigated for Tree Swallows (e.g., Quinney et al 1986, McCarty and Winkler 1999a, Nooker et al 2005 and to a lesser extent for other species (e.g., Grüebler and Naef-Daenzer 2008). However, research examining these relationships with multiple species simultaneously has not been conducted.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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No effect of insect abundance on nestling survival or mass for three aerial insectivores

Imlay¹,

Mann²,

Leonard³

2017

ACE

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ABSTRACT. Swallows, along with other aerial insectivores, are experiencing steep population declines. Decreased insect abundance has been implicated as a potential cause of the decline. However, to determine if there is a guild-level effect of reduced insect abundance on swallows, research is needed to examine relationships between insect abundance and breeding success for multiple species. The goal of our study was two-fold. First, we determined if insect abundance during nestling rearing varied with breeding phenology for three species of swallows, Barn (Hirundo rustica), Cliff (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), and Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), such that swallows breeding when insects are abundant have greater success. Then we determined if insect abundance was related to nestling survival and mass (as a proxy for postfledgling survival). We collected insects daily at each of three study sites during the breeding season, monitored swallow nests to determine breeding phenology and success, and weighed nestlings at or just prior to the peak of rapid nestling growth to determine mass. We found early hatching Cliff and Tree Swallow nests had higher insect abundance during nestling rearing. However, neither nestling survival nor mass were related to insect abundance. Our results suggest that breeding success in three species of swallows was not related to insect abundance in our study area. We suggest that the role of insect abundance on aerial insectivore declines may vary across their geographic range, and call for broad-scale, multispecies research on aerial insectivore declines. Absence d'effet du nombre d'insectes sur la survie et le poids des oisillons de trois insectivores aériensRÉSUMÉ. Les populations d'hirondelles, tout comme celles d'autres insectivores aériens, affichent des baisses marquées. Pour expliquer celles-ci, la diminution du nombre d'insectes a été soulevée comme cause possible. Toutefois, des études examinant la relation entre la quantité d'insectes et le succès de reproduction de plusieurs espèces sont nécessaires afin de déterminer si la quantité réduite d'insectes a un effet sur l'ensemble des espèces d'hirondelles. La présente étude avait deux objectifs. Le premier était de déterminer si la quantité d'insectes durant l'élevage des oisillons variait en fonction de la phénologie de nidification de trois espèces d'hirondelles, l'Hirondelle rustique (Hirundo rustica), l'Hirondelle à front blanc (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) et l'Hirondelle bicolore (Tachycineta bicolor), de sorte que les hirondelles qui nichent au moment où les insectes sont nombreux devraient avoir un meilleur succès que celles qui ne le font pas. Le second objectif était de déterminer si la quantité d'insectes était reliée à la survie et au poids des oisillons (comme indicateur de la survie des jeunes ayant pris leur envol). Nous avons récolté quotidiennement des insectes à chacun des trois sites d'étude durant la saison de nidification, suivi des nids d'hirondelles afin de déterminer la phénologie et le succès de nidificatio...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No effect of insect abundance on nestling survival or mass for three aerial insectivores

Imlay¹,

Mann²,

Leonard³

2017

ACE

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“…Our finding that birds hatched earlier in the season were more likely to survive and return to nest than were birds hatched later in the season is consistent with studies of the Great Tit (Verboven and Visser 1998), Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina; Brown and Roth 2002), Peregrine Falcon (Restani and Mattox 2000), European Sparrowhawk (Newton and Marquiss 1984), and other populations of the American Kestrel (Smallwood and Smallwood 1998). Early hatching dates may reflect high-quality parents (Nooker et al 2005, Hipf ner et al 2010 or more access to food resources (Hipfner et al 2010). Alternatively, birds that hatch early simply may have more time to develop hunting and other skills before the onset of winter.…”

Section: Factors Influencing Recruitment and Dispersalsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…For example, European Sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) and Great Tits (Parus major) that hatch early in the season have a higher probability of recruiting to the local population (Newton andMarquiss 1984, Verboven andVisser 1998). Birds hatched early in the season may have higher survival rates because of high-quality parents (Nooker et al 2005, Hipfner et al 2010, greater access to resources (Hipfner et al 2010), a prolonged post-fledging period, or some combination of these factors. In some species, post-fledging survival of young that fledge early tends to be higher (NaefDaenzer et al 2001), and young raptors that fledge early in the season also have more time to gain the skills and stamina (Newton 1979, Sherrod 1983 needed to survive a harsh winter or long migration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local Recruitment and Natal Dispersal Distances of American Kestrels

Steenhof¹,

Heath

2013

The Condor

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Abstract. Variation in recruitment patterns and dispersal behavior can have important consequences for population viability, genetic structure, and rates of evolutionary change. From 1992 to 2006 we studied a marked population of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) nesting in boxes in southwestern Idaho to identify factors that affect local recruitment and natal dispersal distances. A low proportion (4%) of locally produced kestrels (n = 2180) returned to nest in study area boxes. Offspring of locally produced individuals were 3.1 times more likely to return than offspring of parents that did not hatch in study area boxes and, independent of a parent's origin, males were 1.8 times more likely than females to return. Kestrels that hatched earlier in the breeding season and those that hatched immediately prior to a mild winter were more likely to return. Local natal dispersal distances were best explained by sex and parental origin but not by hatching dates. Fifty-four males moved an average of 5.3 km from their natal box to the location of their first breeding in the study area, and 27 females moved an average of 9.8 km. Offspring of locally produced parents dispersed shorter distances within the study area than offspring of other parents, and local natal dispersal distances of locally produced parents correlated with those of their same-sex offspring. Patterns of natal dispersal of American Kestrels in southwestern Idaho appear to be driven by a combination of parental dispersal tendencies and ecological factors. The population consists of a mix of immigrants and philopatric birds.Key words: American Kestrel, dispersal, Falco sparverius, recruitment. Reclutamiento Local y Distancias de Dispersión Natal de Falco sparveriusResumen. La variación en los patrones de reclutamiento y el comportamiento de dispersión pueden tener consecuencias importantes para la viabilidad poblacional, la estructura genética y las tasas de cambio evolutivo. Desde 1992 a 2006 estudiamos una población marcada de individuos de Falco sparverius que anidan en cajas en el sudoeste de Idaho para identificar los factores que afectan el reclutamiento local y las distancias de dispersión natal. Una baja proporción (4%) de individuos producidos localmente (n = 2180) regresaron a anidar a las cajas del área de estudio. Las crías de los individuos producidos localmente tuvieron una probabilidad 3.1 veces mayor de regresar que las crías de padres que no eclosionaron en las cajas del área de estudio e, independientemente del origen de los padres, los machos tuvieron una probabilidad 1.8 veces mayor que las hembras de regresar. Los individuos que eclosionaron más temprano en la estación reproductiva y aquellos que eclosionaron inmediatamente antes de un invierno moderado presentaron una mayor probabilidad de regresar. Las distancias de dispersión natal local fueron mejor explicadas por el sexo y el origen parental pero no por la fecha de eclosión. Cincuenta y cuatro machos se desplazaron un promedio de 5.3 km desde su caja natal a la localización de s...

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“…In avian species, experimental approaches testing the mechanisms linking pre-breeding body condition and breeding parameters (clutch size and laying date) are rare (but see Nooker et al 2005, Descamps et al 2011, with most studies manipulating female condition (i.e. body mass) via food supplementation (see Boutin 1990, Schoech andHahn 2007 for reviews).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Unpredictable perturbation reduces breeding propensity regardless of pre‐laying reproductive readiness in a partial capital breeder

Legagneux

Hennin

Gilchrist

et al. 2016

Journal of Avian Biology

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Theoretically, individuals of migratory species should optimize reproductive investment based on a combination of timing of and body condition at arrival on the breeding grounds. A minimum threshold body mass is required to initiate reproduction, and the timing of reaching this threshold is critical because of the trade-off between delaying breeding to gain in condition against the declining value of offspring with later reproductive timing. Long-lived species have the flexibility within their life history to skip reproduction in a given year if they are unable to achieve this theoretical mass threshold. Although the decision to breed or not is an important parameter influencing population dynamics, the mechanisms underlying this decision are poorly understood. Here, we mimicked an unpredictable environmental perturbation that induced a reduction in body mass of Arctic pre-breeding (before the laying period) female common eiders Somateria mollissima; a long-lived migratory seaduck, while controlling for individual variation in the pre-laying physiological reproductive readiness via vitellogenin (VTG) -a yolk-targeted lipoprotein. Our aim was to causally determine the interaction between body condition and pre-laying reproductive readiness (VTG) on breeding propensity by experimentally reducing body mass in treatment females. We first demonstrated that arrival body condition was a key driver of breeding propensity. Secondly, we found that treatment and VTG levels interacted to influence breeding propensity, indicating that our experimental manipulation, mimicking an unpredictable food shortage, reduced breeding propensity, regardless of the degree of pre-laying physiological reproductive readiness (i.e. timing of ovarian follicles recruitment). Our experiment demonstrates that momentary environmental perturbations during the prebreeding period can strongly affect the decision to breed, a key parameter driving population dynamics.

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Effects of Food Abundance, Weather, and Female Condition on Reproduction in Tree Swallows (Tachycineta Bicolor)

Cited by 57 publications

References 36 publications

No effect of insect abundance on nestling survival or mass for three aerial insectivores

No effect of insect abundance on nestling survival or mass for three aerial insectivores

Local Recruitment and Natal Dispersal Distances of American Kestrels

Unpredictable perturbation reduces breeding propensity regardless of pre‐laying reproductive readiness in a partial capital breeder

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