Genetic relatedness and sex predict helper provisioning effort in the cooperatively breeding noisy miner

Barati, Ahmad; Andrew, Rose L.; Gorrell, Jamieson C.; Etezadifar, Farzaneh; McDonald, Paul G.

doi:10.1093/beheco/ary109

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Noisy miners are communal breeders and young female noisy miners commonly disperse prior to breeding. If any remain in their natal territory past the onset of a breeding period, they rarely help in the provisioning tasks for other nests (Barati, Andrew, Gorrell, Etezadifar, & Mcdonald, 2018). This could suggest that these female birds actively prioritize seeking appropriate areas to establish a nest of their own.…”

Section: Limited Effectiveness In Reducing Noisy Miner Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the evidence of culling a native species for conservation benefits

Melton

Reside

Simmonds

et al. 2021

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Controlling problem species for conservation can be fraught, particularly when native species are subject to lethal control. The noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala), has been the target of numerous lethal control efforts. Outcomes of these noisy miner removals have varied substantially, so identifying the circumstances under which they are effective is essential for ethical and effective management. We compiled data for all identified noisy miner removals (n = 45), including both permit-based and unofficial removals. We investigated whether methodological and ecological factors explained the effectiveness of removals in reducing noisy miner density or increasing woodland bird richness and abundance. The only predictor of any measure of success was time between first and final culls which was positively related to reduction in noisy miner density. Surprisingly, despite removals mainly failing to reduce noisy miner density to below a threshold above which noisy miners impact smaller birds, woodland birds usually still increased. Disrupted social structure as noisy miners recolonized may have led to less effective aggressive exclusion of small birds. Further removals may not need to reduce noisy miner density to below this threshold to benefit

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Section: Limited Effectiveness In Reducing Noisy Miner Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the evidence of culling a native species for conservation benefits

Melton

Reside

Simmonds

et al. 2021

Conservat Sci and Prac

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“…In the closely related noisy miner Manorina melanocephala, which has a similar social system, helpers direct their help toward genetic relatives (Barati et al, 2018), and discriminate between individuals based on acoustic cues (McDonald, 2012). Still, individuals may also rely on prior association to identify relatives, and whether kin recognition is based on phenotype matching or familiarity remains untested in this species.…”

Section: Phenotype Matchingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kith or Kin? Familiarity as a Cue to Kinship in Social Birds

Leedale

Hatchwell

2020

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Interacting with relatives provides opportunities for fitness benefits via kin-selected cooperation, but also creates potential costs through kin competition and inbreeding. Therefore, a mechanism for the discrimination of kin from non-kin is likely to be critical for individuals of many social species to maximize their inclusive fitness. Evidence suggests that genetic cues to kinship are rare and that learned or environmental cues offer a more parsimonious explanation for kin recognition in most contexts. This is particularly true among cooperatively breeding birds, where recognition of familiar individuals is usually regarded as the most plausible mechanism for kin discrimination. In this article, we first review the evidence that familiarity provides an effective decision rule for discrimination of kin from non-kin in social birds. We then consider some of the complexities of familiarity as a cue to kinship, especially the problems of how individuals become familiar, and how familiar individuals are recognized. We conclude that while familiarity as a mechanism for kin recognition may be more parsimonious and widespread than genetic mechanisms, its apparent simplicity as a decision rule governing social interactions may be deceptive. Finally, we identify directions for future research on familiarity as a kin recognition mechanism in social birds and other taxa.

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“…The simplest explanation for differences in sex biased dispersal between regions is regional variation in background sex ratio. Previous studies on undisturbed noisy miner populations have found considerable variation in the magnitude of male bias, range between 2.1:1 and 4.7:1 (Dow 1978;Dow and Whitmore 1990;Arnold et al 2001;Barati et al 2018a), with no reports of female biased or sex ratio parity in adult populations. Interestingly, the initial sex ratios we observed of 1.5:1 (Bundarra) and 1.3:1 (Fifield) are the least skewed recorded to date, highlighting the possibility of different sampling biases between 'catch and release', and 'cull and keep' sex determination methods.…”

Section: Drivers Of Regional Variation In Recolonisation Responsementioning

confidence: 95%

“…They are cooperative breeders and live in aggregations of up to several hundred birds organised into tribes or coteries of 10-25 individuals within a colony (Higgins et al 2001). Colony members cooperate in various contexts, including the feeding of young (Higgins et al 2001;Barati et al 2018a), mobbing of predators (Arnold 2000) and defence of the colony's territory from intra and interspecific intruders (Dow 1977). In natural, well established colonies there is a male-biased sex ratio (Barati et al 2018a).…”

Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Colony members cooperate in various contexts, including the feeding of young (Higgins et al 2001;Barati et al 2018a), mobbing of predators (Arnold 2000) and defence of the colony's territory from intra and interspecific intruders (Dow 1977). In natural, well established colonies there is a male-biased sex ratio (Barati et al 2018a). It is thought that this is due to females dispersing from established colonies, with males being the philopatric sex, as occurs in the congeneric Bell Miner (Manorina melanophrys) (Dare et al 2007(Dare et al , 2008.…”

Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Repeated experimental removals unveil sex and age-specific dispersal strategies in a social passerine bird

et al. 2022

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Context. Sex and age are frequently proposed as drivers of a number of behavioural and demographic patterns that can have important consequences for population dynamics including access to mates, sexual selection, parental care and lifetime productivity. Sex and age might also be important in shaping the movement patterns and colonisation processes of social species moving into vacant habitat. Such information is critical for the management of strongly interacting species such as the noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala), which structure ecological communities through aggressive exclusion of other taxa from areas that they occupy. Aims. In Manorina colonies, young females are usually dispersive, while males remain in the natal colony as the philopatric sex. Following removal of individuals from an area, we aimed to determine whether female-biased dispersal, particularly of young females, would result in a more equal sex ratio and a younger age structure in the recolonising population. Methods. These predictions were tested by anatomically ageing and sexing 1856 noisy miners that had been experimentally culled in two regions of New South Wales, Australia, to reduce the aggressive impact of this species on other native species. Key results. Prior to removal, noisy miner populations were significantly malebiased in both regions (57% and 60%); however sex ratios after each of two removal episodes no longer differed from parity. Immature birds were a dominant feature (65%) of recolonising populations in both regions, however, the age structure of recolonising populations was different in each region, mostly likely due to the respective timing of culls during the year. Furthermore, the culling response in terms of age-specific sex ratio varied between regions. After the final cull, the sex ratio of mature birds had fallen to parity in one region but had become even more male biased (68%) in the other region. There was no sex-ratio bias among immature birds before or after culling. Conclusion. These results confirm the expectation that immature birds are more likely to be colonisers, but the expectation of greater female dispersal was equivocal. Implications. The differences in response between regions may reflect variation in population density, landscape connectivity or seasonality, highlighting challenges when implementing culling programs for conservation management.

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Genetic relatedness and sex predict helper provisioning effort in the cooperatively breeding noisy miner

Cited by 9 publications

References 64 publications

Evaluating the evidence of culling a native species for conservation benefits

Evaluating the evidence of culling a native species for conservation benefits

Kith or Kin? Familiarity as a Cue to Kinship in Social Birds

Repeated experimental removals unveil sex and age-specific dispersal strategies in a social passerine bird

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