Intermittent breeding is associated with breeding group turnover in a cooperatively breeding bird

Smith, Maria G.; Riehl, Christina

doi:10.1007/s00442-020-04635-7

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Climatic stress may have effects on the social dynamics of ani breeding groups that are not experienced by pair‐nesting birds. For example, a previous study on this population found a significant association between reproductive skipping and social turnover in the breeding group (Smith and Riehl 2020). Controlling for interannual variation, reproductive skipping was less likely to occur in stable groups (with no change in group membership) than in unstable groups (which experienced a change in group membership).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…We monitored between 40 and 60 nesting groups per year (> 90% of all nesting attempts in the study area; Smith and Riehl 2020). Laying was assessed as a binary outcome, with ani groups recorded as non‐laying (0) in a given year if they were repeatedly observed on their territory but never laid eggs.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, since anis lay large clutches, females typically continue to lay even if the first several eggs are depredated (Riehl and Jara 2009). Given that nests were checked very frequently (ever day or every other day), it is unlikely that observers would have missed all signs of laying activity (Smith and Riehl 2020).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The El Niño – Southern Oscillation dramatically influences the probability of reproduction and reproductive rate of a tropical forest bird

Smart

Smith

Riehl

2021

Journal of Avian Biology

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Although climate change has been implicated in population declines of tropical forest birds, there is a critical lack of data on the mechanisms underlying these declines. Attempts to link climatic factors to variation in adult survival, fecundity or nest success have been largely inconclusive. Recent community‐scale analyses have suggested that tropical birds may be less likely to breed under adverse conditions, but long‐term data on individual reproduction are needed to test this hypothesis. Here we leverage 12 years of data on a lowland forest bird, the greater ani Crotophaga major, to investigate how demographic parameters vary with phase of the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a major driver of climatic conditions in tropical wet forest. The likelihood of breeding and annual reproductive rate both decreased dramatically in El Niño‐like years, with only 37.5% of adults attempting breeding in 2015 (a strong El Niño year). For birds that did breed, however, clutch size and daily nest predation rate were unaffected by climate. Of the local climate variables investigated, dry season length and the frequency of high temperatures were most closely associated with reproductive failure. These results indicate that El Niño conditions alter the demography of greater anis by reducing the likelihood of reproduction, a response that may be more widespread than currently recognized. We suggest that reduced reproduction under adverse conditions represents an important and understudied aspect of the life histories of tropical forest birds.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The El Niño – Southern Oscillation dramatically influences the probability of reproduction and reproductive rate of a tropical forest bird

Smart

Smith

Riehl

2021

Journal of Avian Biology

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“…Group members may be invested in preventing newcomers from replacing their groupmates, given that even minor changes in membership can perturb the broader social network and potentially lead to reduced fitness (Ebensperger et al, 2016; Eikenaar et al, 2007; Piefke et al, 2021). In greater anis, groups with females who have not previously nested together are more likely to skip breeding during the current season (Smith & Riehl, 2020) and have lower reproductive success than those with females who have recently nested together (Riehl & Strong, 2018). Given that choruses are restricted to group members, it is possible that chorusing could effectively communicate to extra‐group individuals that the territory is occupied and there are no breeding vacancies, even if not all group members participate in every chorus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Group chorusing as an intragroup signal in the greater ani, a communally breeding bird

Savagian

Riehl

2022

Ethology

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Cooperative groups of animals across a wide range of taxa produce coordinated collective signals, in which the contributions of multiple signalers combine into a single vocal phenomenon, perceived at the group level (Brumm & Slater, 2007). Pair-living species produce duets, while group-living species produce larger choruses, which may involve only some or all group members (McIntyre et al., 2017;Tobias et al., 2016;Van Belle et al., 2014). The combination of multiple component voices into a collective signal, which may have properties and structures unique from its constituent parts, offers an important window into the interactions and relationships among

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“…Nests built in emergent vegetation, such as aquatic trees or small islands, are less likely to be depredated by terrestrial predators than are those built along the shoreline (Lau et al., 1998; Riehl, 2011). Groups remain on their breeding territory year‐round and may nest in the same location for many years (Riehl & Strong, 2018; Smith & Riehl, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inter‐group conflict in a cooperatively breeding bird: New insights into “home field advantage”

et al. 2020

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Conflicts between groups of animals have individual‐level fitness consequences that can influence the evolution of social behaviour. In the cooperatively breeding greater ani (Crotophaga major), groups occasionally destroy the eggs of their neighbours, causing the attacked group to abandon their nest. Prior research suggested that such conflicts occur when two groups build nests in close proximity, and that established groups tend to evict newcomers. However, inter‐group conflict had never been directly observed. Here, we report the first photographic evidence of egg destruction by greater anis. Twelve artificial nests containing clay eggs were placed in the field with the intent of attracting nest predators. Camera footage revealed that although only two nests were discovered by heterospecific predators (white‐faced capuchins, Cebus capucinus), five nests were visited by resident anis, who in three cases damaged the clay eggs by grasping them with their bills and ejecting them from the nest cup. Nests were discovered between 2 and 96 hr after being placed in the field (mean = 34 hr) and were visited up to 18 times by up to 4 individuals simultaneously. The distance between artificial nests and the nearest known ani territory ranged from 0.13 to 0.28 km (mean = 0.2 km). Resident groups did not subsequently breed at the nest sites that they attacked, consistent with the hypothesis that the main benefit of inter‐group conflict is to reduce competition for local resources rather than to usurp nest sites. This accidental experiment reveals that greater anis closely monitor nesting activity near their territories, which may contribute to the strong “home field advantage” that resident groups hold over intruders.

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Intermittent breeding is associated with breeding group turnover in a cooperatively breeding bird

Cited by 7 publications

References 58 publications

The El Niño – Southern Oscillation dramatically influences the probability of reproduction and reproductive rate of a tropical forest bird

The El Niño – Southern Oscillation dramatically influences the probability of reproduction and reproductive rate of a tropical forest bird

Group chorusing as an intragroup signal in the greater ani, a communally breeding bird

Inter‐group conflict in a cooperatively breeding bird: New insights into “home field advantage”

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