Microclimate of Tree Cavities Used by Great Tits (<i>Parus Major</i>) in a Primeval Forest

Maziarz, Marta; Wesołowski, Tomasz

doi:10.3184/175815513x13611994806259

Cited by 51 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The most developed part of the tree canopy layer at heights of 10-20 m (Tomiałojć and Wesołowski 1990), could further facilitate the detection of nests by arboreal predators. Presumably, the birds might better avoid predation by Forest Dormice by nesting at lower heights, but this may have incurred other costs, such as a colder microclimate (Maziarz and Wesołowski 2013) or higher risk of nest soaking due to stem flow and sap drain from interior cavity walls . Thus, nesting at intermediate heights, as most frequently observed in BNP (Maziarz et al 2015), could reflect a trade-off between these counteracting pressures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nilsson's (1984) results-no predation by Great Spotted Woodpeckers of Great Tit nests in tree cavities (which had similar properties to those in BNP; Maziarz et al 2015), but frequent predation of nests in nest boxes, which are easier for a woodpecker to penetrate-lead to a similar conclusion to our findings. Thus, probably because of the higher security, Great Tits preferred cavities in living wood despite some costs associated with using them: a humid and rather cold microclimate, which may commit female Great Tits to greater energy expenditure when incubating eggs and brooding young (reviewed in Maziarz and Wesołowski 2013), or higher risk of nest flooding .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nests were considered successful if 18-days-old young were still present in the nest and no signs of attempted predation (see below) were detectable the following day. If there was no activity at the hole when young were about to fledge (17-18 days old), then searches were made for parents Table 1 Features of Great Tit Parus major breeding cavities observed in BNP (Maziarz et al 2015) and an expected hypothetical pattern of nest cavity utilisation based on operation of different selective pressures (e.g., Nilsson 1984;Howe and Kilgore 1987;Walankiewicz 1991;Wesołowski et al 2002;Wesołowski and Maziarz 2012;Maziarz and Wesołowski 2013) collecting and carrying food to fledged young. If the family was found, the nest was treated as successful.…”

Section: Breeding Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Breeding success of the Great Tit Parus major in relation to attributes of natural nest cavities in a primeval forest

Maziarz

Wesołowski²,

Hebda

et al. 2015

J Ornithol

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An overlap in attributes of nest cavities used by Great Tit Parus major across Eurasia suggests similar nest site preferences within the geographical range, although the drivers of these preferences are unclear. To determine whether preferred cavities provide conditions enhancing successful reproduction, we investigated the breeding performance of Great Tits in relation to tree cavity characteristics using data collected during 2008-2011 in primeval conditions (Białowie_ za National Park, Poland). Here, tree cavities are diverse and superabundant but nesting birds are at risk from a variety of predators. According to expectations, nest losses were high (60 % of Great Tit nests failed), mostly due to predation (69 % of nest failures). The risk of nest failure varied with nest cavity attributes. Compared to successful nests, failures were situated higher above the ground and placed closer to the cavity entrance. Very deep cavities with narrow entrances and strong livings walls provided effective protection against larger predators (e.g., martens, woodpeckers), unable to enter the cavity or pull out the contents. Yet, such holes were no barrier for the smallest predators (e.g., Forest Dormouse Dryomys nitedula), which were able to enter any Great Tit nest cavity and destroyed most of the nests. Avoiding small predators would give a selective advantage to the birds, but this seems hardly possible to achieve. We conclude that tree cavities preferred by the tits show a combination of properties which are a compromise for avoiding predation (the strongest selective pressure) and providing the minimum requirements (sufficient nest illumination, microclimate, protection against nest soaking) for development and growth of young.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Breeding Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Breeding success of the Great Tit Parus major in relation to attributes of natural nest cavities in a primeval forest

Maziarz

Wesołowski²,

Hebda

et al. 2015

J Ornithol

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“…Great tits, meanwhile, also had an abundance of potential nesting cavities and preferentially selected those with narrow openings and those located at intermediate heights in living tree trunks with intermediate girths at breast height as such features reduced the risks from predation and nest soaking (Maziarz et al, 2015). More broadly, both species selected their nest sites in a non-random manner (Maziarz and Wesołowski, 2013) indicating intraspecific variation and selection on the location of their nests.…”

Section: Blue Tits and Great Titsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes and Consequences of Intraspecific Variation in Nesting Behaviors: Insights from Blue Tits and Great Tits

Mainwaring

2017

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Nest building is an important and yet under-studied stage of the reproductive cycle in many taxa, including birds, and whilst we have a decent understanding of interspecific variation in avian nesting behaviors, our understanding of intraspecific variation in nesting behaviors is much less developed. This is largely because an insufficient number of studies have been performed on any one species to draw robust conclusions. Fortunately, though, the amount of research on the nesting behaviors of nestbox-breeding blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and great tits (Parus major) has increased dramatically in recent years and their nesting behaviors are now sufficiently well-studied to offer useful insights into intraspecific variation in avian nesting behaviors. Studies show that individuals of both species select nest sites based on the presence and/or absence of conspecifics and heterospecifics and whilst neighbors were assumed to adversely affect focal individuals by competing for resources, they are now considered beneficial as they provide information about habitat quality and contribute to anti-predator defenses. Nest-building females accurately gauge local weather conditions and respond to predictable variation in environmental conditions by building nests with variable amounts of cup lining material to create suitable nest microclimates for nestlings. Meanwhile, both species vary the amount of aromatic plant materials in their nests in relation to the abundance of nest-dwelling parasites and pathogens and as aromatic plant materials also play a role in sexual selection then nest materials can have multiple functions. The height of nests is negatively correlated with the local risk of predation but whilst predator avoidance favors lower nests, sexual selection favors taller nests. In fact, higher quality females build taller nests that contain more green plant material which in turn influences the amount of care provided by males. This suggests there is considerable intraspecific variation in nesting behaviors in blue and great tits, and in birds generally, and highlights that birds are adept at adaptively varying their nesting behaviors in response to multiple factors. There is, however, a paucity of evidence directly linking such variation in nest building behaviors to reproductive success or fitness more broadly and so further studies could usefully examine such links because trade-offs between competing selection pressures may constrain adaptive nesting behaviors.

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“…Tree cavities used by the tits in the Białowieża NP are generally situated inside living trees (Wesołowski 1996(Wesołowski , 2003Rowiński 2012, 2014;Maziarz et al 2015Maziarz et al , 2016unpublished data), i.e., in cool and permanently humid places (Maziarz and Wesołowski 2013;Maziarz et al 2017). Moreover, nests in such cavities are susceptible to flooding from rainwater flowing down the trunk and by sap draining into the cavities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tits as bryologists: patterns of bryophyte use in nests of three species cohabiting a primeval forest

Wesołowski¹,

Wierzcholska²

2018

J Ornithol

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Numerous birds use bryophytes as nest construction material but the species used and their biology remain largely unknown. Therefore, questions related to the selectivity of birds in their bryophyte use, and why they use/ignore particular species, remain unanswered. We studied the composition of bryophytes, including both mosses (Bryophyta) and liverworts (Marchantiophyta), in nests of Marsh Tit Poecile palustris, Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus, and Great Tit Parus major breeding sympatrically in tree cavities in pristine patches of the Białowieża National Park, Poland. We checked whether the bryophyte composition of the nests differed, compared usage of different bryophytes with their availability in the surroundings (10 m radius) of the tree cavities, and looked for characteristics that may have resulted in their selection as nesting material. The birds appeared to be highly selective; of 54 bryophyte species found near cavities, 21 were never used. Individual nests contained 4.0-5.5 bryophyte species on average, and only 2.3-2.7 species exceeded 5% of the total bryophyte volume. In each tit species the three most abundantly used bryophytes belonged to mosses and comprised ca. 80-89% of the total bryophyte volume. All of the tits utilized pleurocarpous bryophytes, growing as wefts, mats or pendants mostly on tree trunks. Simulations of plucking showed that the mosses employed as nest constituents yielded larger bundles with longer shoots when plucked. The tit species differed in the sets of bryophyte species collected. Great Tit nests contained an almost completely different assemblage of mosses from that used by Marsh and Blue Tits. This variation was related to the varying mass of their broods; more robust mosses provided support for heavier broods of Great Tits, while the finest moss species were sufficient to form a cushion for the much lighter Marsh Tit broods. Keywords

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Microclimate of Tree Cavities Used by Great Tits (Parus Major) in a Primeval Forest

Cited by 51 publications

References 46 publications

Breeding success of the Great Tit Parus major in relation to attributes of natural nest cavities in a primeval forest

Breeding success of the Great Tit Parus major in relation to attributes of natural nest cavities in a primeval forest

Causes and Consequences of Intraspecific Variation in Nesting Behaviors: Insights from Blue Tits and Great Tits

Tits as bryologists: patterns of bryophyte use in nests of three species cohabiting a primeval forest

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