Sensitivity of comparative analyses to population variation in trait values: clutch size and cavity excavation tendencies

Mönkkönen, Mikko; Martin, Thomas E.

doi:10.1034/j.1600-048x.2000.310417.x

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In support of the NSLH, Martin (1993) reported significant positive correlations between clutch size and the propensity to reuse existing nest holes among woodpeckers (Picidae) and nuthatches (Sittidae). A similar correlation was found for chickadees (Paridae), although different conclusions may result when different populations are considered (Mönkkönen and Orell 1997;Mönkkönen and Martin 2000).…”

supporting

confidence: 71%

“…To reduce the number of variables, we also ran simple bivariate correlations that did not control for body mass, but these tests, except in one case that we report, had r and P values similar to the partial correlations. Subsequently, we investigated the potential influence of intraspecific variation in nest reuse and clutch size estimates with a bootstrapping procedure as in Mönkkönen and Martin (2000). Where there was more than one estimate per species, bootstrapping randomly selected a set of data representing one of the populations and entered it into the regression.…”

Section: Statistical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Evolution of Clutch Size in Cavity‐Excavating Birds: The Nest Site Limitation Hypothesis Revisited

Wiebe¹,

Koenig²,

Martin³

2006

The American Naturalist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There are two major competing hypotheses for variation in clutch size among cavity-nesting species. The nest site limitation hypothesis postulates that nesting opportunities are more limited for weak excavators, which consequently invest more in each breeding attempt by laying larger clutches. Alternatively, clutch size may be determined by diet; the clutch sizes of strong excavators may be smaller because they are able to specialize on a more seasonally stable prey. We built a conceptual model that integrated hypotheses for interspecific variation in clutch size and tested it with comparative data on life-history traits of woodpeckers (Picidae) and nuthatches (Sittidae). In most analyses, diet explained more variation in clutch size among species than did propensity to excavate. Migratory status was positively associated with clutch size but was difficult to distinguish from diet since resident species consumed more bark beetles (a prey available in winter) and had smaller clutches than migratory species. The literature suggests that cavities are not limited in natural, old-growth forests. Although our data do not rule out nest site limitation, we conclude that annual stability of food resources has a larger impact on the evolution of clutch sizes in excavators than does limitation of nest sites.

show abstract

supporting

confidence: 71%

Section: Statistical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of Clutch Size in Cavity‐Excavating Birds: The Nest Site Limitation Hypothesis Revisited

Wiebe¹,

Koenig²,

Martin³

2006

The American Naturalist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Edworthy et al (2011) found that a food pulse led to increased breeding densities but no change in annual fecundity in woodpeckers (obligate excavators) suggesting that excavation may constrain potential reproductive benefits provided by food pulses. Facultative excavators are a unique group of species that can either excavate new cavities or allocate the energy required for excavation to additional breeding effort instead, and thus lay earlier, and larger clutches in existing cavities during food pulses (Martin 1993, Mönkkönen and Martin 2000, Wiebe et al 2007). However, increased nest predation risk is often associated with reused cavities, imposing a potential tradeoff between clutch size and nest success (Martin 1995).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and indirect effects of an insect outbreak increase the reproductive output for an avian insectivore and nest‐cavity excavator, the red‐breasted nuthatch Sitta canadensis

Norris¹,

Martin²

2014

Journal of Avian Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Community-wide food pulses may ameliorate food constraints but may also result in increased competition for other resources and predation rates. In cavity-nesting vertebrate communities, where the availability of tree cavities can limit reproduction and the reuse of cavities can increase nest predation by squirrels, excavators may maximize their fecundity by creating new cavities in competitor-and predator-rich habitats that undergo food pulses. Th e reproductive cost associated with excavation (i.e. increased energy allocation early in the breeding season that often delays laying and thereby reduces clutch size), may be reduced if food pulses allow for a longer breeding season and larger clutches. A large-scale mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae outbreak that occurred during our long-term study (1995 -2009) provided a natural food supplementation experiment across 27 sites in British Columbia, Canada. We examined the eff ects of a reduction in food constraints accompanied with increases in excavation rates, conspecifi c density and nest predation risk on the fecundity of a facultative excavator, the red-breasted nuthatch Sitta canadensis . We found a total of 420 nests in tree cavities. Nuthatch clutch sizes ranged from two to nine eggs, and broods from one to nine fl edglings per nest. Later clutches were larger at sites and in years with high beetle abundance (mean clutch size of six eggs did not decline later in the season), second broods were produced in outbreak years (usually only one nesting attempt/normal year), and the number of fl edglings per successful nest increased with increasing beetle abundance and nuthatch densities, but declined with increased squirrel densities. Since fecundity did not diff er between new and reused cavities, the costs and benefi ts of excavation versus cavity reuse may be neutralized for nuthatches during strong resource pulses. Overall, the beetle outbreak reduced food constraints for nuthatches and provided alternate food for nest predators, allowing increased annual fecundity.

show abstract

“…Here, we randomly chose one group size datum for each species from the available measurements and accepted this as the species-specific estimate (Mönkkönen and Martin, 2000). This resampling technique is similar to randomization procedures used by paleoanthropologists (e.g., Lockwood et al, 1996).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing sources of error in comparative analyses of primate behavior: Intraspecific variation in group size and the social brain hypothesis

Sandel

Miller

Mitani

et al. 2016

Journal of Human Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Phylogenetic comparative methods have become standard for investigating evolutionary hypotheses, including in studies of human evolution. While these methods account for the non-independence of trait data due to phylogeny, they often fail to consider intraspecific variation, which may lead to biased or erroneous results. We assessed the degree to which intraspecific variation impacts the results of comparative analyses by investigating the “social brain” hypothesis, which has provided a framework for explaining complex cognition and large brains in humans. This hypothesis suggests that group life imposes a cognitive challenge, with species living in larger social groups having comparably larger neocortex ratios than those living in smaller groups. Primates, however, vary considerably in group size within species, a fact that has been ignored in previous analyses. When within-species variation in group size is high, the common practice of using a mean value to represent the species may be inappropriate. We conducted regression and resampling analyses to ascertain whether the relationship between neocortex ratio and group size across primate species persists after controlling for within-species variation in group size. We found that in a sample of 23 primates, 70% of the variation in group size was due to between-species variation. Controlling for within-species variation in group size did not affect the results of phylogenetic analyses, which continued to show a positive relationship between neocortex ratio and group size. Analyses restricted to non-monogamous primates revealed considerable intraspecific variation in group size, but the positive association between neocortex ratio and group size remained even after controlling for within-species variation in group size. Our findings suggest that the relationship between neocortex size and group size in primates is robust. In addition, our methods and associated computer code provide a way to assess and account for intraspecific variation in other comparative analyses of primate evolution.

show abstract

Sensitivity of comparative analyses to population variation in trait values: clutch size and cavity excavation tendencies

Cited by 12 publications

References 23 publications

Evolution of Clutch Size in Cavity‐Excavating Birds: The Nest Site Limitation Hypothesis Revisited

Evolution of Clutch Size in Cavity‐Excavating Birds: The Nest Site Limitation Hypothesis Revisited

Direct and indirect effects of an insect outbreak increase the reproductive output for an avian insectivore and nest‐cavity excavator, the red‐breasted nuthatch Sitta canadensis

Assessing sources of error in comparative analyses of primate behavior: Intraspecific variation in group size and the social brain hypothesis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About