The Use of Green Plant Material in Bird Nests to Avoid Ectoparasites

Wimberger, Peter H.

doi:10.1093/auk/101.3.615

Cited by 165 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Many birds place green plant material and feathers in their nests and usually replenish them on a daily basis throughout the incubation and nestling stages of reproduction (Wimberger 1984; Brouwer and Komdeur 2004; Peralta-Sanchez et al 2010). Green plant materials contain volatile secondary compounds such as hydrocarbons, mainly monoterpenes and isoprene, which could have biocidal effects on parasites and pathogens (Clark 1991; Brouwer and Komdeur 2004; Dubiec et al 2013).…”

Section: Host–parasite Coevolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The design and function of birds' nests

Mainwaring

Hartley

Lambrechts

et al. 2014

Ecology and Evolution

332

346

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All birds construct nests in which to lay eggs and/or raise offspring. Traditionally, it was thought that natural selection and the requirement to minimize the risk of predation determined the design of completed nests. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that sexual selection also influences nest design. This is an important development as while species such as bowerbirds build structures that are extended phenotypic signals whose sole purpose is to attract a mate, nests contain eggs and/or offspring, thereby suggesting a direct trade-off between the conflicting requirements of natural and sexual selection. Nest design also varies adaptively in order to both minimize the detrimental effects of parasites and to create a suitable microclimate for parents and developing offspring in relation to predictable variation in environmental conditions. Our understanding of the design and function of birds' nests has increased considerably in recent years, and the evidence suggests that nests have four nonmutually exclusive functions. Consequently, we conclude that the design of birds' nests is far more sophisticated than previously realized and that nests are multifunctional structures that have important fitness consequences for the builder/s.

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Section: Host–parasite Coevolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The design and function of birds' nests

Mainwaring

Hartley

Lambrechts

et al. 2014

Ecology and Evolution

332

346

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Other species, like tits or starlings incorporate aromatic plants to their nests, which creates a pleasant odorous environment. In this case, aromatic herbs have often been suggested to repel ectoparasites and hence, their addition to the nest would enhance the growth and survival of the offspring, thereby the fitness of the parents (the “nest protection hypothesis”, Clark and Mason, 1988; Wimberger, 1984). Starlings apparently use their olfactory capabilities to select the plants to add to the nest (Gwinner, 2013), and experiments in tits have shown that parents use odor cues to determine the frequency with which to replenish the nest with fresh aromatic herbs (Petit et al, 2002)(Fig.…”

Section: Importance Of Chemosignals In Successive Reproductive Stagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The perfume of reproduction in birds: Chemosignaling in avian social life

Samuel

Balthazart²,

Bonadonna

2015

Hormones and Behavior

106

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Chemical cues were probably the first cues ever used to communicate and are still ubiquitous among living organisms. Birds have long been considered an exception: it was believed that birds were anosmic and relied on their acute visual and acoustic capabilities. Birds are however excellent smellers and use odors in various contexts including food searching, orientation, but also breeding. Successful reproduction in most vertebrates involves the exchange of complex social signals between partners. The first evidence for a role of olfaction in reproductive contexts in birds only dates back to the seventies, when ducks were shown to require a functional sense of smell to express normal sexual behaviors. Nowadays, even if the interest for olfaction in birds has largely increased, the role that bodily odors play in reproduction still remains largely understudied. The few available studies however suggest that olfaction is involved in many reproductive stages. Odors have been shown to influence the choice and synchronization of partners, the choice of nest-building material or the care for the eggs and offspring. How this chemical information is translated at the physiological level mostly remain to be described, although available evidence suggests that, as in mammals, key reproductive brain areas like the medial preoptic nucleus are activated by relevant olfactory signals. Olfaction in birds receives increasing attention and novel findings are continuously published, but many exciting discoveries are still ahead of us, and could make birds one of the animal classes with the largest panel of developed senses ever described.

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“…Mason (1985, 1988). Museum collections can be reviewed as a prelude to field and laboratory empirical studies (Wimberger, 1984). Hansell recently provided data on 40 species from records made in museum collections to Aubrecht et al (2013) for research into the use of the horse hair fungus Marasmius as a possible anti-bacterial agent in nests.…”

Section: Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bird Nests in Museum Collections: A Rich Resource for Research

Russell

Hansell

Reilly

2013

Avian Biology Research

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Data-rich birds' nests in museum collections are relatively rarely used in ornithological research but can be valuable sources of scientific data. Materials, architecture, artefacts of utilisation and preserved nest fauna all combine to make museum nest collections potentially excellent behavioural archives. Over recent years, the Natural History Museum, Tring, and the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow, have cooperatively developed their respective collections to deliver a combined research resource that is international in scope, increasingly taxonomically representative and rich in time-series of nest specimens for British breeding species. Here we review the role of museum nest collections in furthering avian research and explore how new research techniques may potentially provide exciting opportunities. We also consider collection development and how collections might be better tailored to the needs of avian biology researchers.

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The Use of Green Plant Material in Bird Nests to Avoid Ectoparasites

Cited by 165 publications

References 14 publications

The design and function of birds' nests

The design and function of birds' nests

The perfume of reproduction in birds: Chemosignaling in avian social life

Bird Nests in Museum Collections: A Rich Resource for Research

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