Thermal Properties of Tree Cavities During Winter in a Northern Hardwood Forest

Coombs, Andrea B.; Bowman, Jeff; Garroway, Colin J.

doi:10.2193/2009-560

Cited by 81 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…An identical pattern was found in all studies done during the breeding season (papers referred to above, and Stains, 1961;Martin and Ghalambor, 1999;Wiebe, 2001), as well as in studies on roosting cavities carried out during the winter (Paclík and Weidinger, 2007;Coombs et al, 2010). Thus, tree cavities appear to dampen the daily temperature fluctuations and provide a much more stable thermal environment than the world outside.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

“…We presumed that different types of cavities would provide contrasting environments, but there are hardly any data to check this. Available data indicate, though, that air temperatures in cavities may depend on their locality and dimensions (Hooge et al, 1999;Wiebe, 2001;Sedgeley, 2001;Packlík and Weidinger, 2007;Rhodes et al, 2009;Coombs et al, 2010). Thus, by selecting cavities with appropriate attributes, the birds would able to adjust microclimatic conditions in cavities to their requirements, at least to some extent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Maziarz¹,

Wesołowski²

2013

Avian Biology Research

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Altricial birds nesting in places with a favourable microclimate would be able to maintain the proper temperature of eggs or nestlings with less effort and thus reproduce more successfully. Tree cavities provide relatively safe nesting sites, but their microclimate is hardly known. Here we present the first data on air temperature and humidity in natural cavities used by Great Tits nesting in protected primeval forest in the Białowie a National Park (Eastern Poland). We checked what microclimatic conditions existed in cavities selected by Great Tits, how the construction of a nest changed the microclimate in a cavity and to what extent cavity localisation and cavity dimensions modified the microclimate of the breeding cavities. Great Tits used cavities in the living trees which were characterised by cool but relatively stable temperatures and very high relative humidity. Such conditions appear to be typical for cavities in living trees in general. Cavities with Great Tit broods were warmer and drier that the unused ones. The microclimate did not appear to constitute the major factor determining Great Tit usage of cavities in living trees, but it could exert a modifying effect on the pattern of cavity use by them. By choosing cavities of appropriate dimensions and placing the nest at an appropriate distance from the entrance, Great Tits could modify the cavity microclimate. However, their options were probably constrained by necessity to meet other important requirements, such as nest safety and illumination.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Maziarz¹,

Wesołowski²

2013

Avian Biology Research

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“…One potential explanation for this finding is that the insulation properties of natural nest cavities are so superior to nest boxes that, even at high elevations, mountain bluebirds breeding in natural cavities rarely experience strong selection for high cold tolerance of eggs and young nestlings. Multiple studies (Coombs et al, 2010;Amat-Valera et al, 2014), including this study (Figure 1), have found that natural cavities are well-insulated while internal temperatures of nest boxes do not differ from ambient temperatures. Thus, it will be interesting in future studies to investigate whether selection on offspring survival due to cold snaps differs between nest box and natural post-fire populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Switch to a Novel Breeding Resource Influences Coexistence of Two Passerine Birds

et al. 2017

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A crucial step in adapting to urban habitat is switching to novel, often man-made, resources. Switching to a novel resource can influence the dynamics of species coexistence, particularly if it alters trade-offs in performance. While such switches are frequently documented, their influence on species coexistence has been difficult to assess because it requires knowledge of performance trade-offs in the context of both historical and novel resource use. Western and mountain bluebirds provide a unique system in which to investigate the effects of a resource switch on species coexistence because both depend on secondary nest cavities to breed and, across a large part of their range, have switched to using man-made nest boxes. Western bluebirds are less dispersive, but more aggressive, than mountain bluebirds leading to a successional pattern of species replacement in many nest box populations; however, there is evidence of continued coexistence in natural post-fire habitat. Nest boxes differ from natural cavities in both distribution, which may affect the dynamics of interference competition between the species, and thermal conductance, which may impact competition by altering survival of ectothermic young. Here, we use a combination of experimental manipulations of nest box density and more than a decade of fitness and incubation temperature data to investigate whether altered resource distribution or thermal environment best explain patterns of species replacement in nest box populations. In both species, we found that females breeding in nest boxes were unable to maintain normal incubation temperatures during inclement weather and experienced similar offspring mortality patterns. Moreover, climatic variation across populations did not predict species' relative abundance. Instead, experimental manipulation of nest box density showed that mountain bluebirds persisted longer when nest boxes were distributed farther apart, suggesting that nest box distribution may be a key factor in understanding how human-created habitat impacts coexistence of bluebird species. These results emphasize that knowledge of species interactions in the historical habitat is crucial to understanding population dynamics as species transition to novel, man-made habitat.

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“…The ultimate factors that promote use of cavity nests over drey nests by northern flying squirrels remain relatively uncertain (Smith 2012). Large DBH cavity-trees may be more widely used because they have more stable microclimates (Coombs et al 2010), provide better protection from inclement weather and predators (Smith 2007), or because they facilitate communal nesting. Large DBH trees with cavities represent a favorable habitat characteristic for northern flying squirrels in my study population and may be a limiting factor in areas where these features are lacking.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nest Site Characteristics and Nest Tree use by Northern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) in Southwestern Alberta, Canada

Patterson

2012

Northwest Science

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Thermal Properties of Tree Cavities During Winter in a Northern Hardwood Forest

Cited by 81 publications

References 22 publications

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

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

Switch to a Novel Breeding Resource Influences Coexistence of Two Passerine Birds

Nest Site Characteristics and Nest Tree use by Northern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) in Southwestern Alberta, Canada

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