Effects on tree swallows exposed to dioxin-like compounds associated with the Tittabawassee River and floodplain near Midland, Michigan, USA

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1354-1365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy B. Fredricks ◽  
Matthew J. Zwiernik ◽  
Rita M. Seston ◽  
Sarah J. Coefield ◽  
Dustin L. Tazelaar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Tittabawassee River

scholarly journals Environmental determinants of haemosporidian parasite prevalence in a declining population of Tree swallows

Parasitology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (7) ◽  
pp. 961-970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Turcotte ◽  
Marc Bélisle ◽  
Fanie Pelletier ◽  
Dany Garant
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Parasite Prevalence ◽  
Landscape Composition ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Environmental Determinants ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Haemosporidian Parasite ◽  
Haemosporidian Parasites

AbstractThe prevalence of vector-borne parasites such as haemosporidian species is influenced by several environmental factors. While the negative effects of parasitism on hosts are well documented, these can also be amplified by interactions with environmental stressors, many of which are anthropogenic. Yet, we know little about the possible effects of anthropogenic perturbations on parasite prevalence. The goals of this study were to assess the prevalence and environmental determinants of haemosporidian parasites in a declining population of Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) living in an agricultural landscape in southern Québec, Canada. Overall, a low prevalence and a moderate lineage diversity were identified in both adults and nestlings, confirming that transmission can occur during the breeding period. Anthropic areas, extensive cultures (hayfields and pastures) and forest cover within 500 km of nest boxes, as well as daily temperature fluctuations, were all related to infection by haemosporidian parasites. These findings suggest that anthropogenic alterations of landscape composition can modulate the prevalence of haemosporidian parasites in Tree swallows. Our results represent a baseline for future comparative studies assessing haemosporidian parasite prevalence in human-modified landscapes.

Effects of breeding density, synchrony, and experience on extrapair paternity in tree swallows

1994 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter O. Dunn ◽  
Linda A. Whittingham ◽  
Jan T. Lifjeld ◽  
Raleigh J. Robertson ◽  
Peter T. Boag
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Density ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Extrapair Paternity

scholarly journals Do Hormones, Telomere Lengths, and Oxidative Stress form an Integrated Phenotype? A Case Study in Free-Living Tree Swallows

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Q. Ouyang ◽  
Á. Z. Lendvai ◽  
I. T. Moore ◽  
F. Bonier ◽  
M. F. Haussmann
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Living Tree ◽  
And Oxidative Stress

Tissue-based risk assessment of great blue heron (Ardea herodias) exposed to PCDD/DF in the Tittabawassee River floodplain, Michigan, USA

2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 2544-2558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita M. Seston ◽  
Timothy B. Fredricks ◽  
Dustin L. Tazelaar ◽  
Sarah J. Coefield ◽  
Patrick W. Bradley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
River Floodplain ◽  
Ardea Herodias ◽  
Great Blue Heron ◽  
Tittabawassee River

The costs of reproduction in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 2540-2547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel T. Wheelwright ◽  
Joanna Leary ◽  
Caragh Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Tachycineta Bicolor ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Costs Of Reproduction ◽  
Return Rates ◽  
Trade Offs

We investigated the effect of brood size on nestling growth and survival, parental survival, and future fecundity in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) over a 4-year period (1987–1990) in an effort to understand whether reproductive trade-offs limit clutch size in birds. In addition to examining naturally varying brood sizes in a population on Kent Island, New Brunswick, Canada, we experimentally modified brood sizes, increasing or decreasing the reproductive burdens of females by two offspring. Unlike previous studies, broods of the same females were enlarged or reduced in up to 3 successive years in a search for evidence of cumulative costs of reproduction that might go undetected by a single brood manipulation. Neither observation nor experiment supported the existence of a trade-off between offspring quality and quantity, in contrast with the predictions of life-history theory. Nestling wing length, mass, and tarsus length were unrelated to brood size. Although differences between means were in the direction predicted, few differences were statistically significant, despite large sample sizes. Nestlings from small broods were no more likely to return as breeding adults than nestlings from large broods, but return rates of both groups were very low. Parental return rates were also independent of brood size, and there was no evidence of a negative effect of brood size on future fecundity (laying date, clutch size). Reproductive success, nestling size, and survival did not differ between treatments for females whose broods were manipulated in successive years. Within the range of brood sizes observed in this study, the life-history costs of feeding one or two additional nestlings in tree swallows appear to be slight and cannot explain observed clutch sizes. Costs not measured in this study, such as the production of eggs or postfledging parental care, may be more important in limiting clutch size in birds.

scholarly journals Male parental investment reflects the level of partner contributions and brood value in tree swallows

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ádám Z. Lendvai ◽  
Çağlar Akçay ◽  
Mark Stanback ◽  
Mark F. Haussmann ◽  
Ignacio T. Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Temporary Increase ◽  
Southern Population ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Parental Effort ◽  
Northern Population ◽  
Nestling Begging ◽  
Two Populations ◽  
Partial Compensation

AbstractBiparental care presents an interesting case of cooperation and conflict between unrelated individuals. Several models have been proposed to explain how parents should respond to changes in each other’s parental care to maximize their own fitness, predicting no change, partial compensation, or matching effort as a response. Here, we present an experiment in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) in which we increased the parental care of females by presenting them, but not their mates, with additional nestling begging calls using automated playbacks. We performed this experiment in two populations differing in future breeding opportunities and thus the intensity of conflict over current parental care. We found that in response to a temporary increase in female parental effort, males in the northern population with lower sexual conflict matched the increased effort, whereas males in the southern population did not. We also found that increases in parental care during playbacks were driven by the females (i.e., females initiated the increased effort and their mates followed them) in the northern population but not the southern population. These results support the idea that with incomplete information about the brood value and need, cues or signals from the partner might become important in coordinating parental care.

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