Nest sites of the threespine stickleback: Can site characters alone protect the nest against egg predators and are nest sites a limiting resource?

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 1991-1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. G. Whoriskey ◽  
G. J. FitzGerald
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Field Population ◽  
Site Quality ◽  
Male Quality ◽  
Egg Predation ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Per Se

In a field population of Gasterosteus aculeatus, analysis of the patterns of nest destruction following removal of males indicated that nest site variables per se offered little protection against egg predation in the absence of paternal defense. These experiments also indicated that male breeding densities were not limited by a lack of space for territories. We suggest that site quality and male quality, which is determined in part by the quality of parental defense, interact to determine the number of eggs a male can hatch.

Effects of Conspecifics and Vegetation On Nest Site Selection in Gasterosteus Aculeatus L

Behaviour ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 42 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 97-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald A. Jenni
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Glass Plate ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
End Effect ◽  
Middle Portion ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
The Difference

AbstractVegetation and conspecific rivals both exert significant influences on the locations of territories as determined by the nest sites selected by naive male three-spined sticklebacks. The effect of a row of vegetation along one end of a tank depends on the size of the tank. In small tanks (up to I20 cm), a row of vegetation at one end repels males. In the 300 cm tank, a row of vegetation at one end did not appear to influence the overall distribution of nests, but those nesting in the end with the vegetation tended to nest in the vegetation. A row of vegetation at one end of the 600 cm ditch attracted some males who nested in the row. The remaining nests were located in the middle portion of the ditch,, and the end effect in the unplanted ditch disappeared. Thus the effect of a row of vegetation depends on the amount of open space available in front of it. In the 600 cm ditch, a row of vegetation standing away from the end attracted 65 per cent of the males who selected nest sites within and adjacent to the rows compared to 40 per cent when the row was at the end. The difference is not quite significant. With a rival behind a glass plate 30 cm from one end of the otherwise bare 600 cm tank, rival males selected nest sites at the opposite end of the tank. The repelling effect of a rival was effective over a relatively large distance in this bare environment. The repelling effect of the rival was exaggerated in some experiments in which a second glass plate was placed 30 cm from the opposite end. Separate experiments proved that a glass plate attracted males who tended to nest near it. The repelling effects of a rival was greatly reduced when a row of vegetation was placed at some distance from his territory boundary (glass plate).

Field observations on the reproductive biology of a newly discovered stickleback (Gasterosteus)

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 1057-1063 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. G. Jamieson ◽  
D. M. Blouw ◽  
P. W. Colgan
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Biological Species ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Filamentous Algae ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Cape Breton Island ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
White Males ◽  
Cape Breton ◽  
Positive Assortative Mating

Field observations on a newly discovered form of stickleback, termed the white stickleback, were conducted at three sites in Bras d'Or Lake on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The white stickleback is sympatric with but reproductively isolated from the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). White males nest above the substrate in filamentous algae, whereas threespine males nest on the substrate away from algae. At one of our sites, however, a few males of both sticklebacks were found nesting in similar habitat, namely on top of alga-covered rocks. Nevertheless, there was microhabitat separation of the two sticklebacks, because white males consistently nest farther from the shore than threespine males. Hence, there is little interaction between the two forms during courtship of females. In areas where territories were adjacent, white males attracted gravid threespine females to their nest, but courtship broke off at that point. Observations indicated positive assortative mating, as found in earlier laboratory work, and suggest that the two sticklebacks may be good biological species. However, the previously reported association between white sticklebacks and dense growth of filamentous algae is not perfect, since white males at one site had built their nests and were actively courting females before the filamentous algae bloomed. Some white males vacated their nest sites during the day, whereas threespine males never did. It is not clear why white males do this, where they go, or for how long, but the departures may be related to the high levels of activity shown by white males while on their territories.

Raiding shoal size and a distraction display in male sticklebacks (Gasterosteus)

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark S. Ridgway ◽  
J. D. McPhail
Keyword(s):  
Nest Predation ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Species Pairs ◽  
Threespine Sticklebacks

In threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), shoals of foraging conspecifics attack the nests of parental males and consume the offspring. This type of nest predation also occurs in lakes with sympatric species pairs of sticklebacks (Gasterosteus sp.) in which benthic stickleback shoals attack the nests of parental limnetic males. We manipulated shoal size of benthic sticklebacks in Paxton and Enos lakes to determine if there is a minimum shoal size necessary before parental limnetic males will perform the spasmodic swim display, a behaviour used by parental males to lure foraging shoals away from their nest and offspring. Males showed a significant increase in display frequency beginning with shoals of eight fish. The display occurred only when there were offspring in the nest and not when the nest was empty. We interpret the display to be a foraging deception in which parental males manipulate raiding shoals into giving up their search for a food source, causing them to leave the area of the male's nest site. This distraction display appears to be widespread within the threespine stickleback species complex.

Nests built on power lines: Nest-site selection by long-tailed broadbills (Psarisomus dalhousiae) in Nonggang of Guangxi, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 63-69
Author(s):  
Bo Zhou ◽  
Changzhang Feng ◽  
Wei Liang
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Power Lines ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
Survival And Development ◽  
Selection Of

The quality of breeding habitat may directly affect the survival and development of progeny. Therefore, the selection of a suitable nest-site is an important factor affecting the reproductive success of birds. The most important reason for a bird’s reproductive failure is nest predation. Predation may cause birds to change their nest-sites and even nest morphology. Here we investigated the nest-site characteristics by long-tailed broadbills ( Psarisomus dalhousiae) in Nonggang, Guangxi, southwestern China. Our results showed that long-tailed broadbills in Nonggang mainly build their nests on power lines (88.5%) and nest-site selection was mainly affected by predation pressure and food resources. At the same time, nest-site concealment was trade-off against predator avoidance. This anti-predator strategy effectively utilizes human infrastructure.

Settlement patterns and nest-site selection of Cliff Swallows, Hirundo pyrrhonota: males prefer to clump but females settle randomly

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (8) ◽  
pp. 1394-1401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan B. Meek ◽  
Robert M. R. Barclay
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Settlement Patterns ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Arrival Date ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Probability Of Success ◽  
Selection Of

We assessed the settlement pattern of colonial Cliff Swallows (Hirundo pyrrhonota) to examine whether they avoid settling near to each other or prefer to nest in close proximity. Male Cliff Swallows occupied and defended nests before females paired with them, and males settled next to other males significantly more often than expected by chance. In contrast to that of males, female settlement was not significantly different from random: females neither preferred nor avoided settling next to other Cliff Swallows, nor did females select old nests on the basis of nest stability. Neither males nor females chose nests in the same order from year to year, suggesting that quality of old nests was not an important factor affecting settlement patterns. Male arrival date is related to quality in some species, but female Cliff Swallows did not select the earliest arriving males. There was also no correlation between the order in which females chose mates and male traits. All nest sites may have offered females an equal probability of success, leading to random settlement with respect to other females, nests, and males.

scholarly journals Economic investment by ant colonies in searches for better homes

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 20130685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Doran ◽  
Tom Pearce ◽  
Aaron Connor ◽  
Thomas Schlegel ◽  
Elizabeth Franklin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nest Site ◽  
Information Gathering ◽  
Ant Colonies ◽  
Temnothorax Albipennis ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Potential Gain ◽  
Average Probability ◽  
First Time ◽  
Animal Societies

Organisms should invest more in gathering information when the pay-off from finding a profitable resource is likely to be greater. Here, we ask whether animal societies put more effort in scouting for a new nest when their current one is of low quality. We measured the scouting behaviour of Temnothorax albipennis ant colonies when they inhabit nest-sites with different combinations of desirable attributes. We show that the average probability of an ant scouting decreases significantly with an increase in the quality of the nest in which the colony currently resides. This means that the greater the potential gain from finding a new nest, the more effort a colony puts into gathering information regarding new nest-sites. Our results show, for the first time to our knowledge, the ability of animal societies to respond collectively to the quality of a resource they currently have at their disposal (e.g. current nest-site) and regulate appropriately their information gathering efforts for finding an alternative (e.g. a potentially better nest-site).

Effects of Pre-Experimental Conditions On Nest Site Selection and Aggression in Gasterosteus Aculeatus L

Behaviour ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 35 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 61-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald A. Jenni ◽  
J.J.A. Van Iersel ◽  
J. Van Den Assem
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
The Other ◽  
First Year ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Physical Isolation ◽  
Building Behavior ◽  
The Difference

AbstractMale three-spined sticklebacks were held individually in compartments under one of four conditions: Total Isolation (Ti) ; Physical Isolation (Pi), compartments from which the males could see the room; Physical Isolation with Aggression Tests (PiA), similar to Pi but with the addition of aggression tests each day; and Physical Isolation with a Goldfish Companion (PiG), similar to Pi but with a white color-phase goldfish in the same compartment. Ti and PiA individuals became shy and tended to hide motionless in the corners of their compartments; when disturbed, they sometimes dashed madly about the compartment before becoming motionless. Pi and PiG fish became tame or non-shy. When tested individually in a 300 cm tank planted with a dense row of vegetation along one end, the shy males (Ti and PiA) selected nest sites nearer the ends of the tank than the non-shy males (Pi and PiG) did. The distribution of nests built by Ti individuals differed significantly from those of the other groups. Latency of response to a test male showed great variation; the difference between PiG with the shortest delays, and PiA with the longest delays, are significant. PiG and Pi males showed significantly more aggression toward the test male than did Ti and PiA males. The small differences in the amount of aggression between PiG and Pi and between Ti and PiA are not significant. Latency of response is negatively correlated with number of bites in the first minute and (less well) with total number of bites. The negative correlation between latency and total aggression is much better if we exclude those with short latencies. There is no correlation between nest site and latency of response to the test male. The location of the nest (distance from nearest end) and amount of biting directed at the test male are positively correlated. It is quite clear that the conditions under which these wild caught, first-year males were held in the laboratory immediately prior to the experiments affected the numbers nesting, their choice of nest sites, their latency in responding to intruding male, and the amount of biting they directed against them. The differences in treatment did not affect the percent of individuals that built nests and responded to the test male. Four Ti individuals showed large amounts of nest building behavior during the aggression tests, but none of the other groups showed this. In spite of gross differences in the treatments the four groups received, the two groups which became shy responded very similarly to one another and the two groups which became non-shy also responded similarly to one another.

Mate choice in American Redstarts: by territory quality?

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (10) ◽  
pp. 2255-2261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael M. J. Morris ◽  
Robert E. Lemon
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Territory Quality ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
American Redstarts

We consider the hypothesis that mate choice in American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla) depends primarily on features of territories held by males. We test the hypothesis that the territories of yearling males are demonstrably different from and inferior for reproduction to those of adult males. Territories held by the two age-classes in New Brunswick, Canada, were floristically different, but there were also major differences in territorial features in three microgeographic areas, both within each age-group and without regard to age. There were greater differences in nest success between areas than between the age-classes. We detected no differences in immediate nest site features between nests built by the mates of yearling and adult males. There were differences across the three areas in the species of trees used as nest sites, probably reflecting differences in availability. Support for the claim of different reproductive success in relation to quality of territories held by the two age-classes of males is not convincing.

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