A Test of the Skutch Hypothesis: Does Activity at Nests Increase Nest Predation Risk?

1997 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Roper ◽  
Rachel R. Goldstein
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Nest Predation

Elevated nest predation risk promotes offspring size variation in birds with prolonged parental care.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen F. Wagner ◽  
Emeline Mourocq ◽  
Michael Griesser
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Reproductive Cycle ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Nest Predation ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Natural Predation ◽  
Risk Spreading

Predation of offspring is the main cause of reproductive failure in many species, and the mere fear of offspring predation shapes reproductive strategies. Yet, natural predation risk is ubiquitously variable and can be unpredictable. Consequently, the perceived prospect of predation early in a reproductive cycle may not reflect the actual risk to ensuing offspring. An increased variance in investment across offspring has been linked to breeding in unpredictable environments in several taxa, but has so far been overlooked as a maternal response to temporal variation in predation risk. Here, we experimentally increased the perceived risk of nest predation prior to egg-laying in seven bird species. Species with prolonged parent-offspring associations increased their intra-brood variation in egg, and subsequently offspring, size. High risk to offspring early in a reproductive cycle can favour a risk-spreading strategy particularly in species with the greatest opportunity to even out offspring quality after fledging.

scholarly journals Glucocorticoids, state-dependent reproductive investment and success in the face of danger in a long-lived bird

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Noreikienė ◽  
Kim Jaatinen ◽  
Benjamin B. Steele ◽  
Markus Öst
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Nest Predation ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Relative Telomere Length ◽  
Future Reproduction

AbstractGlucocorticoid hormones may mediate trade-offs between current and future reproduction. However, understanding their role is complicated by predation risk, which simultaneously affects the value of the current reproductive investment and elevates glucocorticoid levels. Here, we shed light on these issues in long-lived female Eiders (Somateria mollissima) by investigating how current reproductive investment (clutch size) and hatching success relate to faecal glucocorticoid metabolite [fGCM] level and residual reproductive value (minimum years of breeding experience, body condition, relative telomere length) under spatially variable predation risk. Our results showed a positive relationship between colony-specific predation risk and mean colony-specific fGCM levels. Clutch size and female fGCM were negatively correlated only under high nest predation and in females in good body condition, previously shown to have a longer life expectancy. We also found that younger females with longer telomeres had smaller clutches. The drop in hatching success with increasing fGCM levels was least pronounced under high nest predation risk, suggesting that elevated fGCM levels may allow females to ensure some reproductive success under such conditions. Hatching success was positively associated with female body condition, with relative telomere length, particularly in younger females, and with female minimum age, particularly under low predation risk, showing the utility of these metrics as indicators of individual quality. In line with a trade-off between current and future reproduction, our results show that high potential for future breeding prospects and increased predation risk shift the balance toward investment in future reproduction, with glucocorticoids playing a role in the resolution of this trade-off.

scholarly journals Evaluating food availability and nest predation risk as sources of bias in aural bird surveys

2010 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 420-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce A. Robertson ◽  
Richard L. Hutto ◽  
Joseph J. Fontaine
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Nest Predation

Linking snake habitat use to nest predation risk in grassland birds: the dangers of shrub cover

Oecologia ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 162 (3) ◽  
pp. 803-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Page E. Klug ◽  
Sara L. Jackrel ◽  
Kimberly A. With
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Predation Risk ◽  
Nest Predation ◽  
Grassland Birds ◽  
Shrub Cover

scholarly journals Male incubation feeding in songbirds responds differently to nest predation risk across hemispheres

2011 ◽  
Vol 82 (6) ◽  
pp. 1347-1356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beata Matysioková ◽  
Andrew Cockburn ◽  
Vladimír Remeš
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Nest Predation ◽  
Incubation Feeding
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