Interspecific information on predation risk affects nest site choice in a passerine bird

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Janne-Tuomas Seppnen¹  Hannu Ylnen²  Jere Tolvanen³  Mikko Mnkknen⁴  Robert L. Thomson⁵  Jukka T. Forsman⁶ 

[1] Current Address: Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland;Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvskyl, Finland;Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland;Nature and Game Management Trust, Degerby, Finland;Open Science Centre, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvskyl, Finland;Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

关键词: Social information;    Nest site choice;    Predation risk;    Realized niche;    Species coexistence;    Intraspecific variation;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12862-018-1301-3

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: BioMed Central

【 摘 要 】

Breeding site choice constitutes an important part of the species niche. Nest predation affects breeding site choice, and has been suggested to drive niche segregation and local coexistence of species. Interspecific social information use may, in turn, result in copying or rejection of heterospecific niche characteristics and thus affect realized niche overlap between species. We tested experimentally whether a migratory bird, the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca, collects information about nest predation risk from indirect cues of predators visiting nests of heterospecific birds. Furthermore, we investigated whether the migratory birds can associate such information with a specific nest site characteristic and generalize the information to their own nest site choice. Our results demonstrate that flycatchers can use the fate of heterospecific nesting attempts in their own nest site choice, but do so selectively. Young flycatcher females, when making the decision quickly, associated the fate of an artificial nest with nest-site characteristics and avoided the characteristic associated with higher nest predation risk. Copying nest site choices of successful heterospecifics, and avoiding choices which led to failed attempts, may amplify or counter effects of nest predation on niche overlap, with important consequences for between-species niche divergence-convergence dynamics, species coexistence and predator-prey interactions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY