Find research datasets worth reusing

opencc-zeroNov 2023View details →

Fitness benefits of alternated chick provisioning in cooperatively breeding carrion crows

In most bird species, parents raise offspring cooperatively. In some cases, this cooperation extends to helpers-at-the-nest who assist the breeders with a range of tasks. While cooperative food provisioning might merely arise incidentally, as a result of the efforts of carers that act independently from each other, recent studies suggest that birds may coordinate by taking turns in visiting the nest. However, evidence that such coordination emerges because individuals actively respond to each other's behaviour is controversial, and the potential benefits of carers' alternation remain unknown. We addressed this knowledge gap by analysing a multi-year dataset for cooperatively breeding carrion crows, Corvus corone, comprising 8,693 nest visits across 50 groups. Our results reveal that turn taking does occur in this species and that all group members, regardless of their sex and social role (breeder/helper), tend to alternate at the nest with other carers rather than to make repeat visits. Importantly, we found that the body mass of nestlings increased significantly with the degree of carers' alternation, possibly because well-coordinated groups provided food at more regular intervals. Using earlier monitoring data, the observed increase in body mass is predicted to substantially boost post-fledging survival rates. Our analyses demonstrate that alternation in nestling provisioning has measurable fitness benefits in this study system. This raises the possibility that cooperatively breeding carrion crows, as well as other bird species with similarly coordinated brood provisioning, exhibit specialized behavioural strategies that enable effective alternation.

Stable isotope analysis reveals shifts in diet of a breeding montane bird

Insectivorous breeding birds require access to high quality prey to produce a successful nest. A lack of suitable prey (e.g., low nutritional quality or low invertebrate availability) that fulfill energetic demands can negatively affect nestling growth and survival. In high elevation ecosystems (>900 m), cooler and wetter climates can have negative influences on invertebrate availability which in turn can affect bird diets. Yet we lack studies of how diet composition changes over elevation gradients. Here, we assessed the diet of Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulaus) within the White Mountains, New Hampshire using stable isotope analysis and DNA metabarcoding. We found that the proportion of detritivore arthropods in thrush diets increased with elevation, while the proportion of predatory arthropods and overall niche-width declined. Further, we show that high-elevation thrushes had diets that were different in composition, but similar in diversity to thrushes at low-elevation sites. Lepidoptera, araneae, and coleoptera were important diet items across all elevations, but increases in woodlice and ghost spiders contributed to familial-level differences in diet composition at high-elevation sites. This research suggests montane breeding birds may be consuming low quality prey (i.e., millipedes) at high elevation sites, due to either availability or preference. With considerations due to climate change, environmental contamination, and residual impacts on the diet and nutrient availability for breeding montane birds, understanding diet composition changes along environmental gradients can provide information on nutrient availability for species that breed in harsh climatic conditions. Future work on invertebrate availability and nutritional composition, daily energy expenditure, and dietary niche would help contribute to important context to conserving montane birds within these sensitive, high elevation systems.

Data from: Winter game crop plots for gamebirds retain hedgerow breeding songbirds in an improved grassland landscape

The cause of recent population declines in some farmland / hedgerow breeding bird species in the UK is related to a lack of cover and food resources in winter. In improved grassland areas some of those declines have been particularly acute and some have been shown to be related to the availability of grass and weed seed in winter. The provision of seed-bearing crops as part of AES options has been shown to benefit some of these birds. Game crop plots sown on shooting estates for holding and driving gamebirds in autumn and winter have been shown to hold relatively high densities of farmland and wood-edge birds during the winter. We studied breeding songbirds in hedges in a primarily improved grassland area in the SW of England where there are some large shooting estates that sow relatively large game crop plots (1 - 5 ha) in the landscape. In this study we found that otherwise similar hedges in terms of size and density near to those winter game crop plots, had between 1.5 and 2 times as many breeding resident songbirds per unit length the following spring compared to hedges further away from game crop plots. This was despite game management in these plots being wound down during February and in many cases, the crops themselves being removed by mid-March. Hedges within approximately 350m from game crop plots had more breeding birds. We discuss possible mechanisms and suggest that some passerines preferentially establish breeding territories in hedges near to game crops in late winter. We suggest how to distribute game crop plots to maximise any benefit in an improved grassland landscape.

Data from: Comparison of pooled semen insemination and single colony insemination as sustainable honeybee breeding strategies

Instrumental insemination of honeybees allows for two opposing breeding strategies. In single colony insemination (SCI), all drones to inseminate a queen are taken from one colony. In pooled semen insemination (PSI), sperm of many genetically diverse drones is mixed and queens are fertilised from the resulting drone pool. While SCI allows for maximum pedigree control, proponents of PSI claim to reduce inbreeding and maintain genetic variance. Using stochastic simulation studies, we compared genetic progress and inbreeding rates in small honeybee populations under SCI and PSI. Four different selection criteria were covered: estimated breeding values (EBV), phenotypes, true breeding values (TBV), and random selection. Under EBV-based truncation selection, SCI yielded 9.0% to 44.4% higher genetic gain than PSI, but had vastly increased inbreeding rates. Under phenotypical or TBV selection, the gap between SCI and PSI in terms of genetic progress narrowed. Throughout, PSI yielded lower inbreeding rates than SCI, but the differences were only substantial under EBV truncation selection. As a result, PSI did not appear as a viable breeding strategy due to its incompatibility with modern methods of genetic evaluation. Instead, SCI is to be preferred but instead of strict truncation selection, strategies to avoid inbreeding need to be installed.

Relative breeding timing and reproductive success of a resident montane bird species

The phenological match-mismatch hypothesis predicts that animals that better synchronize critical life history events with the peak availability of their primary food source should have higher fitness. If phenological match-mismatch determines breeding success, most individuals in a population may be expected to breed simultaneously within a given year because selection has favored mechanisms that allow for the tracking of optimal food abundance. Therefore, individuals that breed too early or too late relative to the bulk of the population ("peak" of breeding) should experience decreased fitness. Using 11 years of data, we investigated the effect of relative breeding timing on breeding success in resident mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli) across two elevations in the Sierra Nevada mountains, USA. Chickadees that bred during the peak of nesting did not have the highest breeding success; instead, birds that bred earliest performed best at high elevation, while at low elevation early and peak nests performed similarly. Breeding success decreased linearly with relative timing at both high and low elevations, and the relationship between breeding success and timing differed among years. Our results suggest that phenological match-mismatch may not be the main driver of within-year variation in breeding success in animals residing in montane environments.

opencc-zeroMar 2024View details →

Data from: Full-factorial breeding experiment with lake char (lake Geneva, winter 2018/2019)

The 'good genes' hypotheses of sexual selection predict that females prefer males with strong ornaments because they are in good health and vigor and can afford the costs of the ornaments. A key assumption of this concept is that male health and vigor are useful predictors of genetic quality and hence offspring performance. We tested this prediction in wild-caught lake char (Salvelinus umbla) whose breeding coloration is known to reveal aspects of male health. We first reanalyzed results from sperm competition trials in which embryos of known parenthood had been raised singly in either a stress- or non-stress environment. Paternal coloration did not correlate with any measures of offspring performance. However, offspring growth was reduced with higher kinship coefficients between the parents. To test the robustness of these first observations, we collected a new sample of wild males and females, used their gametes in a full-factorial in vitro breeding experiment, and singly raised about 3,000 embryos in either a stress- or non-stress environment (stress induced by microbes). Again, paternal coloration did not predict offspring performance, while offspring growth was reduced with higher kinship between the parents. We conclude that, in lake char, the genetic benefits of mate choice would be strongest if females could recognize and avoid genetically related males, while male breeding colors may be more relevant in intra-sexual selection.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2024View details →

Argos Platform Transmitter Terminal data for 3 Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus) during breeding season in Fildes Peninsula.

Argos Platform Transmitter Terminal raw data for 3 Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus) during breeding season in Fildes Peninsula, more specifically in the Islet known as Diomedea or Albatross Islet. All location classes are included. Locations are in EPSG 4326 (WGS 84). All animals had an active nest during data collection.   Data generates with funding from INACH Programa Areas Marinhas Protegidas (24 04 052) and Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, Instituto Milénio Base ICN2021_002

opencc-zeroApr 2024View details →

Breeding male Ortolan Bunting observations from Finland 2000-2018

Ortolan Bunting male territory observations from Finland from 2000-2018 and R-code used to analyse the association between population growth rate and various environmental and spatial variables. Data includes individual identification number for 238 singing groups (id), the year of the observation (year), number of observed territories within a singing group at the year of the observation (terri), number of observed territories during the previous year (terpre), proportion of agricultural land use within the singing group landscape (agri5), the mean daily precipitation (mm) (prec) and temperature (ºC) (temp) of the previous year summer, Shannon-Wiener diversity index of crop types within the singing group area (shang), proportion of crop types which provide bare ground in spring (bare), density of buildings (build), rivers (river), streams (stream) and roads (road), the municipality (municipality) and the region (region) where the singing group is located.

opencc-zeroNov 2021View details →

Structural equation modeling reveals determinants of fitness in a cooperatively breeding bird

Even in well-studied organisms, it is often challenging to uncover the social and environmental determinants of fitness. Typically, fitness is determined by a variety of factors that act in concert, thus forming complex networks of causal relationships. Moreover, even strong correlations between social and environmental conditions and fitness components may not be indicative of direct causal links, as the measured variables may be driven by unmeasured (or unmeasurable) causal factors. Standard statistical approaches, like multiple regression analyses, are not suited for disentangling such complex causal relationships. Here, we apply structural equation modeling (SEM), a technique that is specifically designed to reveal causal relationships between variables, and which also allows to include hypothetical causal factors. Therefore, SEM seems ideally suited for comparing alternative hypotheses on how fitness differences arise from differences in social and environmental factors. We apply SEM to a rich data set collected in a long-term study on the Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus seychellensis), a bird species with facultatively cooperative breeding and a high rate of extra-group paternity. Our analysis reveals that the presence of helpers has a positive effect on the reproductive output of both female and male breeders. In contrast, per capita food availability does not affect reproductive output. Our analysis does not confirm earlier suggestions on other species that the presence of helpers has a negative effect on the reproductive output of male breeders. As such, both female and male breeders should tolerate helpers in their territories, irrespective of food availability.

Multistate modeling of Florida scrub-jay adult survival and breeding transitions

Metadata for data file “MS4APR2020 ALL ENTER 2 STATES.txt” for the research published in Ecosphere Article ECS21-0698 Multistate modeling of Florida scrub-jay adult survival and breeding transitions David R. Breininger1&dagger;, Geoffrey M. Carter1, Stephanie A. Legare1 William V. Payne1, Eric D. Stolen1, Daniel J. Breininger2, James E. Lyon3 1Herndon Solutions Group, LLC, NASA Environmental and Medical Contract, NEM-022, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899, U.S.A. 2Department of Mathematics, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne FL, 32899 U.S.A. 3Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville FL 32901, U.S.A. &dagger; Corresponding author: e-mail: <a href="mailto:david.r.breininger@nasa.gov">david.r.breininger@nasa.gov</a> The data uses input file format described in the Program MARK manual (White and Burnham 1999, Cooch and White 2006).  Each record (row) starts with an adult bird’s capture history, followed by group variables (each bird belongs to only one group) and then covariates, which here are all time specific.  Time starts with 2001 and ends with 2015. Periods “.” in the capture history represented birds that were censored because the study sites were discontinued.  <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>   The first 15 columns represent states from 2001 to 2015 where “I” refers to nonbreeder, “2” refers to breeder and “0” occurs when the bird is not observed. </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Spaces occur after the capture history and between group variables and covariates. </td> </tr> <tr> <td> The first group variable identifies males if given a "1". </td> </tr> <tr> <td> The second group variable identifies females if given a :1". </td> </tr> <tr> <td> The third and final group membership identifies birds of unknown sex if given a "1". </td> </tr> <tr> <td> All following data refer to time-specific covariates except for the semicolon at the end of each individual's record. </td> </tr> <tr> <td> The first 14 covariates refer to whether a bird resided on the study site edge (0) or interior (1). </td> </tr> <tr> <td> The 2nd set of 14 covariates refer density (number of pairs/potential pairs) within the local population. </td> </tr> <tr> <td> The 3rd set of 14 covariates refer to population breeder mortality rates (number of banded breeders that died/number of banded breeders). </td> </tr> <tr> <td> The final set of 14 covariates refer to mean family group size of adults in each local population. </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

Fig. 4 in New whitefly genus and species (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) breeding on Orophea katschallica Kurz in India

Fig. 4. Rudisculptus caudalis gen. et sp. nov., slide mounts. A. Puparium, ♀, holotype (ANRC-ZSI). B. Puparium, paratypes (ANRC-ZSI). C. Thoracic tracheal pore (PT). D. True margin. Pore (PT). E. Abdominal segments (HT). F. Moulting suture; seta (HT). G. Cephalothoracic demarcation (PT). H. Posterior abdominal area (HT). Abbreviations: ABS VII = abdominal segment VII; ANT = antenna; FAS = first abdominal setae; GP = geminate pore; HT = holotype; LMS = longitudinal moulting suture; PT = paratype; TMS = transverse moulting suture; TTP = thoracic tracheal pore; 1st ABS = first abdominal setae.

Fig. 9 in New whitefly genus and species (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) breeding on Orophea katschallica Kurz in India

Fig. 9. Aleuropleurocelus ceanothi (Sampson, 1945), SEM microphotographs. B–G. Ventral views. A. Puparium, geminate pore. B. Ventral view. C. Ventrally folded submargin. D. Legs, stipples, spiracle. E. Marginal wax glands. F. Thoracic tracheal fold. G. Caudal tracheal pore and furrow area.

Fig. 3 in New whitefly genus and species (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) breeding on Orophea katschallica Kurz in India

Fig. 3. Rudisculptus caudalis gen. et sp. nov., ♀, holotype (ANRC-ZSI), line drawings. A. Dorsal and ventral views. B. Diagrammatic presentation of puparium on leaf in lateral view. C. Thoracic tracheal pore. D. Vasiform orifice.

Fig. 6 in New whitefly genus and species (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) breeding on Orophea katschallica Kurz in India

Fig. 6. Rudisculptus caudalis gen. et sp. nov., puparium, not preserved, SEM images, dorsal and ventral surfaces. A. Microtubercles, dorsal surface. B. Same, enlarged view. C. Geminate pore. D. Cephalic seta. E. Puparium, ventral surface. F. Thoracic tracheal fold. G. Caudal tracheal fold.

Fig. 8 in New whitefly genus and species (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) breeding on Orophea katschallica Kurz in India

Fig. 8. Aleuropleurocelus ceanothi (Sampson, 1945), SEM microphotographs. A. Puparium, dorsal view. B. Cephalothorax. C. Abdominal area. D. Folded submargin. E. Meso- and metathorax, longitudinal suture. F. Vasiform orifice. G. Operculum apex, tuft of conical microtrichia.

Fig. 5 in New whitefly genus and species (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) breeding on Orophea katschallica Kurz in India

Fig. 5. Rudisculptus caudalis gen. et sp. nov., puparium, not preserved, SEM images. A. Ventrolateral view. B. Dorsal view. C. Cephalothorax. D. Posterior abdominal area. E. Abdominal segment. F. Vasiform orifice.

opencc-zeroJan 2022View details →

A hierarchical dependent double-observer method for estimating waterfowl breeding pairs abundance from helicopters

We applied a dependent double-observer method for helicopter surveys and developed a hierarchical Bayesian model as a means to adjust counts of waterfowl for incomplete detection. We conducted our study using 52 plots in Labrador, Canada. A designated pair of primary observers reported counts and location of all waterfowl flocks that they detected to a pair of secondary observers, including details regarding the species, age and sex of observed birds. Secondary observers then reported any additional flocks observed by them but missed by the primary observers. The pairs of observers alternated between primary and secondary roles during the course of the survey, as well as position (front or back) within the helicopter. We used hierarchical Bayesian models to estimate detection probabilities of waterfowl flocks, as well as derive species-specific detection-corrected abundance and sex composition estimates of flocks. The hierarchical model output allowed us to derive estimates of indicated breeding pairs for each species in the survey area corrected for incomplete detection. Observers seated in the back of the helicopter had higher detection probabilities (0.89; 90% Bayesian Credible Intervals [BCI] = 0.82 – 0.95) than those in the front (0.74; 90% BCI = 0.66 – 0.83), and observer experience had a limited effect on detection. Total crew detection probabilities ranged between 0.99 (90% BCI = 0.97 – 1.00) and 0.97(90% BCI = 0.94 – 0.99), depending on the individual observers' position and role in the helicopter. Detection probabilities were higher for sea ducks and diving ducks and lower for dabbling ducks. Observers generally missed less than 5% of the total indicated pairs for all species. We recommend that detection in helicopter surveys be measured to control for observer turnover, observer experience, and aircraft-related differences in visibility.

opencc-zeroFeb 2022View details →

Datasets and code for manuscript: Age, breed, sex, and diet influence serum metabolite profiles of 2000 pet dogs

Physiology affects metabolism, but there is a lack of large-scale studies investigating the effects of different physiological factors on canine metabolism. We utilised generalised linear models to study how age, breed, sex, sterilisation status, size, diet type, and fasting time before blood sampling affect serum concentrations of 119 metabolite measurands in over 2000 pet dogs. This dataset contains input files and code for the analyses.

Genome-wide analysis identified candidate variants and genes associated with heat stress adaptation in Egyptian sheep breeds

The current study was conducted from 2009 to 2019 in three hot and dry agroecological zones in Egypt: Western Desert coastal zone, New Valley desert oasis, and hot-dry Upper Egypt. Within these zones, three local sheep breeds were studied: Barki (83 ewes), Wahati (55 ewes) and Saidi (68 ewes). During the study period, the animals exercised under natural heat stress (simulating summer grazing on poor pasture). Meteorological and physiological parameters were measured and recorded. The heat tolerance index of the animals was calculated to identify animals with high and low heat tolerance based on the animals' response to the five main physiological parameters (scale from 0 to 5). DNA samples were extracted for genomic analysis. The genetic diversity measurements showed a significant influence of breed and location on the populations. The influence of breed is more significant than that of location. The inbreeding analysis shows that the desert breeds (Wahati and Barki) have lower values than the urban breed (Saidi). The high rate of sub-clustering indicates the process of sub-population through inbreeding pressure. Wahati and Barki are very distinct breeds with strong identification, while Saidi breed has crosses with other breeds. The most significant SNPs associated with heat tolerance were found in MYO5A, PRKG1, GSTCD, and RTN1 genes (P < 0.0001). MYO5A had an effect of 0.74 on the trait heat tolerance in the studied population. It produces a protein that is widely distributed in the melanin-producing neural crest of the skin. Genetic association between genetic and phenotypic variations showed that OAR1 18300122.1, located in ST3GAL3, had the greatest positive effect on heat tolerance. GWAS analysis identified SNPs associated with heat tolerance in the PLCB1, STEAP3, KSR2, UNC13C , PEBP4, and GPAT2 genes.

Fig. 1 in Distribution Pattern, Nest-Tree Features And Breeding Performance Of Population Of The Black Stork, Ciconia Nigra (Ciconiiformes, Ciconiidae), In Northwestern Serbia

Fig. 1. The proportion of tree species picked for nest placement by the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) in Northwestern Serbia (n = 44).