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109 results for “bird reproduction”
Relative breeding timing and reproductive success of a resident montane bird species
<p>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.</p>
Energetic trade-offs in migration decision-making, reproductive effort, and subsequent parental care in a long-distance migratory bird
<p>Migratory species trade-off long-distance movement with survival and reproduction, but the spatiotemporal scales at which these decisions occur is relatively unknown. Technological and statistical advances allow fine-scale study of animal decision-making, improving our understanding of possible causes and therefore conservation management. We quantified effects of reproductive preparation during spring migration on subsequent breeding outcomes, breeding outcomes on autumn migration characteristics, and autumn migration characteristics on subsequent parental survival in Greenland white-fronted geese (<em>Anser albifrons flavirostris</em>). These are long-distance migratory birds with a ~50% population decline from 1999 to 2022. We deployed GPS-acceleration devices on adult females to quantify up to five years of individual decision-making throughout the annual cycle. Weather and habitat-use affected time spent feeding and overall dynamic body acceleration (i.e., energy expenditure) during spring and autumn. Geese that expended less energy and fed longer during spring were more likely to successfully reproduce. Geese with offspring expended more energy and fed for less time during autumn, potentially representing adverse fitness consequences of breeding. These behavioural comparisons among Greenland white-fronted geese improve our understanding of fitness trade-offs underlying abundance. We provide a reproducible framework for full annual cycle modelling using location and behaviour data, applicable to similarly studied migratory animals.</p>
Data for: Faster evolution of a premating reproductive barrier is not associated with faster speciation rates in New World passerine birds
<p>Why are speciation rates so variable across the tree of life? One hypothesis is that this variation is explained by how rapidly reproductive barriers evolve. We tested this hypothesis by conducting a comparative study of the evolution of bird song, a premating barrier to reproduction. Speciation in birds is typically initiated when geographically isolated (allopatric) populations evolve reproductive barriers. We measured the strength of song as a premating barrier between closely related allopatric populations by conducting 2,339 field experiments to measure song discrimination for 175 taxon pairs of allopatric or parapatric New World passerine birds, and estimated recent speciation rates from a global molecular phylogeny of birds. Taxon pairs with high song discrimination in allopatry failed to regularly interbreed in parapatry, evidence that song discrimination is indeed an important reproductive barrier. However, evolutionary rates of song discrimination were not associated with recent speciation rates, and song discrimination evolves faster in suboscine passerines than their more species-rich sister clade, the oscines. Our findings support the long-held idea that song is a key premating reproductive barrier in birds, but show that faster evolution of this reproductive barrier between populations does not result in faster diversification betweeen species.</p>
Supplementary data for "Individual quality and environmental factors interact to shape reproduction and survival in a resident bird of prey"
<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p> <p>The archive contains data file and R-Script to reproduce the results presented in the paper “Individual quality and environmental factors interact to shape reproduction and survival in a resident bird of prey” published in Royal Society Open Science.</p> <p><strong><span> </span></strong></p>
Data from: Assessing the reproductive consequences of mate retention and pair bond duration in Thorn-tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda), a short-lived, socially monogamous Neotropical bird
<p><strong>Description for "PairingData_Aspinicauda.xlsx" file.</strong></p> <p>Data from: Assessing the reproductive consequences of mate retention and pair bond duration in Thorn-tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda), a short-lived, socially monogamous Neotropical bird<br> MS Reference Number: IBIS-2022-OA-113.R2<br> Article DOI: 10.1111/ibi.13183</p> <p>Please address questions to:</p> <p>Esteban Botero D.<br> Guest Scientist<br> Max Planck Institute for Ornithology<br> Dep. Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics<br> Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 8<br> 82319 Seewiesen, Germany<br> Telephone: +49 8157 932453<br> http://www.orn.mpg.de/en<br> e-mail: eboterod@gmail.com; ebotero@orn.mpg.de</p> <p>=====================================================================================<br> =====================================================================================</p> <p><br> General information:</p> <p>The whole dataset contains breeding data collected from a population of the furnariid Thorn-tailed rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda) in north-central Chile (Fray Jorge National Park; 30º38’S, 71º40’W). These data were collected during 2009–2017 as part of a long-term study on the breeding biology of rayaditos. In this study, data were used to evaluate the consequences of mate replacement versus mate retention using 243 breeding attempts made by 159 different breeding pairs. This, in the end, allowed to test whether successive remating conferred reproductive benefits to reunited pairs.</p> <p>The data set is comprised by an Excel file (three spreadsheets) that are explained below.</p> <p>*************************************************************************************</p> <p>Excel file "PairingData_Aspinicauda.xlsx" (created 11-01-2023)</p> <p><br> ********** Spreadsheet "1. AllPairs" **********<br> This spreadsheet contains information from all breeding attempts monitored during the study (n = 243). Each row correspond to a unique breeding attempt. The ring number is used as an ID for each individual. The matrix includes information regarding individual and pair identification, age, previous breeding status (whether an individual is a widow or a divorcee), current pairing status (whether is a newly formed pair or a reunited pair), number of seasons breeding together for each pair, confidence on pairing information for each pair (high: there was absolute confidence on the previous breeding status of both members of a breeding pair; low: when information on previous breeding status was missing for at least one of the members of a pair), and measures of reproductive success (laying day, clutch size, umber of fledglings produced). This dataset can be saved as a *.txt file so that it can be imported into R (R Core Team 2020).</p> <p>The matrix contains the following variables:</p> <p>VARIABLE DESCRIPTION</p> <p>Year Sampling year.<br> Box Nestbox code.<br> FID ID for the breeding female.<br> FMAge Age for each breeding female (yearling: 1; adult: 2).<br> SocMID ID for the breeding male (social father of the clutch).<br> SocMaAge Age for each breeding male.<br> PairID ID for the breeding pair. This is for indexing purposes.<br> FPaSta Previous breeding status of the female (Wid: widow; Div: divorcee; Reu: reunited).<br> MPaSta Previous breeding status of the male (Wid: widow; Div: divorcee; Reu: reunited).<br> PairSta Pairing status for the focal breeding pair (New: newly formed; Reunited: reunited).<br> PairSea No. of seasons breeding together for each pair.<br> Certainty Certainty on previous breeding status (High or Low; see explanation above).<br> LayingD Laying date (number of days in relation to date of first egg in the population).<br> ClutchS Clutch size.<br> NoFle Number of fledging produced.</p> <p><br> ********** Spreadsheet "2. WidowFBre" **********<br> This spreadsheet contains breeding information for females that were monitored in the years before and after mate loss.</p> <p>The matrix contains the following variables:</p> <p>VARIABLE DESCRIPTION</p> <p>Year Sampling year.<br> Box Nestbox code.<br> FID ID for the breeding female.<br> LayingD Laying date during year after mate loss.<br> ClutchS Clutch size during year after mate loss.<br> NoFle Number of fledging produced during year after mate loss.<br> FPaSta Previous breeding status of the female (Wid: widow; Div: divorcee; Reu: reunited).<br> LayingD_x.1 Laying date during year before mate loss (year x-1).<br> ClutchS_x.1 Clutch size during year before mate loss (year x-1).<br> NoFle_x.1 Number of fledging produced during year before mate loss (year x-1).</p> <p><br> ********** Spreadsheet "3. WidowMBre" **********<br> This spreadsheet contains breeding information for males that were monitored in the years before and after mate loss.</p> <p>The matrix contains the following variables:</p> <p>VARIABLE DESCRIPTION</p> <p>Year Sampling year.<br> Box Nestbox code.<br> SocMID ID for the breeding male.<br> LayingD Laying date during year after mate loss.<br> NoFle Number of fledging produced during year after mate loss.<br> MPaSta Previous breeding status of the female (Wid: widow; Div: divorcee; Reu: reunited).<br> LayingD_x.1 Laying date during year before mate loss (year x-1).<br> NoFle_x.1 Number of fledging produced during year before mate loss (year x-1).</p> <p>*************************************************************************************</p> <p><br> =====================================================================================</p> <p><br> Methodological information (for more details, please see the related manuscript):</p> <p>A total of 101–157 nestboxes were installed in Fray Jorge since 2007, and are monitored annually during September–December. We gathered data on reproductive phenology and productivity during 2008–2017 for all nestbox occupants. Nestboxes were initially visited every 3–5 days to detect nest building. Once nestboxes were occupied, we increased the frequency of visits to record data on laying date, clutch size, and the number of hatchlings and fledglings produced (see more details in Botero-Delgadillo et al. 2017). We captured and marked breeding adults and nestlings with numbered aluminium rings when nestlings were 12–14 days old. Additionally, we used mist nets to capture adult birds breeding in natural cavities in our study site. A total of 248 adults (132 females, 116 males) and 730 nestlings were marked. For all nests that were monitored, we marked ~90% of all breeding adults every year.</p> <p>We used data from a total of 243 breeding attempts made by 159 breeding pairs captured during 2009–2017 to describe mating patterns in the study population, including: (i) the duration of social bonds for all breeding pairs formed during the study; (ii) the proportion of newly formed and remated pairs found during the entire study period and during each year; and (iii) the proportion of divorce versus mate loss causing pair dissolution.</p> <p>The consequences of mate retention and successive remating were evaluated by performing mixed-effects models in the lme4 package (Bates et al. 2015) in the free software R 4.0.2 (R Core Team 2020). To assess whether reproductive success was higher for remated pairs than for newly formed pairs, we tested for the effects of pairing status (newly formed vs. remated) on measures of breeding productivity. Linear models were fit for laying date, clutch size, and number of fledglings produced. To control for between-season variation in reproductive output, we calculated Z-scores for all numeric response variables using the mean and standard deviation for each year. All models included age class of both members of a breeding pair as covariates (yearling vs. adult), and female, male and pair ID as random intercepts. First, we performed analyses on the complete set of 243 breeding attempts, and subsequently repeated the analyses on a reduced subset of data that only contained pairs whose previous pairing status was known with certainty (n = 159). This allowed to evaluate potential bias in our results, given that the complete dataset included pairs misclassified as “newly formed”, because the previous pairing status of older individuals that we captured for the first time is unknown.</p> <p>We also investigated whether individuals experienced reduced reproductive success after mate replacement. To test this, we compared breeding productivity of individuals in the years before and after mate loss. We focused the analysis on widowed birds, as the frequency of divorced individuals was low in the study population. We used linear mixed-effects models that included data on laying date, clutch size, and number of fledglings produced as response variables. Each sex was tested separately, with clutch size being evaluated only for females. We included the breeding season as predictor (year x vs. x-1), and entered individual ID as a random intercept.</p> <p>Lastly, to evaluate whether successive remating influenced reproductive success, we used data on pairs that bred more than once together during the study (n = 132). Linear mixed-effects models were fitted to assess the effect of the number of seasons breeding together on laying date, clutch size, and number of fledglings produced. Between-season effects were controlled as described above, while the number of seasons breeding together (range: 1–6) was introduced as predictor. Given the skewed distribution of the number of seasons breeding together in this dataset (one = 36%; two = 36%; three = 17%; four = 8%; five = 2%; six = 1%), and the possibility that its effect on reproductive success might not be linear, a dummy variable indicating whether an observation belonged to the first breeding attempt (first attempt vs. after-first attempt) was also entered as predictor. Models included female and male age class as covariates, and pair ID as a random intercept.</p> <p><strong>References:</strong></p> <p>Botero-Delgadillo, E., Quirici, V., Poblete, Y., Cuevas, E., Kuhn, S., Girg, A., Teltscher, K., Poulin, E., Kempenaers, B., & Vásquez, R. A. (2017). Variation in fine-scale genetic structure and local dispersal patterns between peripheral populations of a South American passerine bird. Ecology and Evolution, 7(20), 8363–8378. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3342</p> <p>Bates, D., Maechler, M., Bolker, B., & Walker, S. 2015. Fitting linear mixed-effects models using lme4. J. Stat. Soft. 67: 1–48.</p> <p>R Core Team. (2020). R: a language and environment for statistical computing, version 4.0.2. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria, http://www.R.project.org</p> <p><br> =====================================================================================<br> =====================================================================================</p>
The adaptive significance of off-lek sociality in birds: A synthetic review, with evidence for the reproductive benefits hypothesis in Long-wattled umbrellabirds
<p>Anecdotal evidence suggests that lekking birds exhibit considerable variation in form and degree of sociality away from the lek, yet this phenomenon has received very little theoretical or empirical research attention. Here, we provide the first synthetic literature review of off-lek sociality in birds and develop a conceptual framework for the potential adaptive function of off-lek sociality across lekking taxa. We then present a case study of the Long-wattled Umbrellabird (<em>Cephalopterus penduliger</em>), where we find support for the hypothesis that off-lek sociality is primarily driven by male reproductive incentives for coordinating lek attendance during the breeding season. During periods of high lekking activity, male umbrellabirds depart the lek in highly coordinated groups and maintain larger off-lek social groups relative to periods of low lekking activity. These seasonal differences in off-lek sociality do not occur in females, are not explained by patterns of foraging behavior, and are expected to confer individual-level benefits for participating males. Both the literature review and empirical study of umbrellabirds suggest that off-lek interactions and behavioral strategies may shape sexual selection processes at leks in important ways. Further research into this historically understudied area of lekking species' behavioral ecology will likely deepen our understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of lek mating.</p>
Energetic trade-offs in migration decision-making, reproductive effort, and subsequent parental care in a long-distance migratory bird
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Relative breeding timing and reproductive success of a resident montane bird species
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Data for: Faster evolution of a premating reproductive barrier is not associated with faster speciation rates in New World passerine birds
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Social environment and the evolution of delayed reproduction in birds
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The adaptive significance of off-lek sociality in birds: A synthetic review, with evidence for the reproductive benefits hypothesis in Long-wattled umbrellabirds
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Data from: Among-individual and within-individual variation in seasonal migration covaries with subsequent reproductive success in a partially-migratory bird
<p>Within-individual and among-individual variation in expression of key environmentally-sensitive traits, and associated variation in fitness components occurring within and between years, determine the extents of phenotypic plasticity and selection and shape population responses to changing environments. Reversible seasonal migration is one key trait that directly mediates spatial escape from seasonally-deteriorating environments, causing spatio-seasonal population dynamics. Yet, within-individual and among-individual variation in seasonal migration versus year-round residence, and dynamic associations with subsequent reproductive success, have not been fully quantified. We used novel capture-mark-recapture mixture models to assign individual European shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) to 'resident, 'early migrant' or 'late migrant' strategies in two consecutive years, using year-round local resightings. We demonstrate substantial among-individual variation in strategy within years, and directional within-individual change between years. Further, subsequent reproductive success varied substantially among strategies, and relationships differed between years; residents and late migrants had highest success in the two years respectively, matching the years in which these strategies were most frequently expressed. These results imply that migratory strategies can experience fluctuating reproductive selection, and that flexible expression of migration can be partially aligned with reproductive outcomes. Plastic seasonal migration could then potentially contribute to adaptive population responses to currently changing forms of environmental seasonality.</p>
Local adaptation from afar: migratory bird populations diverge in the initiation of reproductive timing while wintering in sympatry
<p><span>The initiation of reproduction in many seasonally breeding animals is controlled by photoperiod and tends to be clinal: populations at higher latitudes breed later than those at lower latitudes, often reflecting a higher photoperiodic threshold. Migratory animals presumably time reproduction to match conditions at their breeding grounds at least in part by cues perceived</span> on their wintering grounds<span>. </span>We asked how closely related dark-eyed junco (<i>Junco hyemalis</i>) populations that overwinter in sympatry but breed in allopatry respond to their shared winter environment by comparing early spring indices of readiness to migrate and breed (baseline and elevated testosterone). We measured stable hydrogen isotopes from feathers grown the preceding year and claws grown during winter to estimate breeding and wintering latitudes, respectively. We predicted that if reproductive initiation is adapted to the emergence of resources at their respective breeding destinations, then birds migrating to higher latitudes (slate-colored junco; <i>J. h. hyemalis</i>) should delay breeding as compared to those migrating to lower latitudes (pink-sided junco; <i>J. h. mearnsi</i>) despite a common overwinter environment. We found higher testosterone in pink-sided juncos consistent with earlier reproductive initiation, suggesting local adaptation in reproductive phenology achieved through differential responses to predictive environmental cues.</p>
Limited associations between MHC diversity and reproductive success in a bird species with biparental care
<p>The selective pressure from pathogens on individuals can have direct consequences on reproduction. Genes from the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are central to the vertebrate adaptive immune system and pathogen resistance. In species with biparental care, each sex has distinct reproductive roles and levels of investment, and due to a trade-off with immunity, one can expect different selective regimes acting upon the MHC of each parent. Here, we addressed whether couples combine each other's variation at MHC loci to increase their breeding success. Specifically, we used a 23-year dataset from a barn owl population (<em>Tyto alba</em>) to understand how MHC class Iα and IIβ functional divergence and supertypes of each parent were associated with clutch size and fledging success. We did not detect associations between MHC diversity or supertypes with the clutch size nor with the fledging success. In addition, to understand the relative contribution from the MHC of the genetic parents and the social parents, we analysed the fledging success using only a cross-fostered dataset. We found several associations of weak-to-moderate effect sizes between the father's MHC and fledging success: i) lower MHC-Iα divergence in the genetic father increases fledging success, which might improve paternal care during incubation, and ii) one and two MHC-IIβ DAB2 supertypes in the social father decrease and increase, respectively, fledging success, which may affect the paternal care after hatching. Furthermore, fledging success increased when both parents did not carry MHC-IIβ DAB1 supertype 2, which could suggest conditional effects of this supertype. Although our study relied on a substantial dataset, we showed that the associations between MHC diversity and reproductive success remain scarce and of complex interpretation in the barn owl. Moreover, our results highlighted the need to incorporate more than one proxy of reproductive success and several MHC classes to capture more complex associations.</p>
Evaluating the predictors of habitat use and successful reproduction in a model bird species using a large scale automated acoustic array
<p>The emergence of continental to global scale biodiversity data has led to growing understanding of patterns in species distributions, and the determinants of these distributions, at large spatial scales. However, identifying the specific mechanisms, including demographic processes, and determining species distributions remains difficult, as large-scale data are typically restricted to observations of only species presence. New remote automated approaches for collecting data, such as automated recording units (ARUs), provide a promising avenue towards direct measurement of demographic processes, such as reproduction, that cannot feasibly be measured at scale by traditional survey methods. In this study, we analyze data collected by ARUs from 452 survey points across an approximately 1500 km study region to compare patterns in adult and juvenile distributions in the Great Horned Owl (<em>Bubo virginianus</em>). We specifically examine whether habitat associated with successful reproduction is the same as that associated with adult presence. We postulated that congruence between these two distributions would suggest that all areas of the species' range contribute equally to maintenance of the population, whereas significant differences would suggest more specificity in the species' requirements for successful reproduction. We filtered adult and juvenile calls of the species for manual review using automated classification and constructed single season occupancy models to compare land cover and vegetation covariates which significantly predicted presence of each life stage. We found that habitat use by adults was significantly predicted by increasing amounts of forest cover, reduced forest basal area, and lower elevations whereas juvenile presence was significantly predicted only by decreasing amounts of forest cover, a pattern opposite that of adults. These results show that presence of adult Great Horned Owls is not a sufficient proxy for locations at which reproduction occurs, and also demonstrate a highly scalable workflow that could be used for similar analyses in other sound-producing species.</p>
Data from: Carry-over effects of seasonal migration on reproductive success through breeding site retention in a partially migratory bird
<p>Understanding the maintenance and dynamics of phenotypic polymorphisms requires unpicking key ecological mechanisms shaping the fitness costs and benefits of expressing alternative phenotypes, generating selection. Seasonal migration versus year-round residence expressed in partially migratory populations represents one common polymorphism that can experience strong selection through differential reproductive success. Yet, key hypothesised pathways that could generate such selection remain to be empirically tested.</p> <p>One hypothesis is that migratory tactics affect subsequent reproductive success through carry-over effects on breeding site retention and resulting breeding dispersal. By remaining in breeding areas all year round, residents could retain their preferred breeding site between years, and consequently have higher reproductive success. Conversely, migrants that escape harsh non-breeding season conditions could return in better condition, with high resource holding potential, and outcompete residents to retain their site. Such effects could further depend on migration timing and vary between years. Yet, such pathways have not been quantified, precluding empirical parameterisation of partial migration theory. </p> <p>We used four years of breeding and non-breeding season data from partially migratory European shags (<em>Gulosus aristotelis</em>) to test whether the three most frequent migratory tactics in this population (full resident, early migrant departing soon after breeding, and late migrant departing in late autumn) differed in their breeding site retention; whether site retention predicted reproductive success; and hence whether effects of migratory tactic on reproductive success were explicable through site retention.</p> <p>Overall, residents were much more likely to retain their breeding site between years than both early and late migrants, and site retention was associated with increased reproductive success. Yet, these effects varied somewhat among years: late migrants were always least likely to retain their site but had variable relative reproductive success. Path analyses revealed that effects of migratory tactic on reproductive success were only partly attributable to breeding site retention.</p> <p>These results indicate that multiple mechanisms underlie reproductive selection on migratory tactics, potentially contributing to maintaining behavioural polymorphisms. Yet, the clear associations between migratory tactics and local breeding dispersal reveal that these movements can be strongly interlinked across seasons, shaping overall spatio-seasonal dynamics in partially migratory systems.</p>
Male song stability shows cross-year repeatability but does not affect reproductive success in a wild passerine bird
<p>Predictable behaviour (or "behavioural stability") might be favoured in certain ecological contexts, e.g. when representing a quality signal. Costs associated with producing stable phenotypes imply selection should favour plasticity in stability when beneficial. Repeatable among-individual differences in degree of stability are simultaneously expected if individuals differ in ability to pay these costs, or in how they resolve cost-benefit trade-offs. Bird song represents a prime example, where stability may be costly yet beneficial when stable singing is a quality signal favoured by sexual selection. Assuming energetic costs, ecological variation (e.g. in food availability) should result in both within- and among-individual variation in stability. If song stability represents a quality signal, we expect directional selection favouring stable singers. For a three-year period, we monitored 12 nest box plots of great tits Parus major during breeding. We recorded male songs during simulated territory intrusions, twice during their mate's laying stage, and twice during incubation. Each preceding winter, we manipulated food availability. Assuming that stability is costly, we expected food-supplemented males to sing more stable songs. We also expected males to sing more stable songs early in the breeding season (when paternity is not decided), and stable singers to have increased reproductive success. We found strong support for plasticity in stability for two key song characteristics: minimum frequency and phrase length. Males were plastic because they became more stable over the season, contrary to expectations. Food-supplementation did not affect body condition but increased stability in minimum frequency. This treatment effect occurred only in one year, implying that food supplementation affected stability only in interaction with (unknown) year-specific ecological factors. We found no support for directional, correlational, or fluctuating selection on the stability in minimum frequency (i.e., the song trait whose stability exhibited cross-year repeatability): stable singers did not have higher reproductive success. Our findings imply that stability in minimum frequency is not a fitness quality indicator unless males enjoy fitness benefits via pathways not studied here. Future studies should thus address the mechanisms shaping and maintaining individual repeatability of song stability in the wild.</p>
Territory-level temperature influences breeding phenology and reproductive output in three forest passerine birds
<p>Temperature plays an important role in determining the breeding phenology of birds in temperate climates, with higher spring temperatures associated with earlier breeding. However, the effect of localised territory-scale temperature variations is poorly understood, with relationships between temperature and breeding phenology mostly studied using coarse-grained climatic indices. Here, we interpolate spring temperatures recorded at 150 m2 grid intersections encompassing 417 ha of forest to examine the influence of territory-scale temperature, and its interaction with mean annual temperature, on territory selection, breeding phenology, clutch size and fledging success for three co-occurring single-brooded passerine birds using data from 672 nests over four years. All species exhibited significant trends in reproductive traits associated with territory-scale temperature. Pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca settled in cooler territories first, where they raised more fledglings. Blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus laid larger clutches in warmer territories in warm years and always laid earlier at warmer territories irrespective of annual temperature variation. Contrastingly, pied flycatcher and wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix breeding phenology was earlier at warmer territories in cool years and cooler territories in warm years, with wood warbler clutch size responding similarly to this interaction. Greater previous breeding experience and increased higher rates of historical territory occupancy (territory quality) also predicted earlier breeding phenology and higher fledging success for pied flycatchers. We suggest that the migratory pied flycatcher and wood warbler are best synchronised with their prey availability in cooler years at a local population level. However resident blue tits match local phenology across all years, which is potentially advantageous under warmer predicted climate change scenarios. We conclude that temperature at the territory scale can be an important driver of settlement and breeding phenology and influence reproductive traits.</p>
Evolution of female colors in birds: The role of female cost of reproduction and paternal care
<p><span>Female ornamentation is frequently observed in animal species and is sometimes found as more evolutionarily labile than male ornamentation. A complex array of factors may explain its presence and variation. Here we assessed the role of female cost of reproduction and paternal care. Both factors have been pinpointed as important by theoretical studies but have not been investigated yet in detail at the interspecific level. We worked on 133 species of North temperate Passeriformes bird species for which both the clutch volume – here taken as the proxy of female cost of reproduction – and the amount of paternal care are relatively well known. Using spectrometry, we measured the whole-body colored plumage patches and quantified three metrics corresponding to brightness (i.e. achromatic component), color chromaticity (i.e. intensity), and color volume (i.e. diversity). We found a strong association between male and female color metrics. Controlling for this association, we found additional small but detectable effects of both cost of reproduction and paternal care. First, females of species with more paternal care were slightly brighter. Second, the interaction between the level of paternal care and egg volume was correlated with female color intensity: females with more paternal care tended to be more chromatic, only when their investment in reproduction was low. Together these results suggest that female cost of reproduction and paternal care are part of the multiple factors explaining variation of female coloration, besides the strong covariation between male and female coloration.</span></p>
Hawaiian gallinule vital rate data from O'ahu and Kaua'i: Reproduction and survival data from an endangered bird
<p>Where stable source populations of at-risk species exist, translocation may be a reasonable strategy for re-establishing extirpated populations. However, the success rates of such efforts are mixed, necessitating thorough preliminary investigation. Stochastic population modeling can be a useful method of assessing the potential success of translocations. Here, we report on the results of modeling translocation success for the Hawaiian Common Gallinule ('alae 'ula; <em>Gallinula galeata sandvicensis</em>), an endangered waterbird endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Using updated vital rates, we constructed a model simulating three existing extant (wild) source populations and a hypothetical recipient site on another island. We then projected the effects of six different translocation scenarios and sensitivity of the results to variation of three important demographic parameters on the probability of extinction (PE) of the reintroduced and donor populations. Larger translocations, of at least 30 birds, had low probability of extinction in the reintroduced population, but raised extinction risk of the smallest source population. Spacing out translocations in time (e.g., 10 birds translocated in total in three installments over nine years), led to lower PE than translocating all individuals at once (i.e., bulk translocations) for both the source and reintroduced populations. Brood size and hatch-year juvenile survival had a disproportionate impact on reintroduced population viability. Importantly, the reported juvenile survival rate is very near the threshold for population failure. This suggests that post-introduction and subsequent management of wetlands, particularly predator control, could be critical to reintroduction success. We recommend that individuals should be translocated from multiple, genetically distinct subpopulations to reduce the possibility of inbreeding depression. Based on this analysis, the recipient wetland should be sufficiently large that it can support at least 25 pairs of gallinules. Based on recent estimates of population densities on O'ahu, such a wetland would need to be between 3.75-74.6 ha.</p> <p>Where stable source populations of at-risk species exist, translocation may be a reasonable strategy for re-establishing extirpated populations. However, the success rates of such efforts are mixed, necessitating thorough preliminary investigation. Stochastic population modeling can be a useful method of assessing the potential success of translocations. Here, we report on the results of modeling translocation success for the Hawaiian Common Gallinule ('alae 'ula; <em>Gallinula galeata sandvicensis</em>), an endangered waterbird endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Using updated vital rates, we constructed a model simulating three existing extant (wild) source populations and a hypothetical recipient site on another island. We then projected the effects of six different translocation scenarios and sensitivity of the results to variation of three important demographic parameters on the probability of extinction (PE) of the reintroduced and donor populations. Larger translocations, of at least 30 birds, had low probability of extinction in the reintroduced population, but raised extinction risk of the smallest source population. Spacing out translocations in time (e.g., 10 birds translocated in total in three installments over nine years), led to lower PE than translocating all individuals at once (i.e., bulk translocations) for both the source and reintroduced populations. Brood size and hatch-year juvenile survival had a disproportionate impact on reintroduced population viability. Importantly, the reported juvenile survival rate is very near the threshold for population failure. This suggests that post-introduction and subsequent management of wetlands, particularly predator control, could be critical to reintroduction success. We recommend that individuals should be translocated from multiple, genetically distinct subpopulations to reduce the possibility of inbreeding depression. Based on this analysis, the recipient wetland should be sufficiently large that it can support at least 25 pairs of gallinules. Based on recent estimates of population densities on O'ahu, such a wetland would need to be between 3.75-74.6 ha.</p>
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These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.