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12 results for “colony density”
Data from: Colony size affects breeding density, but not spatial distribution type, in a seabird
<p>The spatial distribution of individuals within populations can result in fine-scale density-dependence and affect the social environment that is encountered. As such, it is important to quantify within-population spatial structuring and understand the factors that shape it. In this study, we make use of point process statistics to test whether colony size affects the statistical type of spatial nest distribution produced by common terns (<i>Sterna hirundo</i>) breeding at identical man-made rectangular and homogeneous islands of fixed physical size. Comparing sub-colonies of variable density both within and across years, we find that inter-nest distances are smaller at higher local and overall breeding density, but that the spatial distribution type does not vary across the observed densities. This suggests that the birds' main settlement rules do not depend on density. In our case, analyses of fine-scale density-dependence or potential social effects therefore do not need to account for between-individual heterogeneity in settlement decision rules or acceptance of these rules. We urge, however, other studies to similarly test for density-dependence of the spatial distribution of individuals before undertaking such 'down-stream' analyses.</p>
Bumblebee colony density on farmland is influenced by late-summer nectar supply and garden cover
<p>1. Floral resources are important in limiting pollinator populations, but they are often highly variable across time and space and the effect of this variation on pollinator population dynamics is not well understood. The phenology (timing) of floral resources is thought to be important in structuring pollinator populations, but few studies have directly investigated this. 2. Our study quantifies the landscape composition, seasonal nectar and pollen supply, and <i>Bombus terrestris</i> colony density of 12 farms in southwest UK to investigate how landscape composition influences the phenology of floral resources and how both these factors affect colony density. We use this information in a spatially explicit predictive model to estimate the effect of different farmland management scenarios on seasonal resource supplies and colony density. 3. We find that farmland nectar supply during September is a strong predictor of <i>B. terrestris</i> colony density in the following year, explaining over half of all the variation in colony density; no other period of resource availability showed a significant association. Semi-natural habitat cover was not a good proxy for nectar or pollen supply and showed no significant association with colony density. However, the proportional cover of gardens in the landscape was significantly associated with colony density. 4. The predictive model results suggest that increasing the area of semi-natural flowering habitat has limited effect on bumblebee populations. However, improving the quality of these habitats through Environmental Stewardship and other management options is predicted to reduce the late-summer resource bottleneck and increase colony density. 5. Synthesis and Applications: Our results demonstrate the importance of considering the phenology of resources, rather than just total resource availability, when designing measures to support pollinators. Late-summer appears to be a resource bottleneck for bumblebees in UK farmland, and consequently management strategies which increase late-summer nectar availability may be the most effective. These include mowing regimes to delay flowering of field margins until September, planting late-flowering cover crops such as red clover, and supporting late-flowering wild plant species such as <i>Hedera helix</i>. Our results also suggest that rural gardens may play an important role in supporting farmland bumblebee populations.</p>
Bumblebee colony density on farmland is influenced by late-summer nectar supply and garden cover
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Data from: Colony size affects breeding density, but not spatial distribution type, in a seabird
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Data from: Tick infestation of chicks in a seabird colony varies with local breeding synchrony, local nest density and habitat structure
Parasites are a major risk for group-living animals and seabirds are notoriously susceptible to ectoparasite infestations because they commonly nest in dense colonies. Ticks parasitize seabirds across all biogeographical regions and they can be particularly harmful to nestlings, but the ecological factors that affect their transmission to chicks are little studied and poorly understood. Here we show that abundance of tick larvae in blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) broods varies with local nest synchrony and density, and also with habitat structure: abundance increased with local breeding synchrony, was linearly and quadratically related to local nest density, and was highest toward the southern end of the study area which has suitable (boulder-rich) habitat for ticks. Also, with increasing chick age infestation first increased and then declined. The results of this study highlight how local physical and social environmental factors influence infestation of seabird nestlings by ticks.
Density dependence of clutch size and offspring sex ratio in starling colonies
<p><span>Optimal life-history theory predicts that individuals should adjust both the number and the sex of their offspring to maximize fitness in response to environmental and social factors such as breeding density. While reductions in optimal clutch size are well-studied in birds, the evidence for sex ratio adjustments is still equivocal and, so far, we lack a thorough understanding of how these strategies interact to maximize fitness. Here, we investigate how breeding density simultaneously affects brood sex ratio and clutch size in a sexually dimorphic and polygynous bird. We tested the prediction that mothers breeding at a higher density lay smaller clutches and overproduce daughters, the sex with less variable fitness returns and that disperses further away from their natal territory. We distributed nest boxes at either a high (HD) or a low density (LD) and monitored clutch sizes and sex ratios during five years in a wild breeding colony of spotless starlings. While mothers breeding in HD nests produced more daughters than those breeding in LD nests, the density dependence of clutch size varied among years, with a tendency to lay smaller clutches in HD nests. Our results suggest that mothers consistently adjust offspring sex ratio in response to breeding density, whereas adjustments in clutch size varied in a more complex way. These results support the role of sex allocation strategies in response to density and show that further theoretical and empirical research is required to understand the interaction between clutch size and sex ratio adjustments in animals.</span></p>
Data from: Tick infestation of chicks in a seabird colony varies with local breeding synchrony, local nest density and habitat structure
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Data from: Impacts of worker density in colony-level aggression, expansion, and survival of the acacia-ant Crematogaster mimosae
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Density dependence of clutch size and offspring sex ratio in starling colonies
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Data from: Ant colonies maintain social homeostasis in the face of decreased density
Interactions lie at the heart of social organization, particularly in ant societies. Interaction rates are presumed to increase with density, but there is little empirical evidence for this. We manipulated density within carpenter ant colonies of the species Camponotus pennsylvanicus by quadrupling nest space and by manually tracking 6.9 million ant locations and over 3200 interactions to study the relationship between density, spatial organization and interaction rates. Colonies divided into distinct spatial regions on the basis of their underlying spatial organization and changed their movement patterns accordingly. Despite a reduction in both overall and local density, we did not find the expected concomitant reduction in interaction rates across all colonies. Instead, we found divergent effects across colonies. Our results highlight the remarkable organizational resilience of ant colonies to changes in density, which allows them to sustain two key basic colony life functions, that is food and information exchange, during environmental change.
Data from: Ant colonies maintain social homeostasis in the face of decreased density
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Larval abundance and recruitment densities of a non-native colonial ascidian in a marina in Nova Scotia, Canada
<p>This dataset contains data described in the paper entitled 'Larval supply is a limited determinant of settlement at mesoscales across an anthropogenic seascape'. Data include larval abundance and recruitment densities of a non-native colonial ascidian, <em>Botryllus schlosseri </em>(Pallas, 1766), in a marina in Ben Eoin, Nova Scotia, Canada.</p>
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