The Evolution of Nest Sharing and Nest Mate Killing Strategies in Brood Parasites

The spatial distribution of hosts can be a determining factor in the reproductive success of parasites. Highly aggregated hosts may offer more opportunities for reproduction but can have better defences than isolated hosts. Here we connect macro- and micro-evolutionary processes to understand the link between host density and parasitism, using avian brood parasites as a model system. We analyse data across more than 200 host species using phylogenetic comparative analyses and quantify parasitism rate and host reproductive success in relation to spatial distribution using field data collected on one host species over 6 years. Our comparative analysis reveals that hosts occurring at intermediate densities are more likely to be parasitized than colonial or widely dispersed hosts. Correspondingly, our intraspecific field data show that individuals living at moderate densities experience higher parasitism rates than individuals at either low or high densities. Moreover, we show for the first time that the effect of host density on host reproductive success varies according to the intensity of parasitism; hosts have greater reproductive success when living at high densities if parasitism rates are high, but fare better at low densities when parasitism rates are low. We provide the first evidence of the trade-off between host density and parasitism at both macro- and micro-evolutionary scales in brood parasites. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern’.

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The Avian Brood Parasites: Deception at the Nest

Journal of Parasitology ◽

10.2307/3285769 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 85 (3) ◽

pp. 404

Author(s):

John Janovy ◽

Paul A. Johnsgard

Keyword(s):

Brood Parasites

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UV reflectance as a cue in egg discrimination in twoPriniaspecies exploited differently by brood parasites in Taiwan

Ibis ◽

10.1111/ibi.12043 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 155 (3) ◽

pp. 571-575 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Canchao Yang ◽

Longwu Wang ◽

Yu-Cheng Hsu ◽

Anton Antonov ◽

Arne Moksnes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Egg Discrimination ◽

Brood Parasites ◽

Uv Reflectance

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Aggressive responses of Eastern Phoebes (Sayornis phoebe) and American Robins (Turdus migratorius) toward brood parasites and nest predators: A model presentation experiment

The Wilson Journal of Ornithology ◽

10.1676/1559-4491-132.2.428 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 132 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Janice K. Enos ◽

Julia Hyland Bruno ◽

Mark E. Hauber

Keyword(s):

Turdus Migratorius ◽

Brood Parasites ◽

American Robins ◽

Sayornis Phoebe ◽

Presentation Experiment ◽

Nest Predators

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Nest prospecting brown-headed cowbirds ‘parasitize’ social information when the value of personal information is lacking

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2017.1083 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 284 (1861) ◽

pp. 20171083 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

David J. White ◽

Hayden B. Davies ◽

Samuel Agyapong ◽

Nora Seegmiller

Keyword(s):

Personal Information ◽

Molothrus Ater ◽

Social Information ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Brood Parasites ◽

Nest Selection ◽

Strong Negative Relationship ◽

Nest Quality ◽

Cognitive Challenges

Brood parasites face considerable cognitive challenges in locating and selecting host nests for their young. Here, we test whether female brown-headed cowbirds, Molothrus ater , could use information acquired from observing the nest prospecting patterns of conspecifics to influence their own patterns of nest selection. In laboratory-based experiments, we created a disparity in the amount of personal information females had about the quality of nests. Females with less personal information about the quality of two nests spent more time investigating the nest that more knowledgeable females investigated. Furthermore, there was a strong negative relationship between individual's ability to track nest quality using personal information and their tendency to copy others. These two contrasting strategies for selecting nests are equally effective, but lead to different patterns of parasitism.

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