Blood parameters as consistent predictors of nestling performance in great tits (Parus major) in the wild

2006 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Nadolski ◽  
J. Skwarska ◽  
A. Kaliński ◽  
M. Bańbura ◽  
R. Śniegula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parus Major ◽  
Blood Parameters ◽  
In The Wild

scholarly journals Social transmission in the wild can reduce predation pressure on novel prey signals

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liisa Hämäläinen ◽  
William Hoppitt ◽  
Hannah M. Rowland ◽  
Johanna Mappes ◽  
Anthony J. Fulford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Predation Pressure ◽  
Social Transmission ◽  
Blue Tit ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Transmission Of Information ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Animal Communities

AbstractSocial transmission of information is taxonomically widespread and could have profound effects on the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of animal communities. Demonstrating this in the wild, however, has been challenging. Here we show by field experiment that social transmission among predators can shape how selection acts on prey defences. Using artificial prey and a novel approach in statistical analyses of social networks, we find that blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) and great tit (Parus major) predators learn about prey defences by watching others. This shifts population preferences rapidly to match changes in prey profitability, and reduces predation pressure from naïve predators. Our results may help resolve how costly prey defences are maintained despite influxes of naïve juvenile predators, and suggest that accounting for social transmission is essential if we are to understand coevolutionary processes.

scholarly journals Shy birds play it safe: personality in captivity predicts risk responsiveness during reproduction in the wild

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 20140178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ella F. Cole ◽  
John L. Quinn
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Personality Types ◽  
Risk Averse ◽  
Trial Period ◽  
Life History Variation ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild

Despite a growing body of evidence linking personality to life-history variation and fitness, the behavioural mechanisms underlying these relationships remain poorly understood. One mechanism thought to play a key role is how individuals respond to risk. Relatively reactive and proactive (or shy and bold) personality types are expected to differ in how they manage the inherent trade-off between productivity and survival, with bold individuals being more risk-prone with lower survival probability, and shy individuals adopting a more risk-averse strategy. In the great tit ( Parus major ), the shy–bold personality axis has been well characterized in captivity and linked to fitness. Here, we tested whether ‘exploration behaviour’, a captive assay of the shy–bold axis, can predict risk responsiveness during reproduction in wild great tits. Relatively slow-exploring (shy) females took longer than fast-exploring (bold) birds to resume incubation after a novel object, representing an unknown threat, was attached to their nest-box, with some shy individuals not returning within the 40 min trial period. Risk responsiveness was consistent within individuals over days. These findings provide rare, field-based experimental evidence that shy individuals prioritize survival over reproductive investment, supporting the hypothesis that personality reflects life-history variation through links with risk responsiveness.

scholarly journals Blood Indications In Echinococcosis Of Large Horned Animals

2021 ◽  
Vol 03 (02) ◽  
pp. 9-15
Author(s):  
Khidir Yuldashovich Arziev ◽  
◽  
Shomurod Makhmudovich Rasulov ◽  
Mansur Salomatovich Togaymurodov ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Parameters ◽  
In The Wild

This article presents the results of studying the prevalence of echinococcosis among large horned animals in the Samarkand and Surkhandarya regions and hematological blood parameters in animals heavily or weakly infected with echinococcus in the wild. In Samarkand region, 8.8% of cattle were infected with echinococci, and in Surkhandarya region - 14.3%. Decrease in the amount of erythrocytes and hemoglobin in the blood of cattle infected with echinococcosis (20-30%), increase in the number of leukocytes by 30-55%, and a significant increase in the number of eosinophils and lymphocytes in the leukoform, a decrease in neutrophils compared to control (3.25-6.5%). lymphocytes increased by 5.3-15.3%.

scholarly journals Individual-level personality influences social foraging and collective behaviour in wild birds

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1789) ◽  
pp. 20141016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy M. Aplin ◽  
Damien R. Farine ◽  
Richard P. Mann ◽  
Ben C. Sheldon
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Collective Decision ◽  
Collective Decision Making ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Collective Decisions ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Simple Interaction

There is increasing evidence that animal groups can maintain coordinated behaviour and make collective decisions based on simple interaction rules. Effective collective action may be further facilitated by individual variation within groups, particularly through leader–follower polymorphisms. Recent studies have suggested that individual-level personality traits influence the degree to which individuals use social information, are attracted to conspecifics, or act as leaders/followers. However, evidence is equivocal and largely limited to laboratory studies. We use an automated data-collection system to conduct an experiment testing the relationship between personality and collective decision-making in the wild. First, we report that foraging flocks of great tits ( Parus major ) show strikingly synchronous behaviour. A predictive model of collective decision-making replicates patterns well, suggesting simple interaction rules are sufficient to explain the observed social behaviour. Second, within groups, individuals with more reactive personalities behave more collectively, moving to within-flock areas of higher density. By contrast, proactive individuals tend to move to and feed at spatial periphery of flocks. Finally, comparing alternative simulations of flocking with empirical data, we demonstrate that variation in personality promotes within-patch movement while maintaining group cohesion. Our results illustrate the importance of incorporating individual variability in models of social behaviour.

scholarly journals Social learning in birds and its role in shaping a foraging niche

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1567) ◽  
pp. 969-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Slagsvold ◽  
Karen L. Wiebe
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Passerine Birds ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Foraging Niche ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences ◽  
Blue Tits

We briefly review the literature on social learning in birds, concluding that strong evidence exists mainly for predator recognition, song, mate choice and foraging. The mechanism of local enhancement may be more important than imitation for birds learning to forage, but the former mechanism may be sufficient for faithful transmission depending on the ecological circumstances. To date, most insights have been gained from birds in captivity. We present a study of social learning of foraging in two passerine birds in the wild, where we cross-fostered eggs between nests of blue tits, Cyanistes caeruleus and great tits, Parus major . Early learning causes a shift in the foraging sites used by the tits in the direction of the foster species. The shift in foraging niches was consistent across seasons, as showed by an analysis of prey items, and the effect lasted for life. The fact that young birds learn from their foster parents, and use this experience later when subsequently feeding their own offspring, suggests that foraging behaviour can be culturally transmitted over generations in the wild. It may therefore have both ecological and evolutionary consequences, some of which are discussed.

scholarly journals Haematological Changes Induced by Municipal Solid Waste in Wild Rats (Rattus rattus)

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. O. Adewumi ◽  
E. O. Oladele ◽  
I. A. Taiwo
Keyword(s):  
Municipal Solid Waste ◽  
Solid Waste ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Blood Parameters ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Organ Weights ◽  
Waste Landfill ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Haematological Changes ◽  
Wild Rats

The effect of the exposure of landfill pollutants on haematology, body and organ weights of Rattus rattus was investigated. The potential hazards of this landfill on the haematology of the exposed rats were investigated. Weights of rats in the control group (232.6g) were significantly higher (p<0.05) than the exposed wild rats (167.6g). The Packed Cell Volume, PCV (%) of rats exposed to landfill pollutants was found to be 32.0 ± 13.9 while that of control rat was 43.4 ± 4.7. Haemoglobin (g/dl) of control rats was observed to be 14.2 ± 1.2 while that of exposed rats was 10.0 ± 4.1. The constituents of the municipal waste especially heavy metals probably aggravated the observed changes in the blood parameters. The experimental results indicated that exposure to landfill pollutants may lead to ill health particularly anaemia. Also, exposure to municipal solid waste landfill may induce haematological alterations in humans as evident in the wild rats studied.

scholarly journals Personality and problem-solving performance explain competitive ability in the wild

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1731) ◽  
pp. 1168-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ella F. Cole ◽  
John L. Quinn
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Personality Trait ◽  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Individual Quality ◽  
Alternative Strategies ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Cognitive Trait ◽  
Behavioural Strategies

Competitive ability is a major determinant of fitness, but why individuals vary so much in their competitiveness remains only partially understood. One increasingly prevalent view is that realized competitive ability varies because it represents alternative strategies that arise because of the costs associated with competitiveness. Here we use a population of great tits ( Parus major ) to explore whether individual differences in competitive ability when foraging can be explained by two traits that have previously been linked to alternative behavioural strategies: the personality trait ‘exploration behaviour’ and a simple cognitive trait, ‘innovative problem-solving performance’. We assayed these traits under standardized conditions in captivity and then measured competitive ability at feeders with restricted access in the wild. Competitive ability was repeatable within individual males across days and correlated positively with exploration behaviour, representing the first such demonstration of a link between a personality trait and both competitive ability and food intake in the wild. Competitive ability was also simultaneously negatively correlated with problem-solving performance; individuals who were poor competitors were good at problem-solving. Rather than being the result of variation in ‘individual quality’, our results support the hypothesis that individual variation in competitive ability can be explained by alternative behavioural strategies.

Seasonal decline in health status of Great Tit (Parus major) nestlings

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (10) ◽  
pp. 1829-1833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Dubiec ◽  
Mariusz Cichoñ
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Blood Parameters ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Hatching Date ◽  
Offspring Survival ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Seasonal Decline ◽  
The Relationship

Seasonal variation in offspring survival and recruitment rates in birds may be mediated by immune function, as it defines the ability of individuals to protect themselves against parasites and infectious diseases. To investigate the relationship between hatching date and health status of Great Tit (Parus major) nestlings, two blood parameters (leukocyte level and haematocrit) were estimated. Leukocyte level decreased as the season progressed within first but not second broods, while haematocrit showed no seasonal variation within either brood type. However, nestlings from first broods had both higher leukocyte levels and higher haematocrit than nestlings from second broods. Nestling body condition (defined as the residual of body mass on tarsus length calculated from linear regression) was not related to hatching date within brood type, while a significant difference between brood types was found. We suggest that the commonly observed decline in juvenile survival rate as the season progresses may be at least partly attributed to seasonal changes in health status.

scholarly journals Learning the ecological niche

2006 ◽  
Vol 274 (1606) ◽  
pp. 19-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Slagsvold ◽  
Karen L Wiebe
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Ecological Niche ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Feeding Niche ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Cross Fostering ◽  
Blue Tits

A cornerstone of ecological theory is the ecological niche. Yet little is known about how individuals come to adopt it: whether it is innate or learned. Here, we report a cross-fostering experiment in the wild where we transferred eggs of blue tits, Cyanistes caeruleus , to nests of great tits, Parus major , and vice versa, to quantify the consequences of being reared in a different social context, but in an environment otherwise natural to the birds. We show that early learning causes a shift in the feeding niche in the direction of the foster species and that this shift lasts for life (foraging conservatism). Both species changed their feeding niches, but the change was greater in the great tit with its less specialized feeding behaviour. The study shows that cultural transmission through early learning is fundamental to the realization of ecological niches, and suggests a mechanism to explain learned habitat preference and sympatric speciation in animals.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document