scholarly journals Egg-Capping is a Cost Paid by Hosts of Interspecific Brood Parasites

The Auk ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 860-865
Author(s):  
Mark E. Hauber
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Molothrus Ater ◽  
Fitness Cost ◽  
Hatching Asynchrony ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
Interspecific Brood Parasitism ◽  
Shell Fragments

Abstract Egg-capping is the slipping of a hatched eggshell fragment over an intact shell. It is a rare phenomenon among avian species, probably because most eggs in the same clutch hatch synchronously, are similar in size, and parents typically remove debris—including shell fragments—from nests. Hatching asynchrony and egg-size differences are typically more pronounced in the context of interspecific brood parasitism, making conditions for egg-capping more likely. Indeed, egg-capping of host eggs occurred in 33% of clutches of Eastern Phoebes (Sayornis phoebe) parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater), always by the earlier hatched cowbird's eggshell, whereas it was not detected in nonparasitized clutches near Ithaca, New York. To determine experimentally if host parents rejected their own eggs capped by the parasite's shell, cowbird shell fragments were introduced into nonparasitized phoebe clutches either as slipped over intact phoebe eggs (caps) or simply placed into the nests (noncaps). The latency for cowbird egg-fragments to disappear was greater for caps (1–13 days) because all noncaps were removed in <1 day. Whether phoebe eggs hatched was also related to the outcome of the capping treatments: eggs that remained capped for >1 day had a greater probability of hatching failure (0.6) than noncapped eggs (0). Those data suggest that egg-capping by shell-fragments of earlier hatched cowbird eggs reduces phoebes' reproductive success and may represent a fitness cost to hosts in other parasitized species as well.

scholarly journals Brood parasitism in eusocial insects (Hymenoptera): role of host geographical range size and phylogeny

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1769) ◽  
pp. 20180203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jukka Suhonen ◽  
Jaakko J. Ilvonen ◽  
Tommi Nyman ◽  
Jouni Sorvari
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Geographical Range ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Brood Parasite ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Interspecific Brood Parasitism ◽  
Logistic Regressions

Interspecific brood parasitism is common in many animal systems. Brood parasites enter the nests of other species and divert host resources for producing their own offspring, which can lead to strong antagonistic parasite–host coevolution. Here, we look at commonalities among social insect species that are victims of brood parasites, and use phylogenetic data and information on geographical range size to predict which species are most probably to fall victims to brood parasites in the future. In our analyses, we focus on three eusocial hymenopteran groups and their brood parasites: (i) bumblebees, (ii) Myrmica ants, and (iii) vespine and polistine wasps. In these groups, some, but not all, species are parasitized by obligate workerless inquilines that only produce reproductive-caste descendants. We find phylogenetic signals for geographical range size and the presence of parasites in bumblebees, but not in ants and wasps. Phylogenetic logistic regressions indicate that the probability of being attacked by one or more brood parasite species increases with the size of the geographical range in bumblebees, but the effect is statistically only marginally significant in ants. However, non-phylogenetic logistic regressions suggest that bumblebee species with the largest geographical range sizes may have a lower likelihood of harbouring social parasites than do hosts with medium-sized ranges. Our results provide new insights into the ecology and evolution of host–social parasite systems, and indicate that host phylogeny and geographical range size can be used to predict threats posed by social parasites, as well to design efficient conservation measures for both hosts and their parasites. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern’.

scholarly journals Parasitic cuckoo catfish exploit parental responses to stray offspring

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1769) ◽  
pp. 20180412 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Polačik ◽  
M. Reichard ◽  
C. Smith ◽  
R. Blažek
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Lake Tanganyika ◽  
Buccal Cavity ◽  
Brood Parasite ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
Parental Response ◽  
Interspecific Brood Parasitism ◽  
Late Developmental Stage ◽  
Parental Responses

Interspecific brood parasitism occurs in several independent lineages of birds and social insects, putatively evolving from intraspecific brood parasitism. The cuckoo catfish, Synodontis multipunctatus , the only known obligatory non-avian brood parasite, exploits mouthbrooding cichlid fishes in Lake Tanganyika, despite the absence of parental care in its evolutionary lineage (family Mochokidae). Cuckoo catfish participate in host spawning events, with their eggs subsequently collected and brooded by parental cichlids, though they can later be selectively rejected by the host. One scenario for the origin of brood parasitism in cuckoo catfish is through predation of cichlid eggs during spawning, eventually resulting in a spatial and temporal match in oviposition by host and parasite. Here we demonstrate experimentally that, uniquely among all known brood parasites, cuckoo catfish have the capacity to re-infect their hosts at a late developmental stage following egg rejection. We show that cuckoo catfish offspring can survive outside the host buccal cavity and re-infect parental hosts at a later incubation phase by exploiting the strong parental instinct of hosts to collect stray offspring. This finding implies an alternative evolutionary origin for cuckoo catfish brood parasitism, with the parental response of host cichlids facilitating its evolution. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern’.

scholarly journals Evidence of Brood Parasitism and Quantification of Rangewide Overlap between the Olive Warbler and Brown-headed Cowbird

Western Birds ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-75
Author(s):  
Jessie L. Williamson ◽  
Matthew J. Baumann
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Molothrus Ater ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
Diurnal Patterns ◽  
New Hosts ◽  
Evolutionary Aspects ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Occurrence Records

Brood parasitism is a fascinating natural history phenomenon that provides a window into the coevolution of antagonistic interactions. Many ecological and evolutionary aspects of brood parasitism remain unknown, and new hosts of brood parasites are still being discovered. We document the second instance of brood parasitism of the Olive Warbler (Peucedramus taeniatus) by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). Apparent lack of habitat and elevation overlap across the ranges of these two species prompted us to examine how frequently they come into contact. We analyzed >3 million Olive Warbler and Brown-headed Cowbird occurrence records from two open-source repositories, eBird and GBIF, to examine both synchronous and asynchronous locality overlap during the breeding season. We found that the two species were documented together simultaneously in only 3.1% of analyzed instances, but that they co-occurred in similar habitat types and/or at similar elevations at 11.8% of localities analyzed across the Olive Warbler’s range. Additional research on aspects of ecology and evolution, such as host selection, the cowbird’s diurnal patterns of movement, and the dynamics of intracellular pathogens infecting brood parasites and their hosts, may shed light more broadly on the ecological interactions and mechanisms underlying brood parasitism.

scholarly journals Convergent evolution of reduced eggshell conductance in avian brood parasites

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1769) ◽  
pp. 20180194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie C. McClelland ◽  
Gabriel A. Jamie ◽  
Katy Waters ◽  
Lara Caldas ◽  
Claire N. Spottiswoode ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Molothrus Ater ◽  
Breeding Strategy ◽  
Physiological Traits ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
General Adaptation ◽  
Parasitic Lifestyle ◽  
Eggshell Structure ◽  
Eggshell Conductance

Brood parasitism has evolved independently in several bird lineages, giving rise to strikingly similar behavioural adaptations that suggest convergent evolution. By comparison, convergence of physiological traits that optimize this breeding strategy has received much less attention, yet these species share many similar physiological traits that optimize this breeding strategy. Eggshell structure is important for embryonic development as it controls the flux of metabolic gases, such as O 2 , CO 2 and H 2 O, into and out of the egg; in particular, water vapour conductance ( G H 2 O ) is an essential process for optimal development of the embryo. Previous work has shown that common cuckoos ( Cuculus canorus ) have a lower than expected eggshell G H 2 O compared with their hosts. Here, we sought to test whether this is a trait found in other independently evolved avian brood parasites, and therefore reflects a general adaptation to a parasitic lifestyle. We analysed G H 2 O for seven species of brood parasites from four unique lineages as well as for their hosts, and combined this with species from the literature. We found lower than expected G H 2 O among all our observed brood parasites both compared with hosts (except for brown-headed cowbirds ( Molothrus ater )) and compared with the expected rates given their phylogenetic positions. These findings suggest that a lowered G H 2 O may be a general adaptation for brood parasitism, perhaps helping the parasite nestling to develop greater aerobic fitness. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern’.

scholarly journals Host density predicts the probability of parasitism by avian brood parasites

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1769) ◽  
pp. 20180204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iliana Medina ◽  
Naomi E. Langmore
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Host Density ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
Parasitism Rates ◽  
Analyse Data ◽  
First Time ◽  
Determining Factor

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’.

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

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1861) ◽  
pp. 20171083 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Patterns of host use by brood parasitic Maculinea butterflies across Europe

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1769) ◽  
pp. 20180202 ◽  
Author(s):  
András Tartally ◽  
Jeremy A. Thomas ◽  
Christian Anton ◽  
Emilio Balletto ◽  
Francesca Barbero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Geographical Variation ◽  
Host Switching ◽  
Host Use ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Geographic Mosaic ◽  
New Host ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
Comprehensive Survey ◽  
Maculinea Butterflies

The range of hosts exploited by a parasite is determined by several factors, including host availability, infectivity and exploitability. Each of these can be the target of natural selection on both host and parasite, which will determine the local outcome of interactions, and potentially lead to coevolution. However, geographical variation in host use and specificity has rarely been investigated. Maculinea (= Phengaris ) butterflies are brood parasites of Myrmica ants that are patchily distributed across the Palæarctic and have been studied extensively in Europe. Here, we review the published records of ant host use by the European Maculinea species, as well as providing new host ant records for more than 100 sites across Europe. This comprehensive survey demonstrates that while all but one of the Myrmica species found on Maculinea sites have been recorded as hosts, the most common is often disproportionately highly exploited. Host sharing and host switching are both relatively common, but there is evidence of specialization at many sites, which varies among Maculinea species. We show that most Maculinea display the features expected for coevolution to occur in a geographic mosaic, which has probably allowed these rare butterflies to persist in Europe. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern’.

scholarly journals The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: a call for integration

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1769) ◽  
pp. 20180190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose Thorogood ◽  
Claire N. Spottiswoode ◽  
Steven J. Portugal ◽  
Ros Gloag
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Social Evolution ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Illuminating System

Obligate brood-parasitic cheats have fascinated natural historians since ancient times. Passing on the costs of parental care to others occurs widely in birds, insects and fish, and often exerts selection pressure on hosts that in turn evolve defences. Brood parasites have therefore provided an illuminating system for researching coevolution. Nevertheless, much remains unknown about how ecology and evolutionary history constrain or facilitate brood parasitism, or the mechanisms that shape or respond to selection. In this special issue, we bring together examples from across the animal kingdom to illustrate the diverse ways in which recent research is addressing these gaps. This special issue also considers how research on brood parasitism may benefit from, and in turn inform, related fields such as social evolution and immunity. Here, we argue that progress in our understanding of coevolution would benefit from the increased integration of ideas across taxonomic boundaries and across Tinbergen’s Four Questions: mechanism, ontogeny, function and phylogeny of brood parasitism. We also encourage renewed vigour in uncovering the natural history of the majority of the world's brood parasites that remain little-known. Indeed, it seems very likely that some of nature’s brood parasites remain entirely unknown, because otherwise we are left with a puzzle: if parental care is so costly, why is brood parasitism not more common?This article is part of the theme issue ‘The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern’.

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