scholarly journals Effects of parental and nest-site characteristics on nestling quality in the Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilsa A. Griebel ◽  
Graham D. Fairhurst ◽  
Tracy A. Marchant ◽  
Robert G. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Random Effects ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Tachycineta Bicolor ◽  
Tree Swallow ◽  
Quaking Aspen ◽  
Natal Nest ◽  
Maternal Characteristics ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Nest Microclimate

Natal environment and parental quality can influence offspring phenotype, including physiological and morphological traits. We investigated how offspring morphology and feather corticosterone (CORTf; a physiological index of allostatic load) may be related to nest environment and parental characteristics by cross-fostering 3-day-old nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot, 1808)) between quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and plywood nest boxes that differed in microclimate. We evaluated the relative importance of natal influences, common rearing environment, and nest-box environment on nestling quality. Nestlings raised in quaking aspen boxes tended to have lower CORTf, although this result only approached significance. Nestling body mass was best predicted by the biological mother’s mass and random effects of natal and rearing nest identity, wing length was best predicted by random effects of rearing nest, and head–bill length was best predicted by random effects of natal nest. Therefore, nest microclimate was more important than maternal characteristics in predicting nestling physiology (CORTf), while nestling morphology was influenced by maternal morphology, as well as natal and rearing nest environments. Our study provides important information about how environmental and parental influences affect nestling phenotype and will help future studies interpret similar morphological and physiological indices of nestling quality.

Are avian ectoparasites more numerous in nest boxes with old nest material?

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (10) ◽  
pp. 1819-1825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wallace B. Rendell ◽  
Nicolaas A. M. Verbeek
Keyword(s):  
Positive Association ◽  
Winter Survival ◽  
Tree Swallow ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Ornithonyssus Sylviarum ◽  
Nest Microclimate ◽  
One Year

Researchers may reduce the numbers of haematophagous ectoparasites in nest boxes of cavity-nesting birds by removing old nests from boxes and, as a result, eliminate an important selective pressure that could influence the results from nest-box studies of birds. We recorded the numbers of parasites in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) boxes in which we manipulated the presence, amount, and quality of old nests. Bird fleas (Ceratophyllus idius) were more numerous in boxes with old nests, and there was a positive correlation between nest volume and flea numbers. In one year, there was a positive association between fowl mite (Ornithonyssus sylviarum) numbers and nest volume; otherwise, fowl mites and blow flies (Protocalliphora sialia) were equally numerous in all nest types. We conclude that ectoparasites whose over-winter survival depends on old nests are more numerous in boxes with old nests, whereas parasites whose over-winter survival is independent of old nests infect nest sites randomly. Also, reinfection and nest microclimate likely contributed to variance in parasite numbers between nest types and years, respectively. We recommend caution when speculating about the possible effects of cleaning boxes on parasites that occur in nests because different species of parasites are not influenced similarly by old nests.

Size, condition, and territory ownership in male tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 330-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Lozano
Keyword(s):  
Dry Mass ◽  
Nutritional Condition ◽  
Tachycineta Bicolor ◽  
Tree Swallow ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Resource Holding Potential ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Male Tree ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Size Condition

Male tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) territory owners and floaters were compared in terms of size and nutritional condition to test the resource holding potential hypothesis. Owners were larger than floaters when compared using six morphological measurements. There were no differences in dry mass, ash, or fat content, but territory owners were heavier and had larger protein reserves than floaters. Territory owners may be those individuals who win intrasexual conflicts for the possession of nest boxes, or those who, because of their better nutritional condition, can arrive at the breeding grounds earlier to secure a territory.

Nestling corticosterone response to microclimate in an altricial bird

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (12) ◽  
pp. 1422-1430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham D. Fairhurst ◽  
Gillian D. Treen ◽  
Robert G. Clark ◽  
Gary R. Bortolotti
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Environmental Variation ◽  
Natal Nest ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Developmental Effects ◽  
Corticosterone Response ◽  
Nest Microclimate ◽  
Altricial Birds ◽  
Cross Fostering

Although altricial young are dependent on their parents during early life, they must respond to environmental variation to maintain homeostasis. The hormone corticosterone (CORT) may be an important link between environment and phenotype during early life; however, no previous study has experimentally assessed the sensitivity of CORT to nest microclimate in altricial birds beginning to thermoregulate. We tested the hypothesis that microclimate influences CORT by cross-fostering nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot, 1808)) between thicker-walled “aspen” nest boxes and thinner-walled “plywood” nest boxes. Quantification of CORT in nestling feathers allowed us to consider hormone secreted over days, rather than instantaneously from blood samples. In agreement with our hypothesis, we detected significant positive relationships between feather CORT and increased temperature variability and maximum, but not minimum, nest box temperatures. This could reflect the energetic challenge of warmer temperatures or positive developmental effects on the nestling hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. Feather CORT was significantly lower in chicks hatched in aspen nest boxes compared with plywood ones, but cross-fostering did not influence nestling CORT. This suggests that the influence of natal nest box environment on feather CORT was likely greater than the influence of the foster nest box environment. The relationships we detected highlight the sensitivity of feather CORT to environmental variation and contribute insight into nestling responses to environmental change.

scholarly journals Causes and Consequences of Tree Swallow (Tachycineta Bicolor) Dispersal in Saskatchewan

The Auk ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 619-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dave Shutler ◽  
Robert G. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Breeding Success ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Tachycineta Bicolor ◽  
Natal Dispersal ◽  
Tree Swallow ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Conflicting Evidence ◽  
Dispersal Behavior ◽  
Dispersal Distances

Abstract Poor breeding success often increases dispersal, but there is conflicting evidence about the putative adaptive benefits of dispersal behavior. Thus, observational and experimental data were analyzed to test whether breeding success (number of young fledging) influenced breeding and natal dispersal by Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), using information from 1,302 nests over 12 years. Success was experimentally altered at 291 randomly selected nest boxes by adding or removing three eggs (representing ±50% of modal clutch size). Finally, we tested whether dispersal distance, controlling for antecedent breeding success, had consequences for subsequent breeding success. Contrary to predictions, (1) adult and natal dispersal distances were not significantly influenced by breeding success, and (2) manipulating success had no effect on either breeding or natal dispersal. Moreover, after controlling for antecedent breeding success, dispersal distance had no influence on subsequent breeding success. In most years of our study, >85% of nest initiations produced at least one fledgling, and individual boxes did not consistently have low or high fledgling production. Hence, swallows may have little to gain by dispersing out of our nest-box grid, and box-specific success did not provide a reliable cue about where to disperse within the grid. Thus, remaining in the grid for subsequent breeding attempts, regardless of fledgling production, could be interpreted as adaptive. Nonetheless, most adults remained close to the nest they had used in previous years, which suggests that some unmeasured influence, such as social interactions among neighbors, led to nonrandom dispersal.

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Winkler ◽  
Kelly K. Hallinger ◽  
Daniel R. Ardia ◽  
R. J. Robertson ◽  
B. J. Stutchbury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tachycineta Bicolor ◽  
Tree Swallow

scholarly journals Polyploidy influences plant–environment interactions in quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.)

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 630-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burke T Greer ◽  
Christopher Still ◽  
Grace L Cullinan ◽  
J Renée Brooks ◽  
Frederick C Meinzer
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Quaking Aspen ◽  
Plant Environment

Canopy and edge activity of bats in a quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) forest

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (7) ◽  
pp. 798-807 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.W. Pettit ◽  
K.T. Wilkins
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Regression Tree ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Quaking Aspen ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Forest Canopies ◽  
Bat Activity ◽  
Cart Analysis

Characteristics of edges affect the behavior of species that are active in and near edges. Forest canopies may provide edge-like habitat for bats, though bat response to edge orientation has not been well examined. We sampled bat activity in quaking aspen ( Populus tremuloides Michx.) forest canopies and edges in Heber Valley, Utah, during summer 2009 using Anabat detectors. Categorization and regression tree (CART) analysis of echolocation characteristics (e.g., frequency, duration) identified two guilds based on characteristic frequency (i.e., high- and low-frequency guilds). We used linear regression to compare characteristics of canopy and edge vegetation (e.g., tree height, diameter at breast height) to bat activity levels. Activity levels of high-frequency bats did not respond differentially to edge vegetation; low-frequency bat activity seemed to respond to canopy height. Activity levels of high-frequency bats were significantly greater than low-frequency bats in both edges and canopies. We detected significantly more bat activity in forest edges than in forest canopies, indicating the importance of edges to bats in forests.

Impact of extrafloral nectar availability and plant genotype on ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) visitation to quaking aspen (Salicaceae)

2015 ◽  
Vol 148 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathon R. Newman ◽  
Diane Wagner ◽  
Patricia Doak
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Quaking Aspen ◽  
Plant Genotype ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Natural Induction ◽  
Formica Fusca ◽  
Time Of Year ◽  
Nectar Availability

AbstractFor quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michaux; Salicaceae) the rate of extrafloral (EF) sugar secretion is increased by defoliation and decreased by drought. Although wholesale blocking of EF nectar has been shown to reduce ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) visitation to aspen, the effect of more subtle and realistic variations in nectar availability on ant recruitment is unknown. Working in Alaskan boreal forest (United States of America), we reduced and supplemented EF nectar availability on potted aspen ramets of three genotypes and surveyed visitation by free-living Formica fusca (Linnaeus) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Ants were more responsive to a subtle increase in sugar availability than to a decrease. While nectar reduction had no effect on ant visitation, nectar supplementation increased ant visitation to one aspen genotype by 70% during an early summer trial. Average ant visitation to different aspen genotypes varied during the late summer, indicating that aspen genotype can influence attractiveness to ants. We conclude that natural induction of EF secretion in response to herbivory may benefit aspen through improved ant recruitment, though the response is dependent on aspen genotype and time of year. Differences among aspen genets in attractiveness to ants could influence the relative success of genotypes, especially in settings in which aspen regenerates from seed.

scholarly journals Distribution, Morphology, Survival, and Genetics of Aspen (Populus Tremuloides) Seedlings Following the 1988 Yellowstone Fires

1996 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 118-122
Author(s):  
Monica Turner ◽  
Rebecca Reed ◽  
William Romme ◽  
Gerald Tuskan
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Plant Competition ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Rare Event ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Quaking Aspen ◽  
Burned Areas

An unexpected consequence of the 1988 Yellowstone fires was the widespread establishment of seedlings of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) in the burned forests, including areas outside the previous range of aspen (Kay 1993; Romme et al. 1997). Although aspen is the most widely distributed tree species in North America (Powells 1965), it is relatively uncommon and localized in distribution within Yellowstone National Park (Despain 1991). Most aspen stands in Yellowstone are found in the lower elevation landscapes in the northern portion of the park, and the species was absent - prior to 1988 -- across most of the high plateaus that dominate the southern and central park area. Aspen in the Rocky Mountain region reproduces primarily by means of vegetative root sprouting. Although viable seeds are regularly produced, establishment of seedlings in the wild is apparently a rare event due to the limited tolerance of aspen seedlings for desiccation or competition (e.g., Pearson 1914; McDonough 1985). In the immediate aftermath of the 1988 Yellowstone fires, there was a brief "window of opportunity" for aspen seedling establishment, as a result of abundant aspen seed production, moist weather conditions in spring and summer, and bare mineral soil and reduced plant competition within extensive burned areas (Jelinski and Cheliak 1992; Romme et al. 1997). We initiated this 3-year study in 1996 to address four questions about the aspen seedlings now growing in burned areas across the Yellowstone Plateau: (1) What are the broad-scale patterns of distribution and abundance of aspen seedlings across the subalpine plateaus of Yellowstone National Park? (2) What is the morphology and population structure -- e.g., proportions of genets (genetic individuals that developed from a single seed) and ramets (vegetative root sprouts produced by a genet) of various ages - in aspen seedling populations? (3) What are the mechanisms leading to eventual persistence or extirpation of seedling populations along an elevational gradient, particularly with respect to ungulate browsing and plant competition? (4) What is the genetic diversity and relatedness of the seedling populations along gradients of elevation and substrate?

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