Breeding ecology, nest characteristics, and nest-site selection of stream- and lake-dwelling rock bass, Ambloplites rupestris (Rafinesque)

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 379-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas B. Noltie ◽  
Miles H. A. Keenleyside

This study examines the breeding ecology, nests, and nest-site selection of stream-dwelling rock bass, Ambloplites rupestris (Rafinesque), populating the Middle Thames River near London, Ontario. Breeding in this stream began earlier, at lower temperatures, and continued longer than in other documented lake-breeding populations. These responses were related to flooding which repeatedly thwarted breeding attempts. Nesting and spawning continued asynchronously throughout the seasons, increasing breeding opportunities. Older, larger males spawned earliest in the season, allowing them increased renesting opportunities. The duration of each stage in nesting and brood development was documented. Nests were generally larger than those of other rock bass populations. Male size and nest size were positively related. Nests were elliptical rather than circular as in lakes, reflecting the influence of water flow. Males demonstrated nest-site selection: individual nest sites were allocated nonrandomly with respect to depth, reflecting the availability of appropriate nesting substrates, and the majority of nests were constructed downstream from obstructions to current. Many of these features of rock bass reproduction can be interpreted as being responses to the relatively variable and rigorous environment of the stream habitat as compared with lakes.

The Auk ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara R. Robinson ◽  
W. Douglas Robinson ◽  
E. Ceinwen Edwards

Abstract We describe nest-site selection and report measures of breeding productivity from a population of Song Wrens (Cyphorhinus phaeocephalus) in central Panama. We studied 31 pairs from 1995 to 1998 and collected data on nest predation from 1996 to 1998. Song Wrens are year-round residents that build breeding nests for reproduction and dormitory nests for roosting. Twenty-five of 50 Song Wren breeding nests produced fledglings (daily nest survival rate = 0.968). Song Wrens usually (78%) placed their breeding nests in ant-defended acacias (Acacia melanoceras). However, nests placed in acacias did not experience lower rates of nest predation than nests placed in sites not defended by ants. The population-wide breeding season was seven months long, but individual pairs often bred within a span of only 2.5 months. Modal clutch size was two (n = 42), but the frequency of three-egg clutches was high (≥27%). Pairs that lost eggs or chicks renested more quickly than pairs that fledged young and attempted a second brood. Observed annual production of young was 1.4 fledglings per pair. Compared with other wrens, Song Wrens had a much longer breeding season and longer intervals between broods. The annual productivity of Song Wrens was the lowest recorded for any wren, which may have been due to smaller clutch sizes, long intervals between broods, and the correspondingly low number of nesting attempts per pair per year.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. e01524
Author(s):  
Karim Loucif ◽  
Mohamed Cherif Maazi ◽  
Moussa Houhamdi ◽  
Haroun Chenchouni

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (9) ◽  
pp. 1240-1245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain J Stenhouse ◽  
H Grant Gilchrist ◽  
William A Montevecchi

The selection of breeding habitat is of prime importance for individual fitness. Among birds, natural selection should favour the ability to recognize and select habitat suitable for nesting and rearing chicks. This study compares the characteristics of Sabine's Gull, Xema sabini (Sabine, 1819), nest sites with random points across a coastal tundra environment on Southampton Island, Nunavut, Canada. The availability of terrestrial invertebrate prey was also examined among habitats. Sabine's Gull nests were nonrandomly distributed in relation to vegetation, substrate, and proximity to water. Gulls nested within approximately 1 km of the coastline and selected sites with the greatest proportions of moss and standing water (i.e., they nested close to the edge of small freshwater ponds near shore). However, there were no detectable differences in characteristics between successful and unsuccessful nests within preferred habitat. The dynamics of terrestrial invertebrate prey communities varied between years, but the volume of invertebrates in Sabine's Gull nesting habitat was intermediate between the most productive habitats and the least productive habitats in both years. However, nest-site selection in Sabine's Gulls may also be influenced by the availability of aquatic invertebrates (not examined in this study) and their proximity to the marine coastline, where chicks are taken to be reared.


2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (sp1) ◽  
pp. 68-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue-Hua Sun ◽  
Yun Fang ◽  
Chen-Xi Jia ◽  
Siegfried Klaus ◽  
Jon E. Swenson ◽  
...  

Ibis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 162 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tulsi Ram Subedi ◽  
José D. Anadón ◽  
Hem Sagar Baral ◽  
Munir Z. Virani ◽  
Shahrul Anuar Mohd Sah

1992 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abm Enayet Hossain ◽  
M Sharif ◽  
A H Baqui

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Tadey

Introduced livestock may indirectly affect bird species by decreasing vegetation structure and affecting the selection of nesting sites. This is especially true for birds that use shrubs as the raw material for nest construction or for nest placement. Nesting in inadequate supporting structures or the use of inadequate raw material for nest building may increase nest vulnerability (e.g. increasing structure weakness, falling and nest exposure to predation). Accordingly, bird species show a great variation in the selectivity of nesting sites and the raw material they use. Furnariidae family members exhibit an extraordinary diversity in nest placement and structure, which allows them to survive in different arid environments. I report here on a study of nest site selection of two common furnariid species, Leptasthenura aegithaloides and Pseudoseisura gutturalis, across a grazing gradient composed by nine independent paddocks within the same arid habitat. These species use large closed-nests (>40 cm long) built with thorny branches, placed on spiny shrubs. I measured nest abundance and supporting plants characteristics, vegetation structure, browsing intensity and compared the plants selected by the birds with the surrounding vegetation. These bird species used only few plant species for nest building and location. Livestock significantly reduced vegetation cover of the species used to build and place the nests, affecting nest site selection and reducing nest abundance. As livestock density increased, both species selected aggregated plants and the tallest plants for nesting, which may increase nest exposure. Therefore, livestock may indirectly affect nest-site selection of birds ultimately affecting their nesting ecology. This work illustrates how domestic livestock, through decreasing plant cover, may affect native biota with consequences on key species within an ecosystem.


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