scholarly journals Exogenous corticosterone and melanin-based coloration explain variation in juvenile dispersal behaviour in the barn owl (Tyto alba)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0256038
Author(s):  
Bettina Almasi ◽  
Carolina Massa ◽  
Lukas Jenni ◽  
Alexandre Roulin
Keyword(s):  
Barn Owl ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Stress Hormone ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Parental Home ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Juvenile Dispersal ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Black Feather ◽  
Dispersal Distances

Natal dispersal affects many processes such as population dynamics. So far, most studies have examined the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that determine the distance between the place of birth and of first breeding. In contrast, few researchers followed the first steps of dispersal soon after fledging. To study this gap, we radio-tracked 95 barn owl nestlings (Tyto alba) to locate their diurnal roost sites from the fledging stage until December. This was used to test whether the age of nest departure, post-fledging movements and dispersal distance were related to melanin-based coloration, which is correlated to fitness-related traits, as well as to corticosterone, a hormone that mediates a number of life history trade-offs and the physiological and behavioural responses to stressful situations. We found that the artificial administration of corticosterone delayed the age when juveniles left their parental home-range in females but not in males. During the first few months after fledging, longer dispersal distances were reached by females compared to males, by individuals marked with larger black feather spots compared to individuals with smaller spots, by larger individuals and by those experimentally treated with corticosterone. We conclude that the onset and magnitude of dispersal is sensitive to the stress hormone corticosterone, melanin-based coloration and body size.

Prey groups in the pellets of the barn owl Tyto alba (Scopoli) in the Nigerian savanna

2001 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Lekunze ◽  
A. U. Ezealor ◽  
T. Aken'ova
Keyword(s):  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Nigerian Savanna

Homing Instinct of a Female Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Safwan Saufi ◽  
Shakinah Ravindran ◽  
Hasber Salim
Keyword(s):  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba

scholarly journals Nidicolous beetle species richness is driven by Barn Owl’s nests occupancy and landscape structure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivien Cosandey ◽  
Robin Séchaud ◽  
Paul Béziers ◽  
Yannick Chittaro ◽  
Andreas Sanchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Arthropod Community ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Nest Material ◽  
Crop Fields ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Bird Droppings ◽  
Barn Owls

AbstractBird nests are specialized habitats because of their particular composition including nest detritus and bird droppings. In consequence, they attract a specialized arthropod community considered as nidicolous, which includes species only found in bird nests (strictly nidicolous) or sometimes found in bird nests (facultatively nidicolous). Because the factors influencing the entomofauna in bird nests are poorly understood, in autumn 2019, we collected nest material in 86 Barn Owl (Tyto alba) nest boxes. We investigated whether the invertebrate species richness was related to Barn Owl nest box occupancy, the density of available nest boxes and the landscape structure. We found 3,321 nidicolous beetle specimens belonging to 24 species. Species richness of strictly nidicolous beetles was 2.7 times higher in nest boxes occupied by a family of Barn Owls the previous spring compared to unoccupied nest boxes. It was also higher in sites that were more often occupied by Barn Owls in the five previous years and in areas surrounded by a higher proportion of crop fields. For facultatively nidicolous beetles, the density of Barn Owl nest boxes enhanced the species richness. In conclusion, our study suggests that the strictly nidicolous beetles benefit from occupied nest boxes of Barn Owls, whereas facultatively nidicolous beetles look for nest boxes independently of whether Barn Owls occupy them. Our study highlights the importance of bird nests for a suite of invertebrates.

Vertebrate Remains in Pellets of the Barn Owl, Tyto Alba, From Planet Downs Station, South-Western Queensland.

1981 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 181 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Valente
Keyword(s):  
Mus Musculus ◽  
Prey Item ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Sminthopsis Macroura

Vertebrate remains in a collection of barn owl (Tyto alba) pellets from south-western Queensland were largely those of mammals, including Rattus villosissimus, Mus musculus, Leggadina forresti, Planigale tenuirostris, Sminthopsis macroura and S. crassicaudata. R. villosissimus was the most common prey item. P. tenuirostris had not been recorded previously from the area. Other vertebrate remains included those of birds, lizards and frogs. Some insects were also found in the pellets.

Reproduction of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) in Cyprus (Aves: Strigiformes)

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolaos Kassinis ◽  
Alexandre Roulin
Keyword(s):  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba

scholarly journals Interacting effects of forest fragmentation and howler monkey foraging on germination and disperal of fig seeds

Oryx ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 266-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Serio-Silva ◽  
Victor Rico-Gray
Keyword(s):  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Alouatta Palliata ◽  
Howler Monkey ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Howler Monkeys ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Dispersal Distances ◽  
Alouatta Palliata Mexicana ◽  
Fragmented Forests ◽  
Individual Trees

We studied changes in germination rates and dispersal distance of seeds of Ficus perforata and F. lundelli dispersed by howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata mexicana), in a small (40 ha) ‘disturbed’ and a larger (>600 ha) ‘preserved’ tropical rainforest in southern Veracruz, Mexico. The interaction between A. p. mexicana and Ficus (Urostigma) spp. is beneficial for the interacting species and has important implications for their conservation. Howler monkeys gain from the ingestion of an important food source, germination rates of Ficus seeds are improved by passage through the monkeys' digestive tract, and the seeds are more likely to be deposited in a site suitable for germination and development. Seed dispersal distances are relatively larger in the preserved site, with both the size of the forest area and the spatial pattern of Ficus affecting the dispersal process. In a large forest fragment with ‘regularly’ distributed Ficus individuals the howler monkeys move away from the seed source, increasing the probability that the seeds are desposited on a tree other than Ficus, which is important for the germination and future development of a hemiepiphytic species. In a small forest fragment with trees distributed in clumps howlers repeatedly use the same individual trees, and faeces containing seeds may be dropped on unsuitable trees more often. These are key issues when addressing conservation policies for fragmented forests.

scholarly journals Barn Owl (Tyto alba) breeding biology in relation to breeding season climate

2013 ◽  
Vol 155 (1) ◽  
pp. 273-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Chausson ◽  
Isabelle Henry ◽  
Bettina Almasi ◽  
Alexandre Roulin
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Breeding Biology ◽  
Tyto Alba

scholarly journals Dispersal Kernel Determines Symmetry of Spread and Geographical Range for an Insect

2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey D. Holland
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Dispersal Kernel ◽  
Geographical Range ◽  
Spatial Distributions ◽  
Longhorned Beetle ◽  
Ecological Patterns ◽  
Dispersal Distances

The distance from a source patch that dispersing insects reach depends on the number of dispersers, or random draws from a probability density function called a dispersal kernel, and the shape of that kernel. This can cause asymmetrical dispersal between habitat patches that produce different numbers of dispersers. Spatial distributions based on these dynamics can explain several ecological patterns including megapopulations and geographic range boundaries. I hypothesized that a locally extirpated longhorned beetle, the sugar maple borer, has a new geographical range shaped primarily by probabilistic dispersal distances. I used data on occurrence from Ontario, Canada to construct a model of geographical range in Indiana, USA based on maximum dispersal distance scaled by habitat area. This model predicted the new range boundary within 500 m very accurately. This beetle may be an ideal organism for exploring spatial dynamics driven by dispersal.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document