Journal
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
Volume 98, Issue 2, Pages 313-324Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2009.01264.x
Keywords
age; aggregation; interspecific group; learning; reproductive success; risk taking; Scalesia highlands
Categories
Funding
- Austrian Academy of Sciences
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Predation is the main cause of passerine nesting failure. Traditionally, large intraspecific group size is thought to accrue individuals with fitness benefits from increased predator vigilance and hence lower predation risk. To date, few studies have investigated interspecific group size in relation to predation risk. In the present study, we examined predation outcome in Darwin's small tree finch, Camarhynchus parvulus, in nests with many or few interspecific neighbours. We tested the predictions: (1) nests in mixed associations have lower predation than do more solitary nests; (2) mixed species nesting associations covary with nest site vegetation characteristics; (3) older (i.e. presumably experienced) males more commonly nest in mixed associations than younger males; (4) older males select more concealed nesting sites; and (5) controlling male age, females prefer to pair with males in mixed associations than at solitary nests. Almost half of all nests occurred in mixed associations (46%) compared to solitary nests (54%), and the overall distribution of nests was decidedly nonrandom, displaying a bimodal pattern. Nest site vegetation characteristics of the focal species were inconsistently associated with nesting pattern, but older males did select more concealed nesting sites. Controlling differences in surrounding vegetation characteristics, mixed nesting associations experienced markedly lower predation than solitary nests, and females showed a preference for males in mixed associations, as demonstrated by higher male pairing success. (C) 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 98, 313-324.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available