Search results for "Nest site"
showing 7 items of 17 documents
The design of artificial nestboxes for the study of secondary hole-nesting birds: A review of methodological inconsistencies and potential biases
2010
The widespread use of artificial nestboxes has led to significant advances in our knowledge of the ecology, behaviour and physiology of cavity nesting birds, especially small passerines. Nestboxes have made it easier to perform routine monitoring and experimental manipulation of eggs or nestlings, and also repeatedly to capture, identify and manipulate the parents. However, when comparing results across study sites the use of nestboxes may also introduce a potentially significant confounding variable in the form of differences in nestbox design amongst studies, such as their physical dimensions, placement height, and the way in which they are constructed and maintained. However, the use of …
Nest modifications by the acorn ant Temnothorax crassispinus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
2019
Many ant species construct nests and during the process considerably influence the environment such as by changing soil structure and creating new habitat for other species. However, other ant species dwell in ready-for-use cavities. Ants of the genus Temnothorax inhabit small cavities such as acorns and under rocks, but under natural conditions, good nest sites are limited resources. During field and laboratory experiments, I studied how the acorn ant Temnothorax crassispinus (Karawajew, 1926) modifies nesting sites. Temnothorax crassispinus is a forest species, which typically lives in cavities in fallen twigs and acorns; colonies usually number from a few dozen to about 200 workers. Alth…
Acorn Ants May Create and Use Two Entrances to the Nest Cavity
2021
Many ant species construct large nests that are inhabited by numerous workers, but other species dwell in ready-for-use cavities and live in small colonies. Ants of the genus Temnothorax inhabit small cavities, e.g., in acorns, twigs, and under rocks. Although a preference for nest sites with a narrower entrance is known, recent studies have shown that they also use cavities with wider entrances and may modify the size of such entrances. As good cavities for nest sites are a limited resource, the possibility to modify a potential nest site, including a reduction in the size of the hole, should be a favorable matter for the ants. Through field and laboratory experiments, I studied the acorn …
Nest-site competition between bumblebees (Bombidae), social wasps (Vespidae) and cavity-nesting birds in Britain and the Western Palearctic
2015
Capsule: There is no evidence of widespread significant nest-site competition in Britain or the Western Palearctic between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees or social wasps. Aims: To investigate competition between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees and wasps, particularly the range-expanding Tree Bumblebee, Saxon Wasp and European Hornet in Britain, and review evidence throughout the Western Palearctic. Methods: We compared field data from English and Polish studies of tits and woodpeckers breeding in nest-boxes and/or tree holes to assess nest-site competition with bumblebees and wasps. We reviewed the literature quantifying nest-site competition between birds and these insects in the …
Migrations of hatchling European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) after nest emergence
2013
Distances between nest sites of Emys orbicularis and the nearest water bodies can be long. We studied whether a longer distance could affect the probability of hatchling survival, migration time, and body mass loss. In our research area (Lubuskie district, western Poland), nest sites were situated on a slope; the closest water body was in a distance of 72-290 m. Near the water body we constructed a 550 m long drift fence to recapture hatchlings migrating down the slope. We monitored 32 hatchlings from 7 different nests deposited in the years 2008-2010. The hatchlings started to emerge from their nests on 9 and 13 April 2009, 7 and 9 April 2010, 30 March, 7 and 8 April 2011. Then, hatchlings…
Effects of density, species interactions, and environmental stochasticity on the dynamics of British bird communities
2022
Our knowledge of the factors affecting species abundances is mainly based on time-series analyses of a few well-studied species at single or few localities, but we know little about whether results from such analyses can be extrapolated to the community level. We apply a joint species distribution model to long-term time-series data on British bird communities to examine the relative contribution of intra- and interspecific density dependence at different spatial scales, as well as the influence of environmental stochasticity, to spatiotemporal interspecific variation in abundance. Intraspecific density dependence has the major structuring effect on these bird communities. In addition, envi…
Interspecific information on predation risk affects nest site choice in a passerine bird
2018
Abstract Background Breeding site choice constitutes an important part of the species niche. Nest predation affects breeding site choice, and has been suggested to drive niche segregation and local coexistence of species. Interspecific social information use may, in turn, result in copying or rejection of heterospecific niche characteristics and thus affect realized niche overlap between species. We tested experimentally whether a migratory bird, the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca, collects information about nest predation risk from indirect cues of predators visiting nests of heterospecific birds. Furthermore, we investigated whether the migratory birds can associate such information w…