Food supplementation mitigates dispersal-dependent differences in nest defence in a passerine bird.

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_D5EE84555504
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Food supplementation mitigates dispersal-dependent differences in nest defence in a passerine bird.
Journal
Biology Letters
Author(s)
Récapet C., Daniel G., Taroni J., Bize P., Doligez B.
ISSN
1744-957X (Electronic)
ISSN-L
1744-9561
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2016
Volume
12
Number
5
Pages
20160097
Language
english
Abstract
Dispersing and non-dispersing individuals often differ in phenotypic traits (e.g. physiology, behaviour), but to what extent these differences are fixed or driven by external conditions remains elusive. We experimentally tested whether differences in nest-defence behaviour between dispersing and non-dispersing individuals changed with local habitat quality in collared flycatchers, by providing additional food during the nestling rearing period. In control (non-food-supplemented) nests, dispersers were less prone to defend their brood compared with non-dispersers, whereas in food-supplemented nests, dispersing and non-dispersing individuals showed equally strong nest defence. We discuss the importance of dispersal costs versus adaptive flexibility in reproductive investment in shaping these differences in nest-defence behaviour between dispersing and non-dispersing individuals. Irrespective of the underlying mechanisms, our study emphasizes the importance of accounting for environmental effects when comparing traits between dispersing and non-dispersing individuals, and in turn assessing the costs and benefits of dispersal.
Keywords
dispersal, anti-predator behaviour, parental care, personality, habitat quality, Ficedula albicollis
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
19/07/2016 12:25
Last modification date
20/08/2019 15:55
Usage data