Nest Choice Research Articles

Size‐assortative nest preference in a paternal brooding blenny Rhabdoblennius ellipes (Jordan & Starks)

Field and laboratory studies were conducted to clarify the processes contributing to the size‐assortative nest use by males of a paternal brooding blenny Rhabdoblennius ellipes. The use of natural and artificial nests by males in the field was highly size‐assortative; males used smaller nests even when larger nests were available. Aquarium nest choice experiments without a competitive male strongly suggested that the size‐assortative nest use by males is not the result of male–male competition for larger nests, but male preference for size‐matched nests. Males were likely to choose nests on the basis of the nest entrance size rather than nest length and volume, suggesting that the size‐assortative nest preference in this species is an adaptation to predation pressure against eggs and resident males.

Nest preference of laying hens ( Gallus gallus domesticus) and their motivation to exert themselves to gain nest access

In connection with the development of a test method for the attractiveness and appropriateness of nests for laying hens, we carried out an investigation by using a preference test and motivation measuring with the help of push doors. Hens were offered two different nest sites either consisting of a tray filled with wood shavings (litter tray) or a wooden nest box plus wood shavings (nest box). Hens were individually housed in pens (2.0 m × 2.0 m) and had free access to the nest sites until they laid their 15th egg. From that day the hens had to overcome a push door to reach the nest sites. Resistance for entrance was also increased stepwise at the door leading to the hens’ nest. The experiment ended when a hen stopped to lay in her usual nest site for four consecutive days (postexperimental period). The behaviour during the last hour before oviposition was video taped at a level of resistance of 3.5, 6.0, 7.5 and 10.0 N. The hens were categorized into nest and litter layers depending on nest choice. All but one hen pushed maximum resistances between 11.5 and 18.0 N with no differences between nest and litter layers. Behaviour did not significantly change with increasing levels of resistance, but there were significant differences between nest and litter layers. Nest layers spent more time nesting than litter layers while the latter showed a strong tendency to more exploring behaviour. For litter layers, more entries through the push door leading to their nest site and more unsuccessful pushes were detected than for nest layers. According to our results, two types of layers could be distinguished whereas the two were equally motivated to access their nest site.

Avoidance of conspecific colonies during nest choice by ants

Conspecific ant colonies are often overdispersed, i.e. they are further apart than they would be if they were distributed randomly. This overdispersion might be driven by competition for food resources or nest sites and may result from established colonies preventing incipient colonies from settling too close to them. We investigated another possible mechanism for overdispersion: active nest choice by emigrating colonies. Colonies may be influenced by the presence of conspecifics when they are emigrating from a nest that has become uninhabitable. In the laboratory, we presented Temnothorax albipennis ant colonies with a choice of three new nests, which were equidistant from their old nest site. The new nests were identical except that one was near to an established conspecific colony. The emigrating colonies significantly preferred the new nest site that was furthest from the resident colony. This selection was not just the result of access to the other nests being blocked by aggression from the resident colony; emigrating colonies thus made active choices. Odour cues may influence nest selection: odours left around nest sites by foreign colonies deterred nest occupancy. There was more aggression near the resident colony, but this appeared to be caused by the greater density of resident ants there rather than those ants being more aggressive per capita. We also observed a relatively high proportion of fusions between colonies. Possible reasons for this are considered together with their implications.

The influence of light intensity during early exposure to colours on the choice of nest colours by laying hens

When alternative husbandry systems to battery cages are used, a problem may arise whereby eggs are not laid in the nests provided. This leads not only to economic loss, but may also promote the outbreak of cannibalism. However, the choosing of a nest involves complex behavioural patterns and may be influenced, among other things, by exposure to a specific colour at an early age [Huber-Eicher, B., 2004. The effect of early colour preference and of a colour exposing procedure on the choice of nest colours in laying hens. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 86, 63–76]. Chicks exposed to the colours blue, green and red, preferred yellow nests when in lay, whereas exposure to yellow resulted in an indifference towards the colour of nest. In the study reported here, we further investigated this effect of exposure to yellow. During the first 12 days of life, chicks were exposed to either red or yellow and to either a high or low light intensity (four treatment regimes in total). A hen's choice of nest colour was tested at the start of lay (weeks 20–23). We randomly selected 20 hens from each of the four treatment regimes. The 80 chosen hens were then tested in groups of four, each of the four hens coming from a different treatment regime. When given a choice of nests painted in the colours yellow, red, blue or green, hens exposed to red and to a high light intensity at an early age showed a significant preference for yellow nests. Hens exposed as chicks to red and a low light intensity, or to yellow and either high or low light intensity were indifferent towards nest colour. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the effect of early exposure to yellow on reducing the preference for yellow nests later on, is due to the colour yellow per se, and not the higher light intensity that goes with it. However, high light intensity in combination with red increases the preference for yellow nests.

What Makes a Good Nest? Benefits of Nest Choice to Female Baya Weavers (Ploceus Philippinus)

Abstract The nests of some birds are built exclusively by males and then displayed to females. In such species, one expects females to choose those nests that provide maximum safety to themselves and their offspring. What attributes of a nest should females use in making these choices? Here, I examine the correlates of nesting success in the Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus), a species in which males provide nests and little else. In particular, I examine which of two suites of nest attributes best predicts nesting success: nest location (which reflects male competitive ability) or nest architecture (which reflects male building skill). Because whether a nest has successfully fledged young is sometimes uncertain, I supplement generalized linear model analyses with survival analyses, which can incorporate ambiguity in nest fate. Together, these analyses reveal that nests built in thorny trees and woven with fine fiber have high success. Nesting success also increases with nest height and with thickness of the supporting branch. Overall, nest location is a slightly better predictor of success than nest architecture; this is consistent with previous findings that female choice of nests is influenced more by location than by architecture. ¿Qué Hace a un Nido un Buen Nido? Beneficios de la Selección de Nidos para las Hembras en Ploceus philippinus

Elaborate Nests in a Weaverbird: A Role for Female Choice?

AbstractStudies on sexual selection have focused on behaviour and morphology, but several groups of animals build elaborate structures associated with acquiring a mate. I investigated female choice for nests built by male baya weavers (Ploceus philippinus). Nest choice by females should be strong, as nests are obvious direct benefits provided by males. I used a field experiment supplemented with correlational information to ask whether females appear to base mate choice decisions on male behaviour, nest architecture, and nest location. When the nests of highly visited males were exchanged with those of poorly visited males, female visits remained highest at the original male and location. I found no relationship between female choice and male display or other behaviour. Correlational analyses show that nest location was a better predictor of female choice than was nest architecture. These data suggest that current female choice is driven more by access to safe nesting sites rather than to well‐built nests, possibly because all males are able to build nests of adequate quality. However, nest architecture is unlikely to be irrelevant to females, and its role deserves further investigation.

Philopatry, nest choice, and aggregation temporal–spatial change in the digger wasp Cerceris arenaria (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)

Studying temporal and spatial changes of aggregations of digger wasps through nesting seasons is interesting because of its link to social evolution via a semi-social pathway, but information about this topic is scarce. An aggregation of Cerceris arenaria Latreille was studied during 1997–1999 and for a short period in 2001. The colony grew in area and number of nests through the first three seasons, but the aggregation reduced in 2001, and this decrease was confirmed by a count of nests made in 2003 and 2005. The positions of the nest entrances remained almost constant over the years, at least in high-nest-density areas, because of the repeated use of the same burrows from which they emerged. This fact permits the population to exploit for many years a restricted area and could act as a nest-density-regulation method for fossorial species that rarely dig new nests, preventing an excessive nest density. The newly emerged females did not dig new nests, showed a high philopatry in the choice of their first nest, and preferred to look for other nests to occupy close to the ones recently abandoned (mainly for an undergone usurpation by a conspecific female). Philopatry, along with lack of new nest digging and position-dependent nest choice, is probably an important factor maintaining spatial stability of the aggregation through the years and could represent a first step in the evolution of a higher sociality in apoid burrowing Hymenoptera.

An agent-based model of collective nest choice by the ant Temnothorax albipennis

Colonies of the ant Temnothorax (formerly Leptothorax ) albipennis can collectively choose the best of several nest sites, even when many of the active ants who organize the move visit only one site. Previous studies have suggested that this ability stems from the ants' strategy of graded commitment to a potential home. On finding a site, an ant proceeds from independent assessment, to recruiting fellow active ants via slow tandem runs, to bringing the passive bulk of the colony via rapid transports. Assessment duration varies inversely with site quality, and the switch from tandem runs to transports requires that a quorum of ants first be summoned to the site. These rules may generate a collective decision, by creating and amplifying differential population growth rates among sites. We test the importance of these and other known behavioural rules by incorporating them into an agent-based model. All parameters governing individual behaviour were estimated from videotaped emigrations of individually marked ants given a single nest option of either good or mediocre quality. The time course of simulated emigrations and the distribution of behaviour across ants largely matched these observations, except for the speed with which the final transport phase was completed, and the overall emigration speed of one particularly large colony. The model also predicted the prevalence of splitting between sites when colonies had to choose between two sites of different quality, although it correctly predicted the degree of splitting in only four of six cases. It did not fully capture variance in colony performance, but it did predict the emergence of variation in individual behaviour, despite the use of identical parameter values for all ants. The model shows how, with adequate empirical data, the algorithmic form of a collective decision-making mechanism can be captured.

Marking as a decision factor in the choice of a new resting site in Lasius niger

In ants, aggregation is mainly based on the attraction between individuals. We confirmed the existence of ground marking in Lasius niger and demonstrated its influence on the aggregative behaviour of ants: the place of the gathering is leading by the existence of a ground marking which favours clustering by increasing the rate of the process but does not change the aggregation level. This factor could play a role in the choice of a new nest site and in the spatial distribution of ants inside the nest. This marking, presuming to have a long duration, could represent an external memory which could play an important role in various situations such as the choice of new nest or the reorganisation of ants after a disturbance.

Nest site selection in leatherbacks, Dermochelys coriacea: individual patterns and their consequences

We determined individual nest placement patterns for female leatherbacks nesting at Awa:la-Ya:lima:po, French Guiana, by measuring distance from the nest to several landscape features, such as the highest spring tide line (HSTL) and the vegetation line. Distance from the nest to the HSTL differed significantly between females, indicating the existence of individual nesting patterns. There was a significant repeatability of nest site choice relative to the HSTL, indicating that females showed within-individual consistency in their nest placement. Despite individual preferences, there was much within-individual variation and a lack of predictability in the nesting patterns; that is, the locations of subsequent nests could not be predicted based on knowledge of previous nest choices, indicating a certain degree of scatter. The significant repeatability suggests that nest choice behaviour in female leatherbacks is heritable and may show the potential for further evolution. We tested sea-finding ability of hatchlings, a potential consequence of nest site choice, in Matapica, Suriname, by using orientation arenas to quantify the strength and direction of travel after emergence. The orientation tests showed that hatchlings were unable to move seaward in vegetated arenas, providing evidence that vegetation acts as a strong selective pressure driving nest placement seaward. It appears that leatherbacks have adopted a regional rather than a local optimum for nest placement patterns, possibly resulting from their weak beach fidelity and the frequent erosion and destruction of their nesting beaches. We discuss the evolutionary and conservation implications for this species in the context of current environmental changes.

Spatial Relationships Between Tree-Nesting Heron Colonies and Rice Fields in the Camargue, France

Abstract Habitat composition around nesting sites is one of the important factors that drive the colonial dynamics of waterbirds. Using a Monte Carlo procedure, we compared the changes that occurred over a period of 25 years (1975-1999) in (1) the distribution and composition of tree-nesting heron colonies and (2) the distribution and amount of rice cultivated in the Camargue region of southern France. During the period of 1967-1999, 25 sites in the Camargue were each occupied for at least one breeding season by colonies of tree-nesting herons. Total number of nests, number of nests per colony, and number of colonies varied among the four species considered. During the same period, the proportion of the study area planted with rice fluctuated widely. Overall, nests of all species tended to be located at sites surrounded by a large area of rice fields. However, examination of the results revealed a difference among species in selection of nest colony sites: Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis), Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides), and Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) seemed more inclined to nest on sites surrounded by rice fields; whereas Little Egrets' (Egretta garzetta) nest choice was not consistently related to availability of rice fields. That pattern was especially noticeable at a small scale (i.e. <5-km radius around the colony). Our spatial analysis supports previous findings on the effects of rice farming on the colony dynamics of tree-nesting herons. We conclude that different landscape scales are an important consideration for understanding colony site selection and need to be taken into account in the planning and design of agri-environmental development schemes.

Size‐assortative nest choice by the Japanese fluvial sculpin in the presence of male‐male competition

Nest choice by the Japanese fluvial sculpin Cottus pollux and its relationship to male reproductive success, was examined in a natural habitat, central Japan. The larger males tended to occupy the deeper nest cavities, suggesting size‐assortative nest choice by the species. Stepwise regression analysis showed that cavity area was correlated positively to male reproductive success. Nest choice experiments without a competitive male indicated an absence of size‐assortative nest choice, but larger males tended to choose a large nest when another male was present, suggesting that size‐assortative nest choice by the species is attributable to male‐male competition for large nests, such being related to a resource‐defence polygynous mating system.

Size-assortative nest choice by the Japanese fluvial sculpin in the presence of male–male competition

Size-assortative nest choice by the Japanese fluvial sculpin in the presence of male–male competition

Nistplatzwahl, Legeperiode und Bruterfolg des Rotkopfwürgers (Lanius senator) in Südfrankreich

Breeding habitats in Mediterranean France consist in open, dry grasslands with a low and discontinuous grass layer and scattered bushes and trees. The choice of nest supports was largely opportunistic, the most abundant suitable nest support type (bush or tree) and the most abundant species being present at each study site have been used. About 75% of the nests were placed at heights between 1 and 3 m. Laying period lasted from 9 May until 6 July (peak of first clutches: 21–30 May). Mean clutch size was 5.14±0.82 eggs (n=114). Breeding success was independent from the site, the height and the concealment of nests. Mean survival rate of nests from laying to fledgling was 0.365. The main cause of low breeding success was high nest predation exerted by a rich guild of predators. The species is mainly threatened through dramatic habitat shrinkage due to pastoralism reduction leading to closures of lightly bushed grasslands in Mediterranean France.

Host nest preference and nest choice in the cuckoo paper wasppolistes sulcifer (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Polistes sulcifer is a cuckoo paper wasps, an obligate social parasite which must usurp a colony of another species in order to reproduce. Field data show thatP. sulcifer females usurp exclusively nests belonging to one species only (P. dominulus). Moreover, they are more frequently found on large and puparich nests. A series of laboratory trials, in which parasite females were offered a binary choice of nests with different characteristics, confirm both the species specificity betweenP. sulcifer andP. dominulus and the parasite's preference to usurp larger nests containing pupae. The data support the hypothesis thatP. sulcifer females choose between available nests. The biological meaning of these findings is discussed.

Reproductive skew and genetic relatedness inLeptothoraxants

Optimization models for the evolution of high reproductive skew in animal societies predict that high skew is evolutionarily stable only if group members are closely related. In the ant genus Leptothorax, nestmate queens differ remarkably in their behaviour: whereas in some species, queens fight and form social and reproductive dominance hierarchies (\`functional monogyny'), in others they appear to ignore each other and lay eggs at more or less similar rates (\`polygyny'). A comparative analysis of the sociogenetic organization of Leptothorax colonies indicates that: (i) worker and queen relatedness are surprisingly high even in most polygynous species; and (ii) reproductive skew as estimated from egg laying rates or the ovarian development of nestmate queens does not strongly affect the genetic structure of the colonies. In functionally monogynous species, a frequent exchange of the dominant queen apparently lowers the average relatedness among adult nestmates. In some polygynous species, on the other hand, mechanisms other than aggressive competition among queens keep relatedness from decreasing. Cyclical changes in queen number per colony and a negative influence of high queen number on the production of female sexuals may be important in this context. Preliminary relatedness estimates from virgin female sexuals from polygynous colonies of three Leptothorax species seem to indicate an association of high skew and high queen relatedness as predicted by the skew models. This result, however, does not necessarily mean that high relatedness causes high skew: as young queens are readopted mostly into their native colonies after mating, high relatedness and high skew may be mutually reinforcing.

Size-assortative nest choice in the absence of competition in males of the sand goby, Pomatoschistus minutus

Size-assortative choice of nest site is commonly found among fish with paternal care. This pattern can be explained either by the superior competitive ability of large males for preferred large nests, or by a choice of nest size that is related to the male's own body size. Choice of nest size was studied in males of a small marine fish, the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus, by providing artificial nest sites in laboratory and field experiments. A positive correlation between nest size and male size, indicating a size-assortative nest choice process, was found in both aquarium and field experiments. This is argued to be the outcome of a preference for an optimal nest size and not to be due to competition, as (a) a surplus of nest sites was available to the individuals in nature; (b) in the aquarium experiments, single males of all sizes, when offered a choice between a smaller and a larger nest site, showed a preference for nests in proportion to their body size and not for the largest available nests; and (c) in the aquaria, when single males were offered only a small or only a large nest site, small males abstained from building nests in the large sites, whereas in the small nest sites males of all sizes built nests. My conclusion is that size assortative nest choice occurred in the absence of competition, which thus is not a necessary condition for size-assortative nesting, contrary to what is commonly assumed in many studies. This preference may represent a compromise (or trade-off) between the advantage of a nest large enough to accommodate many eggs and a smaller one with lower maintenance and defence costs.

Selection of host nests by intraspecific nest-parasitic digger wasps

Abstract. This paper demonstrates that intraspecific nest parasites are selective in their choice of host nests. In a large nest aggregation, instead of digging new burrows, nest-less females of the digger wasp Cerceris arenaria entered pre-existing burrows and eventually used one of them. Data on host nest selection showed that the likelihood that a nest-less female would use a burrow increased if the burrow contained more prey, if the burrow had a conspecific owner, and if the owner was absent from the nest. This indicates that during their brief visits to burrows, nest-less females are capable of rapidly assessing the value of the burrow and its contents. They appear to be true 'usurpers', unlike nest-less females of other species which use burrows at random ('entering'). The evolution of an ability to assess prey may not have involved large costs since a similar ability may have already been present, associated with provisioning and sex allocation strategies. A significant cost of intraspecific parasitism could arise if the same nests tend to be repeatedly parasitized, but this was not the case in C. arenaria.

Timing of Spawning and Host‐nest Choice for Brood Parasitism by the Japanese Minnow, Pungtungia herzi, on the Japanese Aucha Perch, Siniperca kawamebari

AbstractA field study of the breeding ecology of the Japanese aucha perch, Siniperca kawamebari, and brood parasitism by the Japanese minnow, Pungtungia herzi, on nests of the perch was carried out from 1989 to 1991. Observations of perch nests under natural conditions in 1990 showed that brood parasitism by the minnow was concentrated on host nests in which nest owners had just begun their nesting cycle. When spawned in a perch nest with recently spawned perch eggs, parasite eggs always hatched earlier than host eggs. An experiment with imitation perch eggs in 1991 confirmed that changing colour of host eggs was the cue for the parasites to distinguish between different developmental stages of host eggs. Parasite eggs rapidly disappeared without guarding by a host male (Baba et al. 1990). This loss was caused by predation by fishes. Parasite fry left the nest immediately after hatching, so parasite eggs spawned in a host nest in an early stage should be well guarded until they hatch. In the field, minnows deposited their eggs in perch nests which had larger numbers of newly spawned perch eggs. Since the perch males always deserted their nests when their own eggs disappeared, the parasite's choice of host nests with larger numbers of host eggs may ensure survival of the parasite eggs. The timing of egg deposition and choice of host nest by the minnow appear to be adaptive in terms of brood parasitism on nests of the perch.

Factors influencing floor-laying by hens in modified cages

Hens in modified cages, which incorporate nests, lay a variable proportion of eggs on the floor. This reduces the acceptability of this system as an alternative to the conventional battery cage. Observations were noted to determine if floor-laying was influenced by rearing hens in cages or on litter, by their age at transfer to the modified cages or social interactions. Cage- and litter-reared birds were obtained at 97 days of age and housed either immediately in modified cages or at 112, 129 or 145 days of age, after further time in conventional cages or on litter. Once all hens were housed in the modified cages, a 28-day observation period was conducted. Of the total eggs, 14% were laid on the floor, although the percentage of floor-eggs declined significantly during this period. A step-wise multiple regression revealed that age at transfer, rearing conditions and days since start of observations, together accounted for 40% of the variability in the percentage of floor-eggs laid per cage. Age was the most important contributory factor in the regression, with a significant positive relationship between age at transfer and percentage of floor-eggs. Litter-reared hens laid significantly more floor-eggs, made significantly more transitions in nest-site choice for reasons not obviously explicable by social interactions and made more transitions overall. These results indicate that litter-reared hens were less stable in their oviposition behaviour. During 9 consecutive days of the 28-day observation period, the majority of hens (69%) laid all their eggs in nests; a further 19% laid only 1–2 floor-eggs. Few hens used the floor consistently for laying. During the period of darkness the proportion of eggs laid on the floor was significantly greater than expected, but not during the morning or afternoon periods. The majority of hens used only one nest site; social interactions apparently influenced nest choice by others. Approximately equal numbers of the hens were gregarious or solitary in their nesting behaviour and this must be considered in future designs of modified cages.