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Consequences of information use in breeding habitat selection on the evolution of settlement time

Schmidt, Kenneth A. ; Johansson, Jacob LU ; Kristensen, Nadiah LU ; Massol, Francois and Jonzén, Niclas LU (2015) In Oikos 124(1). p.69-80
Abstract
The role of temporal changes and spatial variability in predation risk and prey's means of mitigating such risks is poorly understood in the context of potential threats of global climate change for migratory birds. Yet nest predation, for example, represents a primary source of reproductive mortality in birds. To assess risk birds must spend time prospecting potential breeding sites for cues or signals of predator presence. However, competition for breeding sites with advantage to prior residency poses an evolutionary dilemma as individuals also benefit from early settling. We develop a model to examine adaptive prospecting time for predator cues on breeding grounds characterized by spatial heterogeneity in nest predation risk. We study... (More)
The role of temporal changes and spatial variability in predation risk and prey's means of mitigating such risks is poorly understood in the context of potential threats of global climate change for migratory birds. Yet nest predation, for example, represents a primary source of reproductive mortality in birds. To assess risk birds must spend time prospecting potential breeding sites for cues or signals of predator presence. However, competition for breeding sites with advantage to prior residency poses an evolutionary dilemma as individuals also benefit from early settling. We develop a model to examine adaptive prospecting time for predator cues on breeding grounds characterized by spatial heterogeneity in nest predation risk. We study how populations respond to environmental change represented by variation in habitat specific levels of nest predation, habitat composition, population vital rates, and availability of information (via prospecting) in the form of acoustic predator cues. We identify two mechanisms that regulate and buffer impacts of environmental change on populations. First, the adaptive response to lower population abundance under deteriorating environmental conditions is to increase prospecting time, which in turn increases individuals nest success to counteract population declines. This occurs because reduced competition for sites decreases the benefit of early settlement. Second, per capita success in site choice increases during population declines owing to reduced competition that increases the availability of good sites. We also show that the increased benefit to settling early when competition increases can lead to the paradoxical result that with greater spatial heterogeneity, less effort is placed on discerning good and bad sites. Our analysis thus contributes several novel results by which nest predation, settlement phenology, prospecting time and information gathering can influence species capacity to adapt to changing environments. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Oikos
volume
124
issue
1
pages
69 - 80
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000347052300009
  • scopus:84921521703
ISSN
1600-0706
DOI
10.1111/oik.01483
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
08b0497d-1ce8-4493-a1b9-088befcb4765 (old id 5085249)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:53:41
date last changed
2022-04-04 22:24:57
@article{08b0497d-1ce8-4493-a1b9-088befcb4765,
  abstract     = {{The role of temporal changes and spatial variability in predation risk and prey's means of mitigating such risks is poorly understood in the context of potential threats of global climate change for migratory birds. Yet nest predation, for example, represents a primary source of reproductive mortality in birds. To assess risk birds must spend time prospecting potential breeding sites for cues or signals of predator presence. However, competition for breeding sites with advantage to prior residency poses an evolutionary dilemma as individuals also benefit from early settling. We develop a model to examine adaptive prospecting time for predator cues on breeding grounds characterized by spatial heterogeneity in nest predation risk. We study how populations respond to environmental change represented by variation in habitat specific levels of nest predation, habitat composition, population vital rates, and availability of information (via prospecting) in the form of acoustic predator cues. We identify two mechanisms that regulate and buffer impacts of environmental change on populations. First, the adaptive response to lower population abundance under deteriorating environmental conditions is to increase prospecting time, which in turn increases individuals nest success to counteract population declines. This occurs because reduced competition for sites decreases the benefit of early settlement. Second, per capita success in site choice increases during population declines owing to reduced competition that increases the availability of good sites. We also show that the increased benefit to settling early when competition increases can lead to the paradoxical result that with greater spatial heterogeneity, less effort is placed on discerning good and bad sites. Our analysis thus contributes several novel results by which nest predation, settlement phenology, prospecting time and information gathering can influence species capacity to adapt to changing environments.}},
  author       = {{Schmidt, Kenneth A. and Johansson, Jacob and Kristensen, Nadiah and Massol, Francois and Jonzén, Niclas}},
  issn         = {{1600-0706}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{69--80}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Oikos}},
  title        = {{Consequences of information use in breeding habitat selection on the evolution of settlement time}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/oik.01483}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/oik.01483}},
  volume       = {{124}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}