Open AccessPresence of other species may counter seasonal decline in breeding success: a field experiment with pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca
Author(s) -
Seppänen JanneTuomas,
Mönkkönen Mikko,
T. Forsman Jukka
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of avian biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.022
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1600-048X
pISSN - 0908-8857
DOI - 10.1111/j.2005.0908-8857.03436.x
Subject(s) - ficedula , biology , parus , ecology , insectivore , foraging , reproductive success , passerine , arctic , nest (protein structural motif) , grouse , avian clutch size , temperate climate , zoology , habitat , reproduction , demography , population , biochemistry , sociology
Seasonal decline in breeding success limits fitness in many bird species nesting in the temperate, boreal and arctic zones. Factors affecting this decline, especially if the decline is reduced, can thus have significant ecological and evolutionary importance. In an experiment designed to investigate fitness consequences of heterospecific attraction, no seasonal decline in breeding success was observed for pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca breeding in the presence of resident titmice Parus spp., whereas a pattern of steep decline was observed for birds breeding in areas where residents were removed. Randomisation of removal treatment and pied flycatcher territories with respect to arrival date leaves enhanced foraging that results from the presence of resident titmice during breeding as the best, albeit currently hypothetical, explanation for the observed absence of a seasonal decline. Among terrestrial vertebrates, reports of this kind of direct positive interactions are rare.