Abstract
One of the most striking behavioural adaptations for reducing nest predation is nesting near a top predator. However, in spite of increasing number of studies in forested landscapes reporting reproductive success benefits when nesting near protective associates, studies examining whether protective effects vary with food availability for the top predator are lacking. We asked whether the nest predation on ground nests of birds in Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) territories is dependent on varying food conditions for the owl. This was studied using dummy nests placed at different distances from the Ural Owl nests and repeating the study in different food conditions for the owls (low, increase and peak phases of the vole cycle). The proportion of predated dummy nests differed between different food conditions for Ural Owls being lowest in a low vole year. The distance from the owl nest affected the predation of dummy nests, but only in intermediate food conditions. Due to the lack of control nests located outside the owl territories, we are not able to draw conclusions about the background variation in the nest predation in different food conditions. We hypothesise that fluctuating prey availability for the top predator species under concern may have significant effects on the outcome of species interactions. This currently unexplored idea should be tested further, e.g. by including multiple breeding seasons in the future studies on protective nesting associations.
Zusammenfassung
Eine der auffälligsten Verhaltensadaptationen zur Verringerung von Nestprädation ist das Nisten in der Nähe eines Top-Prädators. Obwohl die Anzahl von Untersuchungen welche reproduktive Vorteile des Nistens nahe bei schützenden Arten beschreiben, zunimmt, fehlen Studien über diesen Effekt in Abhängigkeit von der Nahrungsverfügbarkeit für den Prädator. Hier untersuchen wir ob Nestprädation von Bodenbrütern in Territorien von Habichtskäuzen (Strix uralensis) von der Nahrungsverfügbarkeit für die Käuze abhängig ist. Wir Nestattrappen in unterschiedlicher Entfernung von Habichtskauznestern platziert, und diese Untersuchung zu Zeiten unterschiedlicher Nahrungsverfügbarkeit für die Habichtskäuze (geringe, zunehmende und maximale Phase des Wühlmauszyklus) wiederholt. Der Anteil prädierter Nestattrappen war variabel in Jahren mit unterschiedlicher Nahrungsverfügbarkeit, und am geringsten in Jahren mit geringer Wühlmausdichte. Der Abstand zwischen den Kautznestern und der Nestattrappe hatte nur in Jahren mit mittlerer Nahrungsverfügbarkeit einen Effekt auf Nestprädation. Aufgrund des Fehlens von Kontroll-Nestattrappen außerhalb von Habichtskauzterritorien konnten wir keine Rückschlüsse auf Hintergrundvariation der Nestprädation in unterschiedlichen Jahren ziehen. Wir schlagen vor das eine fluktuierende Beuteverfügbarkeit für den Topprädator signifikante Effekte auf die Interaktionen zwischen Arten haben kann. Diese derzeit noch wenig erforschte Hypothese sollte in Zukunft explizit und in mehreren Jahren getestet werden.
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Acknowledgments
We thank local bird ringers for the locations of Ural Owl territories and Mikael Mokkonen and two anonymous reviewers for comments. This research was funded by the Academy of Finland, Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Research, Kone foundation and Finnish Biological Society ‘Vanamo’. All experiments described herein comply with Finnish laws.
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Communicated by T. Friedl.
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Häkkilä, M., Halme, P. & Koskela, E. Could fluctuating prey availability change protective nesting associations in forest birds? A hypothesis. J Ornithol 153, 199–203 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0727-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0727-9