Abstract
Avian brood parasite hosts can use distinct egg traits to recognize a parasitic egg. Previous studies suggested an important role of eggshell ultraviolet (UV) reflectance in rejection. According to the egg detectability hypothesis, natural selection might have selected for a conspicuous egg UV signal, especially in dark nest environments. We tested this hypothesis in a cavity nesting host by experimentally parasitizing a population of common redstarts breeding in Central Europe. We manipulated UV reflectance using egg models with enhanced UV and used models with UV characteristics similar to the host as a control treatment. We additionally manipulated nest light conditions by adjusting the entrance size of the nest-boxes, because dark environments have been suggested to affect detectability of an egg, particularly in UV light. Hosts rejected experimental eggs with similar probabilities in both UV treatments and also under different light conditions. Results of this study did not support the egg detectability hypothesis. Our conclusions on the role of egg UV for egg recognition and rejection emphasize how little we understand its function in cavity nesting hosts.
Zusammenfassung
Die Ultraviolettfärbung eines Brutparasiteneis führt bei Gartenrotschwanz-Wirtseltern nicht zu dessen Ablehnung.
Wirtsvögel von Brutparasiten können bestimmte Eimerkmale nutzen, um Eier von Parasiten zu erkennen. Frühere Untersuchungen deuten darauf hin, dass die UV-Reflexion der Eischale eine wichtige Rolle bei deren Verwerfung spielt. Gemäß der Ei-Sichtbarkeits-Hypothese (engl.: egg detectability hypothesis) könnte die natürliche Selektion ein auffälliges UV-Signal gefördert haben, insbesondere in dunklen Nestern. Wir überprüften diese Hypothese an einer höhlenbrütenden Wirtsart, indem wir eine mitteleuropäische Brutpopulation von Gartenrotschwänzen Phoenicurus phoenicurus experimentell parasitierten. Dazu manipulierten wir die UV-Reflexion durch den Einsatz von Kunsteiern mit verstärkten UV-Eigenschaften und setzten Kunsteier mit wirtsähnlichen UV-Eigenschaften als Kontrollstichprobe ein. Zusätzlich veränderten wir die Lichtbedingungen im Nest durch die Anpassung der Einfluglochgröße der Nistkästen, da anzunehmen ist, dass dunkle Umgebungsbedingungen die Sichtbarkeit eines Eies beeinflussen, speziell im UV-Bereich. Die Versuchseier wurden von den Wirtsvögeln unabhängig von den UV-Eigenschaften sowie den Lichtbedingungen mit ähnlicher Wahrscheinlichkeit verworfen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchung lieferten keine Bestätigung für die Ei-Sichtbarkeits-Hypothese. Bezüglich der Rolle der UV-Eigenschaften für die Eierkennung und Eiverwerfung kommen wir zu dem Schluss, dass wir nur sehr wenig über deren Funktion bei höhlenbrütenden Wirtsvögeln wissen.
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Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to A. Hughes for language correction and L. Čapková for her invaluable help in the field. Our thanks go also to T. Grim (Palacký University Olomouc) for technical support. We are grateful to the Forests of the Czech Republic, a state-owned company, for permission to work in their forests.
Funding
This study was supported by internal grants of the Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences (No. 900624, 660415 Brood Parasitism Group and by the Czech Science Foundation (Grant No. 22-26812S provided to Marcel Honza).
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M.H. designed the study. M.C., O.M. and M.H. collected the data. P.S. and M.C. analyzed the data. M.H., M.C. and P.S. wrote the manuscript.
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The research was conducted in compliance with ethical guidelines. All the work adhered to the Animal Care Protocol of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (license number CZ 01272) and complies with current Czech law on the protection of animals against mistreatment, as well as with instructions on the activity of collaborators of the Czech Bird Ringing Center. Experiments were approved by local governmental authorities (OŽPÚP34853/16/385).
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Honza, M., Capek, M., Mikulica, O. et al. Ultraviolet coloration of avian parasitic egg does not cue egg rejection in the common redstart host. J Ornithol 163, 903–909 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-022-01991-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-022-01991-4