Nest mass in forest tits (Paridae) increases with elevation and decreasing body mass, promoting reproductive success
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F25%3A00638880" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/25:00638880 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jav.03407" target="_blank" >https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jav.03407</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jav.03407" target="_blank" >10.1002/jav.03407</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Nest mass in forest tits (Paridae) increases with elevation and decreasing body mass, promoting reproductive success
Original language description
Based on the concept of the extended phenotype, bird nest characteristics can serve as indicators for adaptations to changing environmental conditions. We examined how the nest mass of three cavity-nesting tit species (Paridae) varied across 22 mixed forests in Germany in response to elevation, canopy openness, and species body mass. We predicted that nest mass should increase with elevation and canopy openness, due to thermoregulation being more demanding in colder or warmer climatic conditions, and decrease with body mass, as larger species have greater thermoregulatory capabilities. To test these predictions and to assess the consequences of nest mass variation for reproductive success, we recorded nest mass, clutch size, and pre-fledging brood size in 576 standardized nest boxes. Nest boxes were installed along an elevational gradient of approximately 1000 m a.s.l., either in forest gaps with fluctuating microclimatic conditions or in closed forests with buffered microclimates. We found that nest mass increased by similar to 60% along the elevational gradient, but the effect of canopy openness on nest mass was not significant, while nest mass decreased along the ranked species from the smallest Periparus ater to the medium-sized Cyanistes caeruleus and the largest Parus major. Structural equation modeling revealed that heavier nests were associated with larger clutch sizes, which in turn resulted in larger pre-fledging brood sizes. Altogether, our results suggest that forest tits adjust nest construction in response to macroclimatic conditions, thereby compensating for the thermoregulatory challenges posed at higher elevations and their small body size. This strategy may be critical for maintaining reproductive success in changing environments.
Czech name
—
Czech description
—
Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
—
OECD FORD branch
10615 - Ornithology
Result continuities
Project
—
Continuities
I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Journal of Avian Biology
ISSN
0908-8857
e-ISSN
1600-048X
Volume of the periodical
2025
Issue of the periodical within the volume
4
Country of publishing house
US - UNITED STATES
Number of pages
11
Pages from-to
e03407
UT code for WoS article
001562399600005
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-105011314876