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Do Blue Tits time their breeding based on cues obtained by consuming buds?

2006; Association of Field Ornithologists; Volume: 77; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1557-9263.2006.00070.x

1557-9263

Patrice Bourgault, P. Samuel, Philippe Perret,

Animal Nutrition and Physiology

Journal of Field OrnithologyVolume 77, Issue 4 p. 399-403 Do Blue Tits time their breeding based on cues obtained by consuming buds? Cyanistes caeruleus determina el momento de comenzar a reproducirse de pistas que obtiene al ingerir yemas apicales? P. Bourgault, Corresponding Author P. Bourgault Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 2R1, Canada Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorS. P. Caro, S. P. Caro Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, Research Group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Université de Liège, 1 Boulevard de l'Hôpital (Bât. B36), B-4000 Liège-1 (Sart Tilman), BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorP. Perret, P. Perret Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, CNRS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this author P. Bourgault, Corresponding Author P. Bourgault Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 2R1, Canada Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorS. P. Caro, S. P. Caro Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, Research Group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Université de Liège, 1 Boulevard de l'Hôpital (Bât. B36), B-4000 Liège-1 (Sart Tilman), BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorP. Perret, P. Perret Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, CNRS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this author First published: 20 November 2006 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1557-9263.2006.00070.xCitations: 8Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstracten ABSTRACT Many temperate-zone birds must track seasonal variation in food availability to time breeding and enhance reproductive success. However, the external cues birds use to fine-tune sexual development and timing of reproduction remain unclear. One possibility is that birds may use chemical substances in plants and bud tissues as a reliable predictor of leaf flush and the appearance of caterpillars, the preferred prey of many insectivorous birds during the breeding season. However, few data on seasonal shifts in key plant material consumption are available. To test this hypothesis, we examined the gizzard contents of Corsican Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), a small passerine bird with a breeding schedule tightly linked to the phenology of oak trees. We quantified and compared the consumption of tree buds by birds captured during winter (nonbreeding) and early spring (prebreeding) and found that bud use by Blue Tits was limited and constant through time. Fewer than 30% of birds had buds in their gizzards during the critical prebreeding period, and these items represented less than 1% of gizzard contents. It is unlikely that this limited use of buds allowed birds to track a potential chemical signal at the time of reproductive decision making. Unless more data on the consumption of plant material become available, we suggest that other environmental factors be examined to help identify the cues used by temperate-zone birds to time their reproduction. SINOPSISes Muchas aves de la zona templada deben velar por la variación en la disponibilidad de alimentos para reproducirse en el periodo de tiempo adecuado y mejorar sus oportunidades de éxito reproductivo. Sin embargo, las pistas externas que las aves utilizan para hacer el ajusto necesario o refinar el desarrollo sexual y el momento preciso para reproducirse, todavía no esta claro. Una posibilidad es que las aves utilicen sustancias químicas presentes en nuevos brotes y en yemas apicales como indicativo para el desarrollo o producción de nuevas hojas y la subsiguiente aparición de larvas, que son la presa preferida de mucha aves insectívoras durante la época de reproducción. Sin embargo, hay pocos datos en los cambios estacionales y en el consumo de partes claves de plantas. Para poner apruebas esta hipótesis, examinamos el contenido de la molleja de Cyanistes caeruleus, un paserino pequeño con un ciclo reproductor muy vinculado a la fenología de árboles de roble (Quercus pubescens). Cuantificamos y comparamos el consumo de yemas apicales en aves capturadas durante el invierno (época no reproductora) y temprano en la primavera y encontramos que el consumo por parte de las aves estudiantas se mantuvo constante a traves de todo el tiepo de muestreo. Menos del 30% de las aves tenían yemas en su milleja durante el periodo critico pre-reproductivo y estos articulos representaron menos del 1% del contenido de la molleja. Es poco probable que el uso tan limitado de yemas permita que las aves puedan trazar químicos que a su vez le permitan identificar el periodo más apropiado para reproducirse. A menos que estén disponibles más datos sobre el consumo de materia vegetal, sugerimos que otros factores ambientales sean examinados para ayudar a identificar las pistas que utilizan las aves de la zona templada para determinar cuando deben comenzar a reproducirse. LITERATURE CITED Akinpelu, A. I., and O. A. Oyedipe. 2004. A twelve-month field study of the West African Thrush Turdus pelios (Passeriformes: Muscicapidae). Part 1: food and feeding ecology. Revista De Biologia Tropical 52: 1001–1007. PubMedWeb of Science®Google Scholar Ankney, C. D., and D. M. Scott. 1980. Changes in nutrient reserves and diet of breeding Brown-headed Cowbirds. 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