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Behavioral Plasticity in Response to Perceived Predation Risk in Breeding House Wrens

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Abstract

Predation is a significant cause of nest failure in passerine birds, and, thus, natural selection is expected to favor behavioral plasticity to allow birds to respond to perceived changes in predation risk. However, behavioral plasticity in response to perceived predation risk, and its potential fitness-related costs, are understudied. In a wild population of breeding house wrens (Troglodytes aedon), we tested the hypotheses that (1) birds show behavioral plasticity in response to perceived nest-predation risk to reduce self-risk or risk to offspring, but (2) this plasticity incurs fitness-related costs. We experimentally increased the perceived risk of nest predation by enlarging the diameter of the nestbox entrance from the standard 3.2 to 5.0 cm once incubation began. Unexpectedly, large-hole females spent significantly less time being vigilant than small-hole (control) females during late incubation. Both males and females also exhibited plasticity in their provisioning behavior. Large-hole males increased and large-hole females decreased provisioning visits with increasing brood size, whereas small-hole males and females behaved similarly and were unaffected by brood size. Females did not show plasticity in their incubation or brooding behavior. Notwithstanding this behavioral plasticity in response to increased perceived predation risk, treatment had no effect on hatching success or early hatchling survival, nor did it affect nestling body condition or fledging success. We conclude, therefore, that house wrens show behavioral plasticity in response to perceived nest-predation risk, but that any short-term fitness-related costs associated with this flexibility appear negligible.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the 2014 and 2015 Wren Crews for field support, and the ParkLands Foundation (Merwin Nature Preserve) for use of their property. We also thank E. Keith Bowers for statistical and graphics help, Victoria Borowicz and Angelo Capparella for advice on the study design, and Jim Dunham for assistance with nestbox construction. Research activities were performed in accordance with the Illinois State University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (Protocol 04-2013) and United States Geological Survey banding permit 09211. This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (Grant R15HD076308-01) to S.K.S. and C.F.T., the Beta Lambda Chapter of the Phi Sigma Biological Honor Society to E.E.D., and Illinois State University (Faculty Research Award to S.K.S.).

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  1. Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, 61790-4120, USA

    Erin E. Dorset, Scott K. Sakaluk & Charles F. Thompson

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  1. Erin E. Dorset
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Correspondence to Charles F. Thompson.

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All research activities complied with current laws of the United States of America, and were performed in accordance with Illinois State University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee permit 04-2013 and U. S. Geological Survey banding permit 09211.

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Dorset, E.E., Sakaluk, S.K. & Thompson, C.F. Behavioral Plasticity in Response to Perceived Predation Risk in Breeding House Wrens. Evol Biol 44, 227–239 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11692-016-9402-7

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