Great spotted cuckoo disregard information on conspecific breeding success while parasitizing magpie

The study of mechanisms underlying host selection by brood parasites usually lays on selection by parasites of host traits that inform on host parental abilities or location. However, brood parasites might use information extracted from past reproductive performance of either their hosts or themselves, a possibility almost neglected. In this study, we use a long-term data set to analyse whether the probability of parasitism by great spotted cuckoos (Clamator glandarius) of a magpie (Pica pica) nest in a given year is related with the reproductive outcome of any of the two species in the surroundings of that nest the previous year. We found that probability of parasitism for a nest in a year was explained by previous year cuckoo reproductive outcome and parasitism rate in the area surrounding the focal nest, but not by host reproductive outcome. To discern between the effect of parasitism rate and that of parasite reproductive success on parasite choices we carried out an experiment modi...对巢寄生生物（brood parasite）宿主选择机制的研究，通常聚焦于寄生生物对可反映宿主育幼能力或栖息位点的宿主性状的选择。然而，巢寄生生物可能会利用从宿主或自身既往繁殖表现中提取的信息，这一可能性却几乎被忽视。本研究采用长期数据集，分析特定年份内喜鹊（Pica pica）巢被大斑杜鹃（Clamator glandarius）寄生的概率，是否与该巢周边区域内两种物种前一年的繁殖结果存在关联。研究发现，某巢穴在某一年的寄生概率，可由前一年该区域杜鹃的繁殖表现以及焦点巢穴周边的寄生率予以解释，而非宿主的繁殖结果。为厘清寄生率与寄生生物繁殖成功率对寄生选择的影响差异，我们开展了一项实验，相关实验内容未完整呈现。