Variation in nest characteristics and brooding patterns of female Black-throated Blue Warblers is associated with thermal cues

Thermal variation poses a problem for nesting birds and can result in reduced offspring growth rates and survival. To increase the thermal stability of the nest, females can adjust nest characteristics and nest attendance in response to changes in environmental conditions. However, it is unclear how and to what extent females modify parental behaviors during various stages of offspring development. We tested the hypothesis that females adjust nest characteristics and brooding patterns in response to thermal variation during the nest-building and nestling stages, respectively. We examined elevational variation in nest location, nest construction, and brooding patterns in the migratory Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens) across a 28C gradient at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, USA. Density of woody stems at nest sites and nest wall thickness increased from low to high elevation, corresponding to decreasing temperatures, but we found no relationship b...

温度波动对筑巢鸟类具有不利影响，可导致雏鸟生长速率下降及存活率降低。为提升鸟巢的热稳定性，雌性亲鸟可根据环境条件变化调整鸟巢结构特征与巢值守行为。然而目前尚不清楚，在后代发育的不同阶段，雌性亲鸟会如何调整育雏行为以及调整的幅度大小。我们验证了如下假说：雌性亲鸟会分别在筑巢阶段与雏鸟育雏阶段，响应温度波动调整鸟巢结构特征与育雏模式。本研究以迁徙性鸟类黑喉蓝林莺（Setophaga caerulescens）为研究对象，在美国新罕布什尔州哈伯德布鲁克实验林场内的28℃温度梯度区间中，考察了其巢位选择、筑巢行为与育雏模式随海拔的变化规律。巢址处的木本茎秆密度与鸟巢壁厚均随海拔升高（对应气温降低）而增加，但我们未发现二者与[原文截断]的关联。