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SEPG 2122 - Date Awarded 2003

How does food availability affect vulnerability to nest predation? 

Anne Duncan Rastogi*, Liana Zanette, Michael Clinchy

Abstract

Food and predators are two of the most important limiting factors influencing avian reproductive success.  While food is generally thought to affect fecundity and predators nest predation, recent studies on birds have shown positive effects of food availability on nest predation rates.  How food availability affects nest predation is unknown but most hypotheses propose that it is related to changes in adult and/or nestling behaviours such as nest guarding or begging.  An untested assumption of these hypotheses is that predation is diurnal.  This study explores the effect of food supplementation on the timing of nest predation events.  We found that song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) given extra food suffered significantly less diurnal nest predation relative to unfed birds.  Our results support the proposed hypotheses that food availability may cause changes in adult and/or nestling behaviour, which reduces vulnerability to diurnal nest predators.

Full report: SEPG2122

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