Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 2 abstract The single most important environmental variable correlating with annual survival of both juvenile and adult Great Tits Parus major is the beech crop index (BCI). This index is a measure for the amount of seeds of beeches present in the winter, and correlates with crop size of […]
Tag: all of Parus
Breeding patterns of great tits ( Parus major ) in pine forests along the Portuguese west coast
Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 12 abstract The breeding biology of great tits (Parus major) was studied in two forests of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) on the west coast of Portugal, 200 km apart: Leiria (north) and Apostica (south). These two forests are located in a transition zone between Atlantic climate in the north, […]
Daily energy expenditure during brood rearing of Great Tits Parus major in northern
Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 22 abstract We present data on the natural variation in daily energy expenditure (DEE, measured by the doubly labelled water technique) of individual female Great Tits Parus major tending their brood near the northern border of the species’ distribution. We expected that longer foraging days would result in a […]
The abundance of essential vitamins in food chains and its impacton avian reproduction
Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 8 abstract Birds produce fewer or less viable eggs if the micro-nutrient requirements for reproduction cannot be met. Forexample, embryos from failed eggs of European sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus often show anomalies that indicate vitamin B2deficiency. B2 is only produced by plants and is propagated through the food chain. Here, […]
Paternal leakage of mitochondrial DNA in the great tit
Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 25 abstract The animal mitochondrial DNA is normally inherited clonally from mother to all her offspring. Mitochondrial heteroplasmy, the occurrence of more than one mitochondrial haplotype within an individual can be generated by relatively common somatic mutations within an individual, by heteroplasmy of the oocytes or by paternal leakage […]
Manipulation of laying effort reveals habitat-specific variation in egg production constraints in Great Tits ( Parus major )
Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 13 abstract It has been suggested that a bird’s clutch size is not limited by the amount of resources available at the time of laying but that differences in the availability of food for nestlings is the ultimate underlying factor determining spatio-temporal variations in clutch size. However, habitat-related variations […]
Breeding dispersal of Great Tits Parus major in a homogeneous habitat: effects of sex, age, and mating status.
Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 1 abstract We studied patterns of breeding dispersal of adult Great Tits Parus major in a homogeneous habitat (extensive orange plantations) in eastern Spain. Data included 482 movements of known individuals gathered during 11 years. Most birds (67%) did not change territory between seasons. Dispersal propensity was independent of […]
The effects of trapping on the perception, and trade-off, of risks in the Great Tit Parus major
Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 24 abstract Great Tits Parus major and other small birds at temperate latitudes insure against overnight starvation in winter by building up a fat reserve each day, which is then depleted over night. Because this may increase their risk of predation, the levels of fat reserves carried appear to […]
The quality of pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) and great tit (Parus major) females in an air pollution gradient
Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 5 abstract We studied whether pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) and great tit (Parus major) females differed in quality between polluted and unpolluted habitats. Comparing female condition between incubation and nestling periods, we aimed at testing whether biometric differences in F. hypoleuca females were caused by assortative settlement (i.e. intraspecific […]
Effects of local environmental conditions on nestling growth in the Great Tit Parus major
Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 15 abstract Daily weight increments of nestling Great Tits are expressed as ratios of observed increment divided by the increment expected under favourable conditions. We used this ratio to examine the effects of local environmental conditions on nestling growth. We demonstrate a positive relationship between nestling growth and food […]