An interspecific foraging association with polar bears increases foraging opportunities for avian predators in a declining Arctic seabird colony.

Interspecific foraging associations (IFAs) are biological interactions where two or more species forage in association with each other. Climate-induced reductions in Arctic sea ice have increased polar bear () foraging in seabird colonies, which creates foraging opportunities for avian predators. We used drone video of bears foraging within a common eider () colony on East Bay Island (Nunavut, Canada) in 2017 to investigate herring gull () foraging in association with bears.

Social status modulates the behavioral and physiological consequences of a chemical pollutant in animal groups.

The social environment (i.e., the suite of social interactions that occur among individuals that can result in variation in social ranks) is a commonly overlooked aspect of biology when scientists evaluate the effects of chemical contaminants.

Polar bears are inefficient predators of seabird eggs.

Climate-mediated sea-ice loss is disrupting the foraging ecology of polar bears () across much of their range. As a result, there have been increased reports of polar bears foraging on seabird eggs across parts of their range. Given that polar bears have evolved to hunt seals on ice, they may not be efficient predators of seabird eggs.

The consequences of null model selection for predicting mortality from multiple stressors.

Many ecological systems are now exposed to multiple stressors, and ecosystem management increasingly requires consideration of the joint effects of multiple stressors on focal populations, communities and ecosystems. In the absence of empirical data, ecosystem managers could use null models based on the combination of independently acting stressors to estimate the joint effects of multiple stressors. Here, we used a simulation study and a meta-analysis to explore the consequences of null model selection for the prediction of mortality resulting from exposure to two stressors.

A review and meta-analysis of collaborative research prioritization studies in ecology, biodiversity conservation and environmental science.

Collaborative research prioritization (CRP) studies have become increasingly popular during the last decade. By bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, and using a democratic process to create a list of research priorities, these methods purport to identify research topics that will better meet the needs of science users. Here, we review 41 CRP studies in the fields of ecology, biodiversity conservation and environmental science that collectively identify 2031 research priorities.

Evolutionary drivers of seasonal plumage colours: colour change by moult correlates with sexual selection, predation risk and seasonality across passerines.

Some birds undergo seasonal colour change by moulting twice each year, typically alternating between a cryptic, non-breeding plumage and a conspicuous, breeding plumage ('seasonal plumage colours'). We test for potential drivers of the evolution of seasonal plumage colours in all passerines (N = 5901 species, c. 60% of all birds).

Author Correction: Direct benefits and evolutionary transitions to complex societies.

In the version of this Article originally published, references were missing from the column "Source(s) for mating and parental care system data" in Supplementary Table 1. The following references have now been added to the relevant species: Brichard 1989 has been added to Chalinochromis popelini, Chalinochromis brichardi and Julidochromis dickfeldi; Clabaut et al. 2007 to Altolamprologus calvus and Julidochromis regani; Konings 1998 to Neolamprologus hecqui; and Kuwamura 1997 to Chalinochromis popelini.

Direct benefits and evolutionary transitions to complex societies.

The selective forces that drive the evolution of cooperation have been intensely debated. Evolutionary transitions to cooperative breeding, a complex form of cooperation, have been hypothesized to be linked to low degrees of promiscuity, which increases intragroup relatedness and the indirect (that is, kin selected) benefits of helping. However, ecological factors also promote cooperative breeding, and may be more important than relatedness in some contexts.

Direct benefits and evolutionary transitions to complex societies.

The selective forces that drive the evolution of cooperation have been intensely debated. Evolutionary transitions to cooperative breeding, a complex form of cooperation, have been hypothesized to be linked to low degrees of promiscuity, which increases intragroup relatedness and the indirect (that is, kin selected) benefits of helping. However, ecological factors also promote cooperative breeding, and may be more important than relatedness in some contexts.

Effectiveness of baseline corticosterone as a monitoring tool for fitness: a meta-analysis in seabirds.

Many ecosystems have experienced anthropogenically induced changes in biodiversity, yet predicting these patterns has been difficult. Recently, individual behavioural and physiological measures have been proposed as more rapid links between environmental variation and fitness compared to demographics. Glucocorticoid hormones have received much attention given that they mediate energetic demands, metabolism, and foraging behaviour.

Increasing nest predation will be insufficient to maintain polar bear body condition in the face of sea ice loss.

Climate change can influence interspecific interactions by differentially affecting species-specific phenology. In seasonal ice environments, there is evidence that polar bear predation of Arctic bird eggs is increasing because of earlier sea ice breakup, which forces polar bears into nearshore terrestrial environments where Arctic birds are nesting. Because polar bears can consume a large number of nests before becoming satiated, and because they can swim between island colonies, they could have dramatic influences on seabird and sea duck reproductive success.

The effects of life history and sexual selection on male and female plumage colouration.

Classical sexual selection theory provides a well-supported conceptual framework for understanding the evolution and signalling function of male ornaments. It predicts that males obtain greater fitness benefits than females through multiple mating because sperm are cheaper to produce than eggs. Sexual selection should therefore lead to the evolution of male-biased secondary sexual characters.

Manipulating the appearance of a badge of status causes changes in true badge expression.

Signals of dominance and fighting ability (i.e. status signals) are found in a wide range of taxa and are used to settle disputes between competitive rivals.

Behavioral and physiological responses of a wild teleost fish to cortisol and androgen manipulation during parental care.

Proximate mediators of reproductive behaviors in vertebrates have a long history of study. In fishes, relatively few studies have focused on hormonal control of parental care, despite a comprehensive background on the general physiology of fishes, and the frequent occurrence of parental care behaviors. Studies on this taxon have repeatedly found that the relationships between androgens and paternal care do not follow the predictions made in the avian and mammalian literature.