2 results match your criteria: "University of Lincoln Riseholme[Affiliation]"
The design and function of birds' nests.
Ecol Evol
October 2014
School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln Riseholme, Park, Lincoln, LN2 2LG, U.K.
Article Synopsis
- Bird nests serve multiple purposes, including laying eggs, raising offspring, and attracting mates, highlighting the role of both natural and sexual selection in their design.
- Research indicates that nests are not only built for protection against predators but also adapt to environmental conditions, minimizing the impact of parasites and providing a suitable climate for developing young.
- The complexity and multifunctionality of bird nests suggest they significantly influence the reproductive success and overall fitness of the bird species that build them.
Adaptive latitudinal variation in Common Blackbird Turdus merula nest characteristics.
Ecol Evol
March 2014
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK.
Nest construction is taxonomically widespread, yet our understanding of adaptive intraspecific variation in nest design remains poor. Nest characteristics are expected to vary adaptively in response to predictable variation in spring temperatures over large spatial scales, yet such variation in nest design remains largely overlooked, particularly amongst open-cup-nesting birds. Here, we systematically examined the effects of latitudinal variation in spring temperatures and precipitation on the morphology, volume, composition, and insulatory properties of open-cup-nesting Common Blackbirds' Turdus merula nests to test the hypothesis that birds living in cooler environments at more northerly latitudes would build better insulated nests than conspecifics living in warmer environments at more southerly latitudes.
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