Random choice or targeted selection: Do cuckoo eggs match the appearance of host clutches?

0389889 - ÚBO 2013 CZ eng A - Abstrakt
Honza, Marcel - Šulc, Michal - Jelínek, Václav - Požgayová, Milica - Procházka, Petr
Random choice or targeted selection: Do cuckoo eggs match the appearance of host clutches?
Zoologické dny Brno 2013: sborník abstraktů z konference 7.-8. února 2013. Brno: Ústav biologie obratlovců AV ČR, 2013 - (Bryja, J.; Řehák, Z.; Zukal, J.). s. 83. ISBN 978-80-87189-14-6.
[Zoologické dny. 07.02.2013-08.02.2013, Brno]
Institucionální podpora: RVO:68081766
Klíčová slova: common cuckoo * brood parasitism
Kód oboru RIV: EG - Zoologie

Interspecific brood parasitism in birds represents a prime example of the coevolutionary arms race where each party has evolved strategies in response to the other. Previous studies convincingly showed that brood parasites increase their fitness through egg mimicry. Here we investigated whether the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) actively selects nests within a host population to match the egg appearance of a particular host clutch. To achieve this goal we quantified the degree of egg matching using the avian vision modelling approach. Randomization tests revealed that cuckoo eggs in naturally parasitized nests showed lower chromatic contrast to host eggs than cuckoo eggs assigned randomly to other nests with the timing of egg laying similar to naturally parasitized clutches. Moreover, egg matching in terms of chromaticity was better in naturally parasitized nests than it would be in the nests of the nearest active unparasitized neighbour. However, there was no indication of matching in achromatic contrast whatsoever. Thus, our results clearly indicate that cuckoos select certain host nests to increase matching of their own eggs with host clutches only in chromatic contrast. The ability of cuckoos to actively choose host nests based on the eggshell appearance represents a strong selective agent operating on host egg recognition.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0218827