Dataset Information

Variation in avian egg shape and nest structure is explained by climatic conditions.

ABSTRACT: Why are avian eggs ovoid, while the eggs of most other vertebrates are symmetrical? The interaction between an egg and its environment likely drives selection that will shape eggs across evolutionary time. For example, eggs incubated in hot, arid regions face acute exposure to harsh climatic conditions relative to those in temperate zones, and this exposure will differ across nest types, with eggs in open nests being more exposed to direct solar radiation than those in enclosed nests. We examined the idea that the geographical distribution of both egg shapes and nest types should reflect selective pressures of key environmental parameters, such as ambient temperature and the drying capacity of air. We took a comparative approach, using 310 passerine species from Australia, many of which are found in some of the most extreme climates on earth. We found that, across the continent, egg elongation decreases and the proportion of species with domed nests with roofs increases in hotter and drier areas with sparse plant canopies. Eggs are most spherical in open nests in the hottest environments, and most elongate in domed nests in wetter, shadier environments. Our findings suggest that climatic conditions played a key role in the evolution of passerine egg shape.

SUBMITTER: Englert Duursma D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5841347 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Variation in avian egg shape and nest structure is explained by climatic conditions.

Englert Duursma Daisy D Gallagher Rachael V RV Price J Jordan JJ Griffith Simon C SC

Scientific reports 20180307 1

Why are avian eggs ovoid, while the eggs of most other vertebrates are symmetrical? The interaction between an egg and its environment likely drives selection that will shape eggs across evolutionary time. For example, eggs incubated in hot, arid regions face acute exposure to harsh climatic conditions relative to those in temperate zones, and this exposure will differ across nest types, with eggs in open nests being more exposed to direct solar radiation than those in enclosed nests. We examine ...[more]

PMID: 29515147

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Project description:In the age of machine learning, building programs that take advantage of the speed and specificity of algorithm development can greatly aid efforts to quantify and interpret changes in animal behavior in response to abiotic environmental factors, like temperature. For both endotherms and ectotherms, temperature can affect everything from daily energy budgets to nesting behaviors. For instance, in birds environmental temperature plays a key role in shaping parental incubation behavior and temperatures experienced by embryos. Recent research indicates that temperatures experienced by embryos affect viability and are important in shaping fitness-related traits in young birds, sparking renewed interest in relationships among environmental factors, parental incubation behavior, and incubation temperature. Incubation behavior of birds can be monitored non-invasively by placing thermal probes into the nest and analyzing temperature fluctuations that occur as parents attend and leave the nest (on- and off-bouts, respectively). When other measures of temperature (e.g., ambient air or operative temperature) are collected simultaneously with incubation temperature it is possible to compare shifts in behavior with environmental changes. To improve analysis of incubation behavior using these large thermal data sets we developed a program, NestIQ, that uses machine learning to guide parameter optimization allowing it to track the behavior of diverse species. NestIQ's algorithm was tested using six species incubating in lab or field scenarios, that exhibit unique incubation patterns. This stand-alone and open source software is operated through a graphical user interface (i.e., no user programming is required) that provides important behavioral and thermal output statistics. Further, measures of environmental temperature can be imported alongside nest temperature into the program, which then reports various attributes of environmental temperature during shifts in parental behavior. This program will improve the ability of avian ecologists to interpret a critical parental care behavior that can be used across diverse incubation scenarios and species. Although specifically designed for quantifying avian incubation, NestIQ has the potential for broader applications, including basking and nesting behaviors of non-avian reptiles in relation to ambient temperature.

Dataset Information

Variation in avian egg shape and nest structure is explained by climatic conditions.

Publications

Variation in avian egg shape and nest structure is explained by climatic conditions.

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