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Adaptive Site Selection Rules and Variation in Group Size of Barn Swallows: Individual Decisions Predict Population Patterns
Variation in group size is ubiquitous among socially breeding organisms. An alternative to the traditional examination of average reproductive success in groups of different sizes is to examine individual decision making by determining the cues used for site selection. Once factors used for decision...
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Published in: | The American naturalist 2004-08, Vol.164 (2), p.121-131 |
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container_title | The American naturalist |
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description | Variation in group size is ubiquitous among socially breeding organisms. An alternative to the traditional examination of average reproductive success in groups of different sizes is to examine individual decision making by determining the cues used for site selection. Once factors used for decision making are known, one can determine whether group‐level patterns, such as group size variation, are emergent properties of individual‐level decision rules. The advantage of this alternative approach is that it can explain the distribution of group sizes rather than just the occurrence of optimal group sizes. Using barn swallows, I tested, but did not support, the hypothesis that individuals settle at sites based on the previous success of conspecifics (i.e., performance‐based conspecific attraction). Instead, I demonstrate that an adaptive site selection decision rule—to breed where it is possible to reuse previously constructed nests—predicts 83% of the variation in the number of breeding pairs at a site. Furthermore, experimental nest removals demonstrated that settlement decisions are also strongly influenced by site familiarity. I discuss the interaction of the cue‐based site selection rule with the occurrence of site fidelity and how, more generally, a consideration of individual‐level decision rules can improve our understanding of variation in many social behaviors. |
doi_str_mv | 10.1086/422198 |
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An alternative to the traditional examination of average reproductive success in groups of different sizes is to examine individual decision making by determining the cues used for site selection. Once factors used for decision making are known, one can determine whether group‐level patterns, such as group size variation, are emergent properties of individual‐level decision rules. The advantage of this alternative approach is that it can explain the distribution of group sizes rather than just the occurrence of optimal group sizes. Using barn swallows, I tested, but did not support, the hypothesis that individuals settle at sites based on the previous success of conspecifics (i.e., performance‐based conspecific attraction). Instead, I demonstrate that an adaptive site selection decision rule—to breed where it is possible to reuse previously constructed nests—predicts 83% of the variation in the number of breeding pairs at a site. 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An alternative to the traditional examination of average reproductive success in groups of different sizes is to examine individual decision making by determining the cues used for site selection. Once factors used for decision making are known, one can determine whether group‐level patterns, such as group size variation, are emergent properties of individual‐level decision rules. The advantage of this alternative approach is that it can explain the distribution of group sizes rather than just the occurrence of optimal group sizes. Using barn swallows, I tested, but did not support, the hypothesis that individuals settle at sites based on the previous success of conspecifics (i.e., performance‐based conspecific attraction). Instead, I demonstrate that an adaptive site selection decision rule—to breed where it is possible to reuse previously constructed nests—predicts 83% of the variation in the number of breeding pairs at a site. 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I discuss the interaction of the cue‐based site selection rule with the occurrence of site fidelity and how, more generally, a consideration of individual‐level decision rules can improve our understanding of variation in many social behaviors.</description><subject>Animal nesting</subject><subject>Animal populations</subject><subject>Animal reproduction</subject><subject>Animals</subject><subject>Barns</subject><subject>Biological variation</subject><subject>Bird nesting</subject><subject>Birds</subject><subject>Breeding</subject><subject>Breeding seasons</subject><subject>Breeding sites</subject><subject>Cues</subject><subject>Decision Making</subject><subject>Ecology</subject><subject>Female animals</subject><subject>Group size</subject><subject>Hirundo rustica</subject><subject>Nesting Behavior</subject><subject>Population Density</subject><subject>Population Dynamics</subject><subject>Reproduction</subject><subject>Reproductive success</subject><subject>Swallows</subject><subject>Swallows - 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physiology</topic><topic>Variance analysis</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Jo Safran, Rebecca</creatorcontrib><collection>Medline</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE (Ovid)</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>PubMed</collection><collection>CrossRef</collection><collection>Animal Behavior Abstracts</collection><collection>Ecology Abstracts</collection><collection>Entomology Abstracts (Full archive)</collection><collection>Environment Abstracts</collection><collection>Technology Research Database</collection><collection>Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management</collection><collection>Engineering Research Database</collection><collection>Biotechnology and BioEngineering Abstracts</collection><collection>Genetics Abstracts</collection><collection>Environment Abstracts</collection><collection>MEDLINE - Academic</collection><jtitle>The American naturalist</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Jo Safran, Rebecca</au><au>Peter Nonacs</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Adaptive Site Selection Rules and Variation in Group Size of Barn Swallows: Individual Decisions Predict Population Patterns</atitle><jtitle>The American naturalist</jtitle><addtitle>Am Nat</addtitle><date>2004-08</date><risdate>2004</risdate><volume>164</volume><issue>2</issue><spage>121</spage><epage>131</epage><pages>121-131</pages><issn>0003-0147</issn><eissn>1537-5323</eissn><coden>AMNTA4</coden><abstract>Variation in group size is ubiquitous among socially breeding organisms. An alternative to the traditional examination of average reproductive success in groups of different sizes is to examine individual decision making by determining the cues used for site selection. Once factors used for decision making are known, one can determine whether group‐level patterns, such as group size variation, are emergent properties of individual‐level decision rules. The advantage of this alternative approach is that it can explain the distribution of group sizes rather than just the occurrence of optimal group sizes. Using barn swallows, I tested, but did not support, the hypothesis that individuals settle at sites based on the previous success of conspecifics (i.e., performance‐based conspecific attraction). Instead, I demonstrate that an adaptive site selection decision rule—to breed where it is possible to reuse previously constructed nests—predicts 83% of the variation in the number of breeding pairs at a site. 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subjects | Animal nesting Animal populations Animal reproduction Animals Barns Biological variation Bird nesting Birds Breeding Breeding seasons Breeding sites Cues Decision Making Ecology Female animals Group size Hirundo rustica Nesting Behavior Population Density Population Dynamics Reproduction Reproductive success Swallows Swallows - physiology Variance analysis |
title | Adaptive Site Selection Rules and Variation in Group Size of Barn Swallows: Individual Decisions Predict Population Patterns |
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