RT Journal Article
T1 Nest light environment and potential risk of cuckoo parasitism.
A1 Muñoz-Gallego, Antonio Román
A1 Altamirano-Jeschke, María
A1 Takasu, Fugo
A1 Nakamura, Hiroshi
K1 Cucos - Parásitos
K1 Aves - Nidos
K1 Parasiticidas
AB Brood parasitism represents a significant cost in reproduction; thus, natural selection should favor the evolution of host defenses, which in turn may favor evolution of more sophisticated techniques by the parasite to overcome host defenses. These host defenses include egg rejection, attacking parasites near the nest, and avoiding parasitism by concealing nest sites. In all these antiparasitism strategies, nest light environment may play an important role. In the present study, the risk of Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) parasitism for the Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) was modeled in relation to the in situ nest light environment, from far ultraviolet (UV) to infrared (IR) radiation (280–1,100 nm), and nest situation and structure. The percentage of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) plus IR radiation (400–1,100 nm) falling on the nest, maximum nest width, and distance between the nest and the nearest active conspecific neighbor were significantly related to the risk of parasitism. Photosynthetically active radiation alone explained 65% of variation in parasitism risk in the final model. Although solar radiation levels in nests were low (<4% for UV-B and UV-A radiation, 5% for PAR, and 22% for PAR plus IR radiation when cloudless), UV-B, UV-A, and visible-plus-IR radiation levels were significantly lower in nonparasitized nests. These findings provide the first evidence of a relationship between parasitism risk and nest concealment related to microhabitat light environment, with brighter nests suffering a higher risk of parasitism.
YR 2007
FD 2007-04-01
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/30047
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/30047
LA eng
NO A. Román Muñoz, Maria Altamirano, Fugo Takasu, Hiroshi Nakamura, Nest Light Environment and the Potential Risk of Common Cuckoo (Cuculus Canorus) Parasitism, The Auk, Volume 124, Issue 2, 1 April 2007, Pages 619–627
NO A.R.M.'s research was financed by a grant (ICB2-CT-2002-80007) from the European Commission Research Directorate. M.A. was supported by a Málaga University International Research Collaboration grant. The study was partly supported by a bilateral project of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the University of Debrecen. We are very grateful to Z. Barta, E. Røskaft, C. Moskát, and R. Real for their valuable comments and suggestions on the manuscript. We also would like to acknowledge J. V. Briskie for his interest and dedication in deeply improving the final version of the manuscript. We will always thank and remember the Mizuma family for their warm hospitality in the Nobeyama Highlands, and S. Imanishi for his competent and enthusiastic field advice and assistance.
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 4 mar 2026