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The heterospecific habitat copying hypothesis: can competitors indicate habitat quality?

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  • Deseada Parejo
  • Etienne Danchin
  • Jesús M. Avilés

Abstract

According to the "habitat copying" hypothesis, animals use the reproductive performance of conspecifics to assess habitat suitability and choose their future breeding site. This is because conspecifics share ecological needs and thus indicate habitat suitability. Here, we propose the "heterospecific habitat copying" hypothesis, which states that animals should use public information (i.e., information derived from the performance of others) from con- and heterospecifics sharing ecological needs. In a correlational approach we test some assumptions and predictions of this hypothesis with a data set from two sympatric bird populations, rollers (Coracias garrulus) and kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), using the same nest-boxes and exploiting similar food resources. Since kestrels are residents and breed earlier, we assumed that they are dominant over rollers for nest-box acquisition. The environment appears to be patchy for both species and temporally predictable for kestrels only. Two results suggest that the use of heterospecific public information in breeding habitat selection may be at work: (1) an increase in the reoccupancy probability by kestrels of previous roller nests with increasing nest success, and (2) an increase in roller breeding population with increasing local kestrel success. Most of the other observed patterns could be explained by alternative mechanisms such as natal philopatry, breeding fidelity, conspecific attraction, intraspecific habitat copying, and the effect of interspecific competition. Copyright 2005.

Suggested Citation

  • Deseada Parejo & Etienne Danchin & Jesús M. Avilés, 2005. "The heterospecific habitat copying hypothesis: can competitors indicate habitat quality?," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 16(1), pages 96-105, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:oup:beheco:v:16:y:2005:i:1:p:96-105
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/arh136
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Reetta Hämäläinen & Panu Välimäki & Jukka T Forsman, 2023. "Size of an interspecific competitor may be a source of information in reproductive decisions," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 34(1), pages 33-41.
    2. Leanna N. DeJong & Samuel D. Cowell & Thuy Nhi N. Nguyen & Darren S. Proppe, 2015. "Attracting songbirds with conspecific playback: a community approach," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 26(5), pages 1379-1388.
    3. Tuomo Jaakkonen & Sami M. Kivelä & Christoph M. Meier & Jukka T. Forsman, 2015. "The use and relative importance of intraspecific and interspecific social information in a bird community," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 26(1), pages 55-64.

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