Common Loons Respond Adaptively to a Black Fly That Reduces Nesting Success Walter H
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Chapman University Chapman University Digital Commons Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Science and Technology Faculty Articles and Faculty Articles and Research Research 6-20-2018 Common Loons Respond Adaptively to a Black Fly that Reduces Nesting Success Walter H. Piper Chapman University, [email protected] Keren B. Tischler Northland College Andrew Reinke University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/sees_articles Part of the Entomology Commons, Ornithology Commons, Other Animal Sciences Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Piper, W. H., K. B. Tischler, and A. Reinke (2018). Common Loons respond adaptively to a black fly that reduces nesting success. The Auk: Ornithological Advances 135:788–797. DOI: 10.1642/AUK-17-239.1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Science and Technology Faculty Articles and Research at Chapman University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research by an authorized administrator of Chapman University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Common Loons Respond Adaptively to a Black Fly that Reduces Nesting Success Comments This article was originally published in The Auk: Ornithological Advances, volume 135, in 2018. DOI: 10.1642/ AUK-17-239.1 Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. Copyright American Ornithological Society This article is available at Chapman University Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/sees_articles/202 Volume 135, 2018, pp. 788–797 DOI: 10.1642/AUK-17-239.1 RESEARCH ARTICLE Common Loons respond adaptively to a black fly that reduces nesting success Walter H. Piper,1* Keren B. Tischler,2 and Andrew Reinke3 1 Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California, USA 2 Biology Program, Northland College, Ashland, Wisconsin, USA 3 Department of Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, USA * Corresponding author: [email protected] Submitted December 13, 2017; Accepted April 5, 2018; Published June 20, 2018 ABSTRACT Nesting birds must often cope with harassment from biting insects, but it is difficult to ascertain what effect such pests might have on breeding success and population dynamics. We tested the hypothesis that a black fly (Simulium annulus) that feeds on the blood of nesting Common Loons (Gavia immer) causes nest abandonment in this charismatic diving bird. In addition, we measured effects of fly-induced abandonment on a loon population, and examined potential predictors of fly abundance and nest abandonment. We also tested a second hypothesis, which holds that loon pairs that abandon a nest owing to flies should often remain at the site for their subsequent nesting attempt, since fly outbreaks last only 1–2 weeks. All predictions of the fly-induced abandonment hypothesis were supported, including strong correlations between fly counts and rate of abandonment, reduced incubation during severe fly years, and increased abandonment during cool springs, which promote longevity of the flies. The correlation between nest abandonment and population breeding success suggests that S. annulus reduced the chick fledging rate by as much as 23% in a year of severe infestation. Fly numbers on loons and their nests were highest when temperatures were high and winds were light. Surprisingly, however, exposure to the prevailing wind increased, not decreased, nest abandonment, perhaps because of wave action. Lake size was inversely and female age directly correlated with abandonment rate, possibly due to food limitation in small lakes and senescence of females, respectively. Finally, pairs that abandoned a first nest renested at the same site with much greater frequency than did pairs that lost eggs to a predator, indicating that loons are capable of responding adaptively to a cause of nest failure that is time- but not space-dependent. Keywords: abandonment, black fly, Gavia immer, loon, nest, senescence, Simuliidae, Simulium annulus, win-stay lose-switch Los individuos de Gavia immer responden de manera adaptativa a una mosca negra que reduce el exito´ reproductivo RESUMEN Las aves que se encuentran anidando deben frecuentemente hacer frente al acoso de los insectos picadores, pero es dif´ıcil determinar que´ efectos podr´ıan tener estas pestes en el exito´ reproductivo y las dina´micas poblacionales. Evaluamos la hipotesis´ de que una mosca negra (Simulium annulus) que se alimenta de la sangre de los individuos anidando de Gavia immer causa el abandono del nido de esta ave buceadora carisma´tica. Adicionalmente, medimos los efectos del abandono inducido por la mosca en una poblacion´ de G. immer y examinamos los potenciales factores que predicen la abundancia de la mosca y el abandono del nido. Tambien´ evaluamos una segunda hipotesis,´ que establece que las parejas de G. immer que abandonan un nido debido a las moscas deber´ıan usualmente permanecer en el sitio para un intento de anidacion´ subsecuente, ya que las epidemias de moscas duran solo una a dos semanas. Todas las predicciones de la hipotesis´ de abandono inducido por las moscas fueron apoyadas, incluyendo fuertes correlaciones entre conteos de moscas y tasa de abandono, reduccion´ de la incubacion´ durante anos˜ de gran cantidad de moscas y aumento del abandono durante primaveras fr´ıas, lo que promueve la longevidad de las moscas. La correlacion´ entre el abandono del nido y el exito´ reproductivo poblacional sugiere que S. annulus reduce la tasa de emplumamiento del polluelo hasta un 23% en un ano˜ de infestacion´ severa. El numero´ de moscas sobre individuos de G. immer y sus nidos fueron ma´s altos cuando las temperaturas fueron altas y los vientos fueron suaves. Sorprendentemente, sin embargo, la exposicion´ al viento predominante aumento,´ en lugar de disminuir, el abandono del nido, debido quiza´s a la accion´ de las olas. El tamano˜ del lago estuvo inversamente correlacionado y la edad de la hembra estuvo directamente correlacionada con la tasa de abandono, posiblemente debido a la limitacion´ de alimentos en los lagos pequenos˜ y a la senescencia de las hembras, respectivamente. Finalmente, las parejas que Q 2018 American Ornithological Society. ISSN 0004-8038, electronic ISSN 1938-4254 Direct all requests to reproduce journal content to the AOS Publications Office at [email protected] W. H. Piper, K. B. Tischler, and A. Reinke Loon nest abandonment in response to black flies 789 abandonaron un primer nido volvieron a anidar en el mismo sitio con una frecuencia mucho mayor que la de las parejas que perdieron huevos por depredacion,´ indicando que los individuos de G. immer son capaces de responder de modo adaptativo a una causa de fracaso del nido que es dependiente del tiempo, pero no del espacio. Palabras clave: abandono, ganar-quedarse, Gavia immer, mosca negra, nido, perder-cambiar, senescencia, Simuliidae, Simulium annulus INTRODUCTION A fundamental goal of our study was to use a longitudinal approach to determine if nest abandonment Black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) are hematophagous by loons is associated with harassment by S. annulus (blood-ingesting) insects that comprise over 2,000 species (McIntyre 1988, Adler et al. 2004). We tested 4 predictions worldwide (Adler and Crosskey 2015). Many species of the ‘‘fly-induced abandonment’’ hypothesis. First and depend upon the blood of birds for reproduction (Adler most obviously, the hypothesis predicted that the rate of et al. 2004). Simuliids transmit a variety of nematodes, nest abandonment should be high in years and at times viruses, and especially protozoans, including Leucocyto- when black flies were abundant. Second, loons with active zoon simondi and L. smithi, which cause a malaria-like nests should spend less time incubating their eggs, because disease in waterfowl and turkeys (Adler et al. 2004). of the biting flies (Adler et al. 2004). Third, years of high Owing to their occasional massive outbreaks and abandonment should co-occur with singleton chicks, tendency to feed on humans and domestic animals, black because fly-related disruption of incubation should often flies have caused negative economic impacts on forestry, result in the hatching of only one of two eggs. Finally, tourism, and agriculture (Adler and McCreadie 1997). unseasonably cool spring weather, which prolongs lives of Attacks of black flies have been shown to compromise the female black flies (Davies 1953), should lead to a high rate breeding efforts of avian breeding pairs through their of nest abandonment by loons. attacks on adults (Urbanek et al. 2010, Solheim et al. Use of longitudinal data permitted us to assess further 2013) and young (Hunter et al. 1997, Smith et al. 1998, the impact and possible causes of nest abandonment. Franke et al. 2016). However, no study has yet demon- Indeed, a second major goal of the study was to measure strated an impact of black flies on a natural avian influences that black flies might have on loon population population (Adler et al. 2004). dynamics. In addition, study of nest abandonment across We conducted a longitudinal investigation of black fly 24 years within a marked study population of loons made it impacts on a breeding population of Common Loons possible to examine a variety of biotic (e.g., age, duration of (Gavia immer) that has been under continuous study since pair bond) and abiotic (e.g., wind exposure) factors as 1993. Loons are monogamous territorial breeders (Piper et potential predictors of nest abandonment. al. 1997) that maintain strong fidelity to their freshwater A final goal of the study was to test loons’ behavioral breeding lakes until evicted from them by conspecifics response to nest abandonment. Like many animals, loons (Piper et al. 2000, 2015). The species is well-loved by use the ‘‘win–stay, lose–switch’’ rule (Greenwood and residents and vacationers across northern North America Harvey 1982, Switzer 1993) in nest site selection.