Some adaptations of marsh-nesting blackbirds / Gordon H. Orians.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Orians, Gordon H.

Series:

Monographs in population biology ; 14.

Monographs in population biology ; 14

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Blackbirds--Behavior.

Blackbirds.

Marsh ecology.

Adaptation (Biology).

Resource partitioning (Ecology).

Birds--Behavior.

Birds.

Physical Description:

xii, 295 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, 1980.

Summary:

The variety of social systems among the New World blackbirds (Family Icteridae) and the structural simplicity of their foraging environment provide excellent opportunities for testing theories about the adaptive significance of their behavior. Here Gordon Orians presents the results of his many years of research on how blackbirds utilize their marsh environments during the breeding season. These results stem from information he gathered on three species during ten breeding seasons in the Pacific Northwest, on Red-winged blackbirds during two breeding seasons in Costa Rica, and on three species during one breeding season in Argentina.

The author uses models derived from Darwin's theory of natural selection to predict the behavior and morphology of individuals as well as the statistical properties of their populations. First he tests models that predict habitat selection, foraging behavior, territoriality, and mate selection. Then he considers some population patterns, especially range of use of environmental resources and overlap among species, that may result from those individual attributes. Professor Orians concludes with an overview of the structure of bird communities in marshes of the world and the relation of these patterns to overall source availability in these simple but productive habitats.

Contents:

1. The Approach and the Subjects 3

1.1. The Players 3

1.2. The Theater 8

1.3. Materials and Methods 18

2. Marshes as Providers of Resources for Blackbirds 25

2.1. Quantity of Emergence 26

2.2. Temporal Pattern of Emergence 34

2.3. Abundance of Insects on the Uplands 42

3. The Adaptations: Selection of Habitats, Territories and Mates 48

3.1. Habitat Selection by Males 50

3.2. Habitat Selection by Females 53

3.3. Predictions and Tests about Habitat and Mate Selection 56

3.4. Sizes of Territories 73

3.5. The Cues Used by Blackbirds in Selecting Their Territories 80

4. The Adaptations: Foraging Behavior 90

4.1. Theory 91

4.2. Tests of Foraging Theory 102

4.3. Tests of CPF Theory 131

5. The Patterns: Variability in Use of Resources 141

5.1. Range of Lake Productivity Occupied 141

5.2. Range of Nest Sites Occupied 149

5.3. Breeding Seasons 153

5.4. Clutch Sizes 155

5.5. Variability in Foods and Foraging 159

6. The Patterns: Competition, Overlap and Community Structure 173

6.1. Short-Term Effects of Competition 174

6.2. Long-Term Effects of Competition 186

6.3. Competition and Size 189

7. Adaptations Among Argentine Marsh-nesting Blackbirds 194

7.1. The Species of Blackbirds Breeding in Argentine Marshes 195

7.2. Foods and Foraging 210

7.3. Patch Utilization While Foraging 216

7.4. Dietary Breadths 222

7.5. Competition and Overlap 222

8. Of Birds and Marshes 226

8.1. Significance of Marsh Structural Simplicity 226

8.2. Nonpasserine Birds in Marshes 239

8.3. Avian Social Systems in Marshes 241

8.4. Island Biogeography of Marshes 242

8.5. Effects of Blackbird Predation on Odonate Populations 244.

Notes:

Includes index.

Bibliography: pages 275-289.

ISBN:

0691082367 :

OCLC:

5100786