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Behavioral Plasticity in Hooded Warblers (Setophaga citrina): Linking Behavior, Environmental Context and Reproductive Success

Williams, Kelly A.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1367942219

Abstract Details

2013, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Biological Sciences (Arts and Sciences).
The ability of organisms to cope with altered environments generated by anthropogenic disturbance is often assumed to involve behavioral plasticity. Despite the observation that changes in behavior appear to represent adaptations to environmental variation, few studies consider whether behavioral plasticity enhances fitness across environments. Establishing links between environmental conditions, shifts in behavior and reproductive success is critical in determining the conditions in which organisms are able to alter their behavior and if this plasticity is indeed adaptive. I quantified and compared the habitat characteristics, the behavior and reproductive success of hooded warblers (Setophaga citrina) in three forest stands (unaltered forest, and two forest stands affected by anthropogenic disturbance: selective harvest and prescribed fire). I then quantified the association between environmental context, behavioral variation and reproductive success. In response to burning, hooded warblers abandoned the habitat for reproduction for two years post burning. Hooded warblers in the unaltered and harvested stand overlapped in their habitat space use; however, I found key differences in the habitat characteristics used in the two stands and between males and females. I found sex specific differences in behavior between the unaltered and harvested stands. I utilize Markov models and singular value decomposition (eigenanalysis) of individual behavior transition matrices to yield three main components of within individual variation that describe 1) the magnitude of individual behavioral variation (behavioral plasticity), 2) personality and 3) the transition rates among behaviors both within and among behavioral contexts. These differences in behavior were related to individual differences in personality and behavioral plasticity; however, hooded warblers did not segregate by personality and habitat. While individual differences in plasticity and personality are related to reproductive success, alteration of behavior appears to insufficiently ameliorate the effects of selective harvest. Ten to twelve years post harvest, hooded warblers have reduced clutch size, reduced number of fledged young and nestlings with lower hematocrit when compared to those that breed in the unaltered stand. This study quantifies and examines behavior as a multivariate trait, not only linking differences in behavior to the environment, but links individual differences in personality, behavioral plasticity and explorer phenotype to reproductive success.
Donald Miles, Ph.D. (Advisor)
176 p.
Biology; Ecology; Environmental Science; Forestry
Behavioral Plasticity; Foraging; Reproductive Success; Markov Model; Personality; Anthropogenic Disturbance

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Williams, K. A. (2013). Behavioral Plasticity in Hooded Warblers (Setophaga citrina): Linking Behavior, Environmental Context and Reproductive Success [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1367942219

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Williams, Kelly. Behavioral Plasticity in Hooded Warblers (Setophaga citrina): Linking Behavior, Environmental Context and Reproductive Success. 2013. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1367942219.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Williams, Kelly. "Behavioral Plasticity in Hooded Warblers (Setophaga citrina): Linking Behavior, Environmental Context and Reproductive Success." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1367942219

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2013, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.