An Experimental Test of a Causal Link between Problem-Solving Performance and Reproductive Success in Wild Great Tits

Laure Cauchard; Bernard Angers; Neeltje J.  Boogert; Mélissa  Lenarth; Pierre Bize; Blandine Doligez

doi:10.3389/fevo.2017.00107

An Experimental Test of a Causal Link between Problem-Solving Performance and Reproductive Success in Wild Great Tits

Laure Cauchard^* (Corresponding Author), Bernard Angers, Neeltje J. Boogert, Mélissa Lenarth, Pierre Bize, Blandine Doligez

^*Corresponding author for this work

Aberdeen Centre For Environmental Sustainability

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

Recent studies have uncovered relationships between measures of various cognitive performances and proxies of fitness such as reproductive success in non-human animals. However, to better understand the evolution of cognition in the wild, we still have to determine the causality of these relationships and the underlying mechanisms. The cognitive ability of an individual may directly influence its ability to raise many and/or high quality young through for example its provisioning ability. Conversely, large and/or high quality broods may lead to high parental motivation to solve problems related to their care. To answer this question, we manipulated reproductive success through brood size and measured subsequent problem-solving performance in wild great tit parents. Our results show that brood size manipulation did not affect the probability to solve the task. Moreover, solver pairs fledged more young than non-solver pairs independently of brood size treatment in one of the two experimental years and they showed higher nestling provisioning rate in both years. Overall, it shows that problem-solving performance was not driven by motivation and suggest that problem-solvers may achieve higher fledging success through higher provisioning rates. Our study constitutes a first key step toward a mechanistic understanding of the consequences of innovation ability for individual fitness in the wild.

Original language	English
Article number	107
Number of pages	8
Journal	Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Volume	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2017.00107
Publication status	Published - 8 Sept 2017

Bibliographical note

This work was supported by a NSERC grant to A.B., a PICS grant from the CNRS (INEE, n° 31520) to B.D., a PhD writing up grant from the FESP (UdM) and a scholarship from the Biological Sciences Department (UdM) to LC and a mobility grant ERASMUS to M.L. We are also grateful to the ABS, the BOU, the BES, the Frank M. Chapman from AMNH and the Fred Cooke from the SCO for awards and research grants attributed to L.C.

Keywords

brood size manipulation
motivation
Parus major
problem-solving performance
provisioning rate
reproductive success
EXTRA-PAIR PATERNITY
OXIDATIVE STRESS
PARUS-MAJOR
RANGE EXPANSION
BROOD SIZE
BLUE TITS
INNOVATION
DISPERSAL
BEHAVIOR
BIRDS

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10.3389/fevo.2017.00107Licence: CC BY

An Experimental Test of a Causal Link between Problem-Solving Performance and Reproductive Success in Wild Great Tits
Copyright © 2017 Cauchard, Angers, Boogert, Lenarth, Bize and Doligez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Final published version, 342 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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abstract = "Recent studies have uncovered relationships between measures of various cognitive performances and proxies of fitness such as reproductive success in non-human animals. However, to better understand the evolution of cognition in the wild, we still have to determine the causality of these relationships and the underlying mechanisms. The cognitive ability of an individual may directly influence its ability to raise many and/or high quality young through for example its provisioning ability. Conversely, large and/or high quality broods may lead to high parental motivation to solve problems related to their care. To answer this question, we manipulated reproductive success through brood size and measured subsequent problem-solving performance in wild great tit parents. Our results show that brood size manipulation did not affect the probability to solve the task. Moreover, solver pairs fledged more young than non-solver pairs independently of brood size treatment in one of the two experimental years and they showed higher nestling provisioning rate in both years. Overall, it shows that problem-solving performance was not driven by motivation and suggest that problem-solvers may achieve higher fledging success through higher provisioning rates. Our study constitutes a first key step toward a mechanistic understanding of the consequences of innovation ability for individual fitness in the wild.",

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author = "Laure Cauchard and Bernard Angers and Boogert, {Neeltje J.} and M{\'e}lissa Lenarth and Pierre Bize and Blandine Doligez",

note = "This work was supported by a NSERC grant to A.B., a PICS grant from the CNRS (INEE, n° 31520) to B.D., a PhD writing up grant from the FESP (UdM) and a scholarship from the Biological Sciences Department (UdM) to LC and a mobility grant ERASMUS to M.L. We are also grateful to the ABS, the BOU, the BES, the Frank M. Chapman from AMNH and the Fred Cooke from the SCO for awards and research grants attributed to L.C. ",

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AU - Lenarth, Mélissa

AU - Bize, Pierre

AU - Doligez, Blandine

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N2 - Recent studies have uncovered relationships between measures of various cognitive performances and proxies of fitness such as reproductive success in non-human animals. However, to better understand the evolution of cognition in the wild, we still have to determine the causality of these relationships and the underlying mechanisms. The cognitive ability of an individual may directly influence its ability to raise many and/or high quality young through for example its provisioning ability. Conversely, large and/or high quality broods may lead to high parental motivation to solve problems related to their care. To answer this question, we manipulated reproductive success through brood size and measured subsequent problem-solving performance in wild great tit parents. Our results show that brood size manipulation did not affect the probability to solve the task. Moreover, solver pairs fledged more young than non-solver pairs independently of brood size treatment in one of the two experimental years and they showed higher nestling provisioning rate in both years. Overall, it shows that problem-solving performance was not driven by motivation and suggest that problem-solvers may achieve higher fledging success through higher provisioning rates. Our study constitutes a first key step toward a mechanistic understanding of the consequences of innovation ability for individual fitness in the wild.

AB - Recent studies have uncovered relationships between measures of various cognitive performances and proxies of fitness such as reproductive success in non-human animals. However, to better understand the evolution of cognition in the wild, we still have to determine the causality of these relationships and the underlying mechanisms. The cognitive ability of an individual may directly influence its ability to raise many and/or high quality young through for example its provisioning ability. Conversely, large and/or high quality broods may lead to high parental motivation to solve problems related to their care. To answer this question, we manipulated reproductive success through brood size and measured subsequent problem-solving performance in wild great tit parents. Our results show that brood size manipulation did not affect the probability to solve the task. Moreover, solver pairs fledged more young than non-solver pairs independently of brood size treatment in one of the two experimental years and they showed higher nestling provisioning rate in both years. Overall, it shows that problem-solving performance was not driven by motivation and suggest that problem-solvers may achieve higher fledging success through higher provisioning rates. Our study constitutes a first key step toward a mechanistic understanding of the consequences of innovation ability for individual fitness in the wild.

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KW - PARUS-MAJOR

KW - RANGE EXPANSION

KW - BROOD SIZE

KW - BLUE TITS

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KW - DISPERSAL

KW - BEHAVIOR

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DO - 10.3389/fevo.2017.00107

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JO - Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

JF - Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

M1 - 107

ER -

An Experimental Test of a Causal Link between Problem-Solving Performance and Reproductive Success in Wild Great Tits

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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