Publications

predicting the consequences of carry-over effects for migratory populations.	migratory animals present a unique challenge for predicting population size because they are influenced by events in multiple stages of the annual cycle that are separated by large geographic distances. here, we develop a model that incorporates non-fatal carry-over effects to predict changes in population size and show how this can be integrated with predictive models of habitat loss and deterioration. examples from barn swallows, greater snow geese and american redstarts show how carry-over ef ...	2006	17148350
age-related change in breeding performance in early life is associated with an increase in competence in the migratory barn swallow hirundo rustica.	1. we investigated age-related changes in two reproductive traits (laying date and annual fecundity) in barn swallows hirundo rustica l. using a mixed model approach to di-stinguish among between- and within-individual changes in breeding performance with age. 2. we tested predictions of age-related improvements of competence (i.e. constraint hypothesis) and age-related progressive disappearance of poor-quality breeders (i.e. selection hypothesis) to explain age-related increase in breeding perf ...	2007	17714270
uninformative exaggeration of male sexual ornaments in barn swallows.	models of sexual selection suggest that mate-choice preferences are favored because differences between males in their degree of ornamental exaggeration convey useful information about the direct or indirect benefits they have to offer [1-5]. such arguments assume that variation in male ornament size can be attributed to variation in the degree of sexually selected exaggeration. we provide the first test of this assumption by conducting tail-length experiments in male barn swallows. over the las ...	2007	17412591
energy expenditure and wing beat frequency in relation to body mass in free flying barn swallows (hirundo rustica).	many bird species steeply increase their body mass prior to migration. these fuel stores are necessary for long flights and to overcome ecological barriers. the elevated body mass is generally thought to cause higher flight costs. the relationship between mass and costs has been investigated mostly by interspecific comparison and by aerodynamic modelling. here, we directly measured the energy expenditure of barn swallows (hirundo rustica) flying unrestrained and repeatedly for several hours in a ...	2007	17171355
the incidence of american swallow bugs (oeciacus vicarius) in barn swallow (hirundo rustica) colonies in northeast texas.	the american swallow bug (oeciacus vicarius) is an important ectoparasite of cliff swallows (petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and is known to harbor several types of arbovirus. a recent study in northeast texas suggested that o. vicarius might occur in barn swallows (hirundo rustica) at rates much higher than previously thought. the purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which barn swallows in northeast texas are parasitized by o. vicarius and how well this parasite is adapting to this no ...	2007	18260518
oxidative damage and anti-oxidant capacity in two migratory bird species at a stop-over site.	we quantified in the garden warbler (sylvia borin) and the barn swallow (hirundo rustica), two long-distance migratory songbirds, the early oxidative damage (roms) and plasma anti-oxidant capacity (oxy) variation of individuals caught at a stop-over site after a sustained flight across the sea, during spring migration. our main goal was to quantify the oxidative damage and anti-oxidant capacity variation in these two migratory species in relation to fat and muscle stores. the birds were sampled ...	2007	17218158
long-term trends in first arrival and first egg laying dates of some migrant and resident bird species in northern italy.	climate change is affecting the phenology of seasonal events in europe and the northern hemisphere, as shown by several studies of birds' timing of migration and reproduction. here, we analyse the long-term (1982-2006) trends of first arrival dates of four long-distance migratory birds [swift (apus apus), nightingale (luscinia megarhynchos), barn swallow (hirundo rustica), and house martin (delichon urbicum)] and first egg laying dates of two migrant (swift, barn swallow) and two resident specie ...	2007	17375338
elevated frequency of abnormalities in barn swallows from chernobyl.	ever since the chernobyl accident in 1986, that contaminated vast areas in surrounding countries with radiation, abnormalities and birth defects have been reported in human populations. recently, several studies suggested that the elevated frequency of such abnormalities can be attributed to poverty and stress in affected human populations. here, we present long-term results for a free-living population of barn swallows, hirundo rustica, demonstrating the presence of 11 morphological abnormaliti ...	2007	17439847
barn swallows (hirundo rustica) test negative for salmonella.	farmers around the world have been urged to eliminate barn swallows (hirundo rustica) from their buildings, based on the unproven assumption that these birds amplify and spread salmonella to livestock, humans, and stored food. however, we tested over 500 barn swallows in sweden and found no evidence that they carry salmonella. our results cast doubt on the hypothesis that barn swallows are competent reservoirs of salmonella and suggest that their role, if any, is limited to being accidental host ...	2008	18266565
the bird species of kumasir lake (kahramanmaras-turkey) and a view of environmental ethics on sustainable wetland management.	kumasir lake is located next to towns of donuklu and fatih, nine km west of kahramanmaras city center the region of east mediterranean, turkey this lake is of crucial importance from the point of native and immigrant birds. we located 17 birdspecies in this area during our observations carried out in the spring and autumn of 2005-2006. these were ciconia ciconia l., anas platyrhynchos l., accipiter nisus l., accipiter brevipes l., fulica atra l., columba palumbus l., merops apiaster l., upupa ep ...	2008	18972701
[mutation processes in the natural populations of drosophila and hirundo rustica from ukrainian radiation contaminated territories].	natural populations of drosophila melanogaster and hirundo rustica that reside at the territories with different levels of radioactive pollution were investigated. the levels of visible mutations, sex-linked mutations and gonad reduction of drosophila and the rate of interphase markers of chromosomal instability in erythrocytes of birds were selected as parameters for population monitoring. the results point out to possible reverse dependence among the level of chromosomal instability of birds, ...	2008	19140433
climate change and micro-geographic variation in laying date.	climate change has been shown to affect the timing of reproduction, with earlier reproduction being associated with an increase in temperature. changes in the timing of reproduction arise from changes in food availability as well as other factors, and differences in the timing of reproduction among sites may cause sites with early reproduction to contribute disproportionately to local recruitment. in this study, spatial variation in the laying date of barn swallows hirundo rustica at 39 sites in ...	2008	18224340
fitness consequences of pre- and post-fledging timing decisions in a double-brooded passerine.	the fitness consequences of a delayed timing of breeding are expected to affect the temporal characteristics of the whole annual breeding system. one major problem in quantifying the fitness relevance of timing is that individual differences between pairs may cause the seasonal trend. differentials in juvenile survival due to pre-fledging timing decisions often only appear after fledging of the chicks. therefore, timing decisions in the post-fledging period, i.e., the duration of parental care, ...	2008	18959311
dynamic feedback between phenotype and physiology in sexually selected traits.	theory predicts that physiological costs of producing elaborate phenotypes assure the honesty of sexually selected traits. it is generally assumed that these physiological processes drive sexually selected displays. however, a recent study by safran and colleagues demonstrates that the manipulation of plumage ornaments in barn swallows alters the temporal course of circulating androgens, thus rejecting the scenario of a static, unidirectional relationship between physiology and sexual displays. ...	2008	18951654
impaired swimming behaviour and morphology of sperm from barn swallows hirundo rustica in chernobyl.	we investigated the motility and morphology of live sperm from barn swallows hirundo rustica breeding in radioactively contaminated areas around chernobyl and control areas in ukraine in order to test the hypothesis that swimming behaviour and morphology of sperm was impaired by radioactive contamination. we obtained sperm samples from 98% of sampled birds, thus avoiding sampling bias due to the fraction of males not producing sperm samples. analyses of within- and between-sample repeatability r ...	2008	18218334
barn swallow chicks beg more loudly when broodmates are unrelated.	parents of a variety of animal species distribute critical resources among their offspring according to the intensity of begging displays. kin selection theory predicts that offspring behave more selfishly in monopolizing parental care as relatedness with competitors declines. we cross-fostered two eggs between barn swallow (hirundo rustica) clutches and compared the loudness of begging between mixed and control broods under normal feeding conditions and after a period of food deprivation. beggi ...	2008	18021204
glucocorticoid response to food availability in breeding barn swallows (hirundo rustica).	parents feeding altricial nestlings have to trade-off the competing demands of self-maintenance and reproductive investment over their lifetime. corticosterone, a glucocorticoid hormone released by birds in response to stressors, might play a key role in regulating parental investment when conditions unexpectedly deteriorate. however, birds breeding in unpredictable environmental conditions have been shown not to increase circulating levels of corticosterone as a response to bad weather to avoid ...	2008	17904557
induction of multiple criteria optimal classification rules for biological and medical data.	to induce critical classification rules from observed data is a major task in biological and medical research. a classification rule is considered to be useful if it is optimal and simultaneously satisfies three criteria: is highly accurate, has a high rate of support, and is highly compact. however, current classification methods, such as rough set theory, neural networks, id3, etc., may only induce feasible rules instead of optimal rules. in addition, the rules found by current methods may onl ...	2008	17869236
sex-specific effects of albumen removal and nest environment manipulation on barn swallow nestlings.	in avian species, maternal provisioning to the eggs is predicted to be more valuable for the offspring under adverse environmental conditions and intense sibling competition. however, studies manipulating both the amount of maternal pre-hatching resources and the harshness of post-hatching environment have seldom been performed to date. in this experimental study of barn swallow (hirundo rustica) nestlings, we tested the consequences of a reduction in the albumen content of the eggs for fitness- ...	2008	18724741
the feather holes on the barn swallow hirundo rustica and other small passerines are probably caused by brueelia spp. lice.	barn swallows hirundo rustica often have characteristic feather holes on wing and tail feathers. during the past 15 yr, several influential papers have been based on the assumption that these holes were chewed by the louse machaerilaemus malleus. we gathered feather-hole data from barn swallows and other passerines at 2 sites in hungary and correlated the presence of holes with louse infestations and, more specifically, with the occurrence of m. malleus versus other species of avian lice. the sh ...	2008	18576840
sexual signal exaggeration affects physiological state in male barn swallows.		2008	18522812
microsatellite evolution: mutations, sequence variation, and homoplasy in the hypervariable avian microsatellite locus hru10.	microsatellites are frequently used genetic markers in a wide range of applications, primarily due to their high length polymorphism levels that can easily be genotyped by fragment length analysis. however, the mode of microsatellite evolution is yet not fully understood, and the role of interrupting motifs for the stability of microsatellites remains to be explored in more detail. here we present a sequence analysis of mutation events and a description of the structure of repeated regions in th ...	2008	18471288
male-biased brood sex ratio depresses average phenotypic quality of barn swallow nestlings under experimentally harsh conditions.	sex allocation strategies are believed to evolve in response to variation in fitness costs and benefits arising from the production of either sex and can be influenced by the differential susceptibility of sons and daughters to environmental conditions. we tested the effects of manipulating brood size and the sex ratio of the nestmates and the effect of sex on the phenotypic quality of individual barn swallow (hirundo rustica) nestlings. brood enlargement, which results in harsh rearing conditio ...	2008	18270745
individual responses in spring arrival date to ecological conditions during winter and migration in a migratory bird.	1. we studied lifetime arrival patterns in the barn swallow (hirundo rustica l.) in relation to variation in ecological conditions, as reflected by the normalized difference vegetation index (ndvi) in the sub-saharan winter quarters and at stopover sites in north africa. 2. migratory birds have recently advanced their arrival dates, but the relative role of microevolution and phenotypic plasticity as mechanisms of response to changing environmental conditions remains unknown. to distinguish betw ...	2009	19531059
fine-tuned modulation of competitive behaviour according to kinship in barn swallow nestlings.	kin selection theory predicts that, in species where progeny members compete for limiting parental care, individual offspring should be more prone to monopolize parental resources as their genetic relatedness to brood competitors decreases. mixed parentage among broodmates may arise as a consequence, for example, of extra-pair fertilization or brood parasitism events. in this experimental study of barn swallows (hirundo rustica), we reciprocally partially cross-fostered hatchlings between broods ...	2009	19324749
divergent patterns of impact of environmental conditions on life history traits in two populations of a long-distance migratory bird.	some areas have experienced recent dramatic warming due to climate change, while others have shown no change at all, or even recent cooling. we predicted that patterns of selection on life history would differ between southern and northern european populations of a long-distance migratory bird, the barn swallow hirundo rustica, because global patterns of weather as reflected by large-scale weather phenomena such as the north atlantic oscillation (nao) and the el niño-southern oscillation (enso) ...	2009	19139919
a quantitative measure of migratory connectivity.	the study of the extent of the connection between areas where populations of birds breed and areas where they winter has flourished in recent years mainly thanks to the development of new techniques, but also due to traditional ringing and recovery schemes, which allow tracking of individuals or populations linking wintering and breeding distributions. currently, studies on migratory connectivity focus on retention of breeding population spatial structure on the non-breeding grounds and vice ver ...	2009	19108778
effect of current reproduction on apparent survival, breeding dispersal, and future reproduction in barn swallows assessed by multistate capture-recapture models.	1. theoretical models predict a negative effect of current reproduction on breeding dispersal, survival and future reproduction, and many studies confirm these predictions. yet, results of most previous studies may be difficult to interpret because the fate of the affected individuals cannot always be observed. detection is almost always imperfect and some individuals emigrate from the study area, resulting in biased estimates of both survival and dispersal. 2. most studies bypass these problems ...	2009	19040683
senescent sperm performance in old male birds.	senescence is the deterioration of the phenotype with age caused by negative effects of mutations acting late in life or the physiological deterioration of vital processes. birds have traditionally been assumed to senescence slowly despite their high metabolic rates, high blood sugar levels and high body temperature. here we investigate the patterns of age-related performance of sperm of a long distance migrant, the barn swallow hirundo rustica, varying in age from 1 to 6 years, analysed by the ...	2009	19032491
prevalence and characteristics of eae- and stx-positive strains of escherichia coli from wild birds in the immediate environment of tokyo bay.	the prevalence and characteristics of eae- and stx-positive escherichia coli strains in wild birds in the immediate environment of tokyo bay, japan, was examined using cloacal swab samples taken from 447 birds belonging to 62 species. pcr screening showed that the prevalences of stx- and eae-positive strains of escherichia coli were 5% (23/447) and 25% (113/447), respectively. four strains of stx(2f)-positive e. coli were isolated from two feral pigeons, an oriental turtle dove and a barn swallo ...	2009	18997019
increased oxidative stress in barn swallows from the chernobyl region.	the chernobyl nuclear accident produced the largest unintended release of radionuclides in history, with dramatic consequences for humans and other organisms. exposure to ionizing radiation is known to reduce circulating and stored levels of specific antioxidants in birds and humans, thus potentially increasing oxidative stress. however, overall effects of radioactive exposure on oxidative status have never been investigated in any free ranging vertebrate. we measured plasma antioxidant capacity ...	2010	19896553
dna damage in barn swallows (hirundo rustica) from the chernobyl region detected by use of the comet assay.	we investigated levels of dna damage in blood cells of barn swallows (hirundo rustica) inhabiting the chernobyl region to evaluate whether chronic exposure to low-level radioactive contamination continues to induce genetic damage in free-living populations of animals. blood samples were obtained from barn swallows collected at sites with different background levels of radiation, including a relatively uncontaminated area. the extent of dna damage was evaluated using the alkaline (ph=12.1) comet ...	2010	19941973
microorganisms associated with feathers of barn swallows in radioactively contaminated areas around chernobyl.	the chernobyl catastrophe provides a rare opportunity to study the ecological and evolutionary consequences of low-level, environmental radiation on living organisms. despite some recent studies about negative effects of environmental radiation on macroorganisms, there is little knowledge about the effect of radioactive contamination on diversity and abundance of microorganisms. we examined abundance patterns of total cultivable bacteria and fungi and the abundance of feather-degrading bacterial ...	2010	20640571
brain size, head size and behaviour of a passerine bird.	a recent increase in comparative studies of the ecological and evolutionary consequences of brain size in birds and primates in particular have suggested that cognitive abilities constitute a central link. surprisingly, there are hardly any intraspecific studies investigating how individuals differing in brain size behave, how such individuals are distributed and how brain size is related to life history and fitness components. brain mass of the barn swallow hirundo rustica was strongly predicte ...	2010	20487135
positive carotenoid balance correlates with greater reproductive performance in a wild bird.	carotenoids can confer somatic and reproductive benefits, but most evidence is from captive animal experimentation or single time-point sampling. another perhaps more informative means by which to assess physiological contributions to animal performance is by tracking an individual's ability to increase or sustain carotenoids or other health-related molecules over time, as these are likely to be temporally variable.	2010	20195540
body temperature and fever in a free-living bird.	fever is an adaptive physiological response that animals use to fight infections by microorganisms. although used routinely by veterinary and medical doctors for assessment of health status, there are hardly any studies of fever in free-living animals. body temperature in a sample of more than 500 adult barn swallows hirundo rustica varied considerably, but was consistent among capture events. body temperature increased during the day, and reached a minimum in the middle of the breeding season. ...	2010	20188208
phylogeny of the genus hirundo and the barn swallow subspecies complex.	the cosmopolitan barn swallow complex (hirundo rustica and related hirundo species) provides a model system for studies of mate choice, sexual selection, and related topics in behavioral ecology, but the phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships within this group are not yet completely resolved. we reconstructed the phylogeny of all 14 species of hirundo as well as all six barn swallow (h. rustica) subspecies using maximum likelihood and bayesian methods based on sequences of mitochondrial ...	2010	20152914
survival benefits of post-fledging care: experimental approach to a critical part of avian reproductive strategies.	1. caring for offspring beyond leaving the nest is an important but under-studied part of avian life histories. theory predicts that prolonged post-fledging parental care should yield fitness benefits such as increased fledgling survival. post-fledging care is also costly in terms of time and energy available for subsequent reproduction, moult or migration. so far, direct measurements of the fitness effects of the duration of post-fledging parental care are lacking. 2. in a partial cross-fosteri ...	2010	20059611
body condition is associated with adrenocortical response in the barn swallow (hirundo rustica l.) during early stages of autumn migration.	migration is an energy-demanding life-history period and also a significant population-limiting factor of long-distance migratory birds. it is important to understand how corticosterone, the main energy regulating hormone in birds, is associated with behavioural and physiological changes during migration. according to the migration modulation hypothesis (mmh), individual birds may express elevated levels of baseline corticosterone to facilitate fuelling, but down-regulate the adrenocortical resp ...	2010	20052493
population genetics and morphological comparisons of migratory european (hirundo rustica rustica) and sedentary east-mediterranean (hirundo rustica transitiva) barn swallows.	speciation processes are largely determined by the relative strength of divergent selection versus the magnitude of gene flow. the barn swallow (hirundo rustica) has a broad geographic distribution that encompasses substantial geographic variation in morphology and behavior. the european (h. r. rustica) and east-mediterranean (h. r. transitiva) subspecies are closely related, despite differing in morphological and life-history traits. to explore patterns of genetic differentiation and gene flow, ...	2011	22071313
age before beauty? relationships between fertilization success and age-dependent ornaments in barn swallows.	when males become more ornamented and reproduce more successfully as they grow older, phenotypic correlations between ornament exaggeration and reproductive success can be confounded with age effects in cross-sectional studies, and thus say relatively little about sexual selection on these traits. this is exemplified here in a correlative study of male fertilization success in a large colony of american barn swallows (hirundo rustica erythrogaster). previous studies of this species have indicate ...	2011	21949464
testosterone, plumage colouration and extra-pair paternity in male north-american barn swallows.	in most monogamous bird species, circulating testosterone concentration in males is elevated around the social female's fertile period. variation in elevated testosterone concentrations among males may have a considerable impact on fitness. for example, testosterone implants enhance behaviours important for social and extra-pair mate choice. however, little is known about the relationship between natural male testosterone concentration and sexual selection. to investigate this relationship we me ...	2011	21853105
sex-related effects of an immune challenge on growth and begging behavior of barn swallow nestlings.	parent-offspring conflicts lead the offspring to evolve reliable signals of individual quality, including parasite burden, which may allow parents to adaptively modulate investment in the progeny. sex-related variation in offspring reproductive value, however, may entail differential investment in sons and daughters. here, we experimentally manipulated offspring condition in the barn swallow (hirundo rustica) by subjecting nestlings to an immune challenge (injection with bacterial lipopolysaccha ...	2011	21818393
quantitative genetics of migration syndromes: a study of two barn swallow populations.	migration is a complex trait although little is known about genetic correlations between traits involved in such migration syndromes. to assess the migratory responses to climate change, we need information on genetic constraints on evolutionary potential of arrival dates in migratory birds. using two long-term data sets on barn swallows hirundo rustica (from spain and denmark), we show for the first time in wild populations that spring arrival dates are phenotypically and genetically correlated ...	2011	21707815
antioxidant defenses predict long-term survival in a passerine bird.	normal and pathological processes entail the production of oxidative substances that can damage biological molecules and harm physiological functions. organisms have evolved complex mechanisms of antioxidant defense, and any imbalance between oxidative challenge and antioxidant protection can depress fitness components and accelerate senescence. while the role of oxidative stress in pathogenesis and aging has been studied intensively in humans and model animal species under laboratory conditions ...	2011	21573124
the effects of radiation on sperm swimming behavior depend on plasma oxidative status in the barn swallow (hirundo rustica).	sperm are highly susceptible to reactive oxygen species (ros) that can damage sperm dna and structure, resulting in reduced fertilizing capacity. exposure to radioactive contamination can also impair sperm swimming behavior and fertilizing ability, both through a reduction of sperm dna integrity and via an increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ros). however, the relationship between individual oxidative status and sperm swimming behavior has never been investigated in any wild populat ...	2011	21295152
determinants of age-dependent change in a secondary sexual character.	many secondary sexual characters vary in a systematic way with the age of individuals, with young and old individuals displaying at lower levels than individuals of intermediate age. analyses quantifying the within-individual and among-individual components of phenotypic variation can help partition effects of phenotypic plasticity and selective mortality. we analysed phenotypic variation in the expression of a secondary sexual character, tail length, in male and female barn swallows hirundo rus ...	2011	21175908
birth order, individual sex and sex of competitors determine the outcome of conflict among siblings over parental care.	success in competition for limiting parental resources depends on the interplay between parental decisions over allocation of care and offspring traits. birth order, individual sex and sex of competing siblings are major candidates as determinants of success in sib-sib competition, but experimental studies focusing on the combined effect of these factors on parent-offspring communication and within-brood competitive dynamics are rare. here, we assessed individual food intake and body mass gain d ...	2011	20943688
low variation in the polymorphic clock gene poly-q region despite population genetic structure across barn swallow (hirundo rustica) populations.	recent studies of several species have reported a latitudinal cline in the circadian clock gene, clock, which influences rhythms in both physiology and behavior. latitudinal variation in this gene may hence reflect local adaptation to seasonal variation. in some bird populations, there is also an among-individual association between clock poly-q genotype and clutch initiation date and incubation period. we examined clock poly-q allele variation in the barn swallow (hirundo rustica), a species wi ...	2011	22216124
collyriclosis in central european hirundines.	cutaneous monostome trematode collyriclum faba (bremser in schmalz 1831) is a digenetic flatworm with unknown life cycle. here, we provide the first compelling evidence that despite low prevalence of the parasite, european hirundines are parasitized by this species. first host record for sand martin (riparia riparia) and first european host record for barn swallow (hirundo rustica) is provided. the birds were captured and checked in ten european and middle eastern countries, stretching from irel ...	2011	21380577
cryptococcus neoformans isolation from swallow (hirundo rustica) excreta in iran.	cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated yeast that can cause cryptococcosis, a life-threatening infection that mainly occurs in immunocompromised patients. the major environmental sources of c. neoformans have been shown to be soil contaminated with avian droppings. in the present study, we evaluated the isolation of c. neoformans from swallow (hirundo rustica) excreta in two northern cities of iran. ninety-seven swallow droppings were evaluated and 498 yeast-like colonies were isolated and i ...	2011	21755233
[avian diversity and bird strike risk at fuyang airport].	from june 2008 to january 2010, a survey of avian communities was conducted in five habitats (grassland, farmland, town, wetland, and woodland) at fuyang airport and its surrounding areas, with the diversity indices in different seasons and different habitats analyzed. a total of 122 avian species belonging to 15 orders and 40 families were recorded. at fuyang airport, the avian species number was significantly higher in summer and autumn than in winter and spring, the avian density was the high ...	2011	22007473
blood-feeding patterns of the culex pipiens complex in sacramento and yolo counties, california.	mosquitoes in the culex pipiens complex are competent vectors of west nile virus (wnv; family flaviviridae, genus flavivirus) in the laboratory, and field-collected mosquitoes have tested positive for the virus in california and elsewhere. a better understanding of cx. pipiens complex blood-feeding patterns will help define the threat that these mosquitoes pose to human health and their role in wnv amplification in northern california. we collected blood-engorged cx. pipiens complex mosquitoes f ...	2011	21485380
novel methods reveal shifts in migration phenology of barn swallows in south africa.	many migratory bird species, including the barn swallow (hirundo rustica), have advanced their arrival date at northern hemisphere breeding grounds, showing a clear biotic response to recent climate change. earlier arrival helps maintain their synchrony with earlier springs, but little is known about the associated changes in phenology at their non-breeding grounds. here, we examine the phenology of barn swallows in south africa, where a large proportion of the northern european breeding populat ...	2012	22072608
sex-related effects of reproduction on biomarkers of oxidative damage in free-living barn swallows (hirundo rustica).	according to life-history theory, the allocation of limiting resources to one trait has negative consequences for other traits requiring the same resource, resulting in trade-offs among life-history traits, such as reproduction and survival. in vertebrates, oxidative stress is increasingly being considered among the physiological mechanisms forming the currency of life-history trade-offs. in this study of the barn swallow (hirundo rustica), we focus on the oxidative costs of reproduction, especi ...	2012	23145037
geographical variation in reproductive ageing patterns and life-history strategy of a short-lived passerine bird.	we investigated differences in ageing patterns in three measures of breeding performance in populations of barn swallows hirundo rustica l. from spain and denmark differing in breeding latitude and hence migration distance and duration of the breeding season. we found differences in ageing patterns between populations. generally, young (i.e. yearling) and old females (i.e. ≥ 5 years of age) laid their first eggs later and produced smaller clutches than middle-aged females (i.e. 2-4 years of age) ...	2012	22994532
with a little help from my kin: barn swallow nestlings modulate solicitation of parental care according to nestmates' need.	in altricial species, offspring competing for access to limiting parental resources (e.g. food) are selected to achieve an optimal balance between the costs of scrambling for food, the benefits of being fed and the indirect costs of subtracting food to relatives. as the marginal benefits of acquiring additional food decrease with decreasing levels of need, satiated offspring should be prone to favour access to food by their needy kin, thus enhancing their own indirect fitness, while concomitantl ...	2012	22845831
longevity and lifetime reproductive success of barn swallow offspring are predicted by their hatching date and phenotypic quality.	1. longevity is a major determinant of individual differences in darwinian fitness. several studies have analyzed the stochastic, time-dependent causes of variation in longevity, but little information exists from free-ranging animal populations on the effects that environmental conditions and phenotype early in ontogeny have on duration of life. 2. in this long-term (1993-2011) study of a migratory, colonial, passerine bird, the barn swallow (hirundo rustica), we analyzed longevity and, in a su ...	2012	22531043
clock gene variation is associated with breeding phenology and maybe under directional selection in the migratory barn swallow.	in diverse taxa, photoperiodic responses that cause seasonal physiological and behavioural shifts are controlled by genes, including the vertebrate clock orthologues, that encode for circadian oscillator mechanisms. while the genetic network behind circadian rhythms is well described, relatively few reports exist of the phenological consequences of and selection on clock genes in the wild. here, we investigated variation in breeding phenology in relation to clock genetic diversity in a long-dist ...	2012	22506071
seasonal variation in the regulation of redox state and some biotransformation enzyme activities in the barn swallow (hirundo rustica l.).	little is known of the normal seasonal variation in redox state and biotransformation activities in birds. in long-distance migratory birds, in particular, seasonal changes could be expected to occur because of the demands of migration and reproduction. in this study, we measured several redox parameters in the barn swallow (hirundo rustica l.) during the annual cycle. we captured the wintering barn swallows before spring migration in south africa, and we captured the barn swallows that arrived ...	2012	22418707
timing of arrival from spring migration is associated with flight performance in the migratory barn swallow.	timing of arrival at the breeding grounds by migratory birds affects their mating success and access to superior resources, thus being a major factor associated with fitness. much empirical work has been devoted to investigate the condition dependence of arrival sequence of migrants and characteristics of individuals that influence arrival time from migration. surprisingly, there are no studies examining the relationship between flight performance of individual birds and their arrival time. i in ...	2013	23293424
population and colony-level determinants of tertiary sex ratio in the declining barn swallow.	sex ratio of adults (tertiary sex ratio, tsr) is a major feature of animal populations with consequences for their behaviour, genetic structure and viability. spatial and temporal variation in tsr occurs within species but the mechanisms behind it are poorly understood. in this long-term study of a declining population of a socially monogamous, colonial, migratory bird, the barn swallow (hirundo rustica), we first analyzed population-level variation in tsr ( = proportion of males) of yearlings ...	2013	23418577
differential female access to males with large throat patches in the asian barn swallow hirundo rustica gutturalis.	intersexual selection results from several processes, such as differential allocation and differential access, in addition to mating skews by mate choice. these processes can contribute to the evolution, maintenance, and geographic differentiation of male ornamentation, although the importance of these processes in male ornamentation remains poorly understood. the asian barn swallow hirundo rustica gutturalis is a socially monogamous songbird that exhibits biparental care and has red throat patc ...	2013	24199856
multiple sexual signals and behavioral reproductive isolation in a diverging population.	sexual trait divergence has been shown to play a role in the evolution of reproductive isolation. while variation in multiple sexual signals is common among closely related species, little is known about the role of these different axes of phenotype variation with respect to the evolution of behavioral reproductive isolation. here we study a unique population of barn swallows (hirundo rustica transitiva) that can be distinguished phenotypically from its neighboring populations only on the basis ...	2013	24021403
signaling stress? an analysis of phaeomelanin-based plumage color and individual corticosterone levels at two temporal scales in north american barn swallows, hirundo rustica erythrogaster.	sexually selected traits confer greater reproductive benefits to individuals with more elaborate forms of the signal. however, whether these signals convey reliable information about the physiology underlying trait development remains unknown in many species. the steroid hormone corticosterone (cort) mediates important physiological and behavioral processes during the vertebrate stress response, and cort secretion itself can be modulated by melanocortins. thus, sexually selected melanin-based pl ...	2013	24013040
female plumage colour influences seasonal oxidative damage and testosterone profiles in a songbird.	across diverse taxa, morphological traits mediate social interactions and mate selection. physiological constraints on signal elaboration have been widely documented, but the potential for trait display to influence physiological state remains poorly understood. we tested for the presence of causal links between ventral plumage colour-a trait known to covary with reproductive performance-and physiological measures in female north american barn swallows, hirundo rustica erythrogaster. naturally d ...	2013	23966597
nestling telomere length does not predict longevity, but covaries with adult body size in wild barn swallows.	telomere length and dynamics are increasingly scrutinized as ultimate determinants of performance, including age-dependent mortality and fecundity. few studies have investigated longevity in relation to telomere length (tl) in the wild and none has analysed longevity in relation to tl soon after hatching, despite the fact that telomere shortening may mostly occur early in life. we show that tl in nestling barn swallows (hirundo rustica) in the wild does not predict longevity. however, tl positiv ...	2013	23883575
corticosterone secretion patterns prior to spring and autumn migration differ in free-living barn swallows (hirundo rustica l.).	recent studies of long-distance migratory birds show that behavioural and physiological changes associated with predictable or unpredictable challenges during the annual cycle are distinctively regulated by hormones. corticosterone is the primary energy regulating hormone in birds. corticosterone levels are elevated during stresses but they are also modulated seasonally according to environmental conditions and life-history demands. we measured the baseline and stress-induced levels of corticost ...	2013	23649753
timing of molt of barn swallows is delayed in a rare clock genotype.	photoperiodic responses are major factors entraining circannual life-cycles, functioning to adaptively synchronize annual routines to seasonal fluctuations in ecological conditions. photoperiodism in physiology and behaviour is enforced by genes, including the vertebrate clock orthologues, which are associated, for example, with phenology of migration in fish and breeding in birds. however, the role of clock in photoperiodic plumage molt processes is unknown. we analyzed variation in molt schedu ...	2013	23638351
viability is associated with melanin-based coloration in the barn swallow (hirundo rustica).	pigmentation of body surface in animals can have multiple determinants and accomplish diverse functions. eumelanin and pheomelanin are the main animal pigments, being responsible of yellow, brownish-red and black hues, and have partly common biosynthetic pathways. many populations of vertebrates show individual variation in melanism, putatively with large heritable component. genes responsible for eu- or pheomelanogenesis have pleiotropic but contrasting effects on life-history traits, explainin ...	2013	23573254
sexual dimorphism in melanin pigmentation, feather coloration and its heritability in the barn swallow (hirundo rustica).	melanin is the main pigment in animal coloration and considerable variation in the concentrations of the two melanin forms (pheo- and eumlanin) in pigmented tissues exists among populations and individuals. melanin-based coloration is receiving increasing attention particularly in socio-sexual communication contexts because the melanocortin system has been hypothesized to provide a mechanistic basis for covariation between coloration and fitness traits. however, with few notable exceptions, litt ...	2013	23469134
pheomelanin-based plumage coloration predicts survival rates in birds.	higher vertebrates synthesize two forms of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin. while the adaptive functions of eumelanin are diverse, those of pheomelanin, which is phototoxic and whose production consumes a key intracellular antioxidant (glutathione), are not clear apart from being involved in color patterns that confer concealment. the factors that have favored the evolution of pheomelanin thus remain a mystery, causing this pigment even to have been considered an "accident of nature." a recen ...	2013	23434778
switching hemispheres: a new migration strategy for the disjunct argentinean breeding population of barn swallow (hirundo rustica).	barn swallows (hirundo rustica) breed almost exclusively in the northern hemisphere. however, since the early 1980's, a small disjunct breeding population has become established in eastern argentina, presumably by birds previously derived from those breeding in north america. currently, it is unknown where these individuals go following breeding and how they have adjusted to a reversal in phenology. their austral wintering period corresponds to the breeding period of the northern ancestral popul ...	2013	23383257
weekend bias in citizen science data reporting: implications for phenology studies.	studies of bird phenology can help elucidate the effects of climate change on wildlife species but observations over broad spatial scales are difficult without a network of observers. recently, networks of citizen volunteers have begun to report first arrival dates for many migratory species. potential benefits are substantial (e.g., understanding ecological processes at broad spatial and temporal scales) if known biases of citizen data reporting are identified and addressed. one potential sourc ...	2013	23104424
bridge hosts for avian influenza viruses at the wildlife/domestic interface: an eco-epidemiological framework implemented in southern africa.	wild terrestrial birds can act as potential local spreaders or bridge hosts for avian influenza viruses (aivs) between waterfowl (the maintenance hosts of aivs) and domestic avian populations in which aivs may cause disease. few studies have investigated this hypothesis, although it is an important knowledge gap in our understanding of aiv spread within socio-ecosystems. we designed a simple and reproducible approach in an agro-ecosystem in zimbabwe based on: (1) bird counts at key target sites ...	2014	25457135
a review of the subfamily harpypalpinae fain, 1972 (acariformes: harpirhynchidae)--parasites of passerine birds.	the subfamily harpypalpinae fain, 1972 (acariformes: cheyletoidea: harpirhynchidae) is revised. diagnoses of the subfamily and its two constituent genera, harpypalpus dubinin, 1957 and harpypalpoides lombert and moss, 1979, and keys to females of all known species are provided. data on harpypalpine hosts and distribution are summarized, and nine new species are described: harpypalpus lonchura sp. nov. from lonchura castaneothorax (gould) (estrildidae) in australia, harpypalpus pyrrhula sp. nov. ...	2014	25283118
functional invertebrate prey groups reflect dietary responses to phenology and farming activity and pest control services in three sympatric species of aerially foraging insectivorous birds.	farming activity severely impacts the invertebrate food resources of farmland birds, with direct mortality to populations of above-ground arthropods thorough mechanical damage during crop harvests. in this study we assessed the effects of phenological periods, including the timing of harvest, on the composition and biomass of prey consumed by three species of aerial insectivorous birds. common swifts apus apus, barn swallows hirundo rustica and house martins delichon urbica breed sympatrically a ...	2014	25506696
aerobic cloacal and pharyngeal bacterial flora in six species of free-living birds.	the purpose of this study was to investigate the culturable aerobic pharyngeal and cloacal bacterial flora of free-living birds, to determine the physiological bacterial microbiota, to identify possible interactions between feeding behaviour and the composition of the pharyngeal and cloacal microflora and to investigate the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria.	2014	25176477
eggshell bacterial load is related to antimicrobial properties of feathers lining barn swallow nests.	the use of feathers to line bird's nests has traditionally been interpreted as having a thermoregulatory function. feather-degrading bacteria growing on feathers lining nests may have antimicrobial properties, which may provide an additional benefit to lining nests with feathers. we test the hypothesis that the production of antimicrobial substances by feather bacteria affects the microbiological environment of the nest, and therefore the bacterial density on eggshells and, indirectly, hatching ...	2014	24317898
prevalence and molecular characterization of clostridium difficile isolated from european barn swallows (hirundo rustica) during migration.	clostridium difficile is an important bacterial pathogen of humans and a variety of animal species. birds, especially migratory passerine species, can play a role in the spread of many pathogens, including clostridium difficile. barn swallows (hirundo rustica) nest in close proximity to human habitats and their biology is closely associated with cattle farming. therefore, we hypothesized that barn swallows can be the reservoir of clostridium difficile.	2014	24507706
stress and success: individual differences in the glucocorticoid stress response predict behavior and reproductive success under high predation risk.	a fundamental element of how vertebrates respond to stressors is by rapidly elevating circulating glucocorticoid hormones. individual variation in the magnitude of the glucocorticoid stress response has been linked with reproductive success and survival. but while the adaptive value of this response is believed to stem in part from changes in the expression of hormone-mediated behaviors, it is not clear how the behavior of stronger and weaker glucocorticoid responders differs during reproduction ...	2014	25461975
an experimental analysis of the heritability of variation in glucocorticoid concentrations in a wild avian population.	glucocorticoid hormones (cort) are predicted to promote adaptation to variable environments, yet little is known about the potential for cort secretion patterns to respond to selection in free-living populations. we assessed the heritable variation underlying differences in hormonal phenotypes using a cross-foster experimental design with nestling north american barn swallows (hirundo rustica erythrogaster). using a bivariate animal model, we partitioned variance in baseline and stress-induced c ...	2014	25056627
modelling the progression of bird migration with conditional autoregressive models applied to ringing data.	migration is a fundamental stage in the life history of several taxa, including birds, and is under strong selective pressure. at present, the only data that may allow for both an assessment of patterns of bird migration and for retrospective analyses of changes in migration timing are the databases of ring recoveries. we used ring recoveries of the barn swallow hirundo rustica collected from 1908-2008 in europe to model the calendar date at which a given proportion of birds is expected to have ...	2014	25047331
nestling rearing is antioxidant demanding in female barn swallows (hirundo rustica).	reproduction is a demanding activity, since organisms must produce and, in some cases, protect and provision their progeny. hence, a central tenet of life-history theory predicts that parents have to trade parental care against body maintenance. one physiological cost thought to be particularly important as a modulator of such trade-offs is oxidative stress. however, evidence in favour of the hypothesis of an oxidative cost of reproduction is contradictory. in this study, we manipulated the broo ...	2014	24890700
large-scale patterns of genetic variation in a female-biased dispersing passerine: the importance of sex-based analyses.	dispersal affects the distribution, dynamics and genetic structure of natural populations, and can be significantly different between sexes. however, literature records dealing with the dispersal of migratory birds are scarce, as migratory behaviour can notably complicate the study of dispersal. we used the barn swallow hirundo rustica as model taxon to investigate patterns of genetic variability in males and in females of a migratory species showing sex-biased dispersal. we collected blood samp ...	2014	24886720
a trade-off between reproduction and feather growth in the barn swallow (hirundo rustica).	physiological trade-offs mediated by limiting energy, resources or time constrain the simultaneous expression of major functions and can lead to the evolution of temporal separation between demanding activities. in birds, plumage renewal is a demanding activity, which accomplishes fundamental functions, such as allowing thermal insulation, aerodynamics and socio-sexual signaling. feather renewal is a very expensive and disabling process, and molt is often partitioned from breeding and migration. ...	2014	24826890
life history, predation and flight initiation distance in a migratory bird.	life-history trade-offs occur as a consequence of the compromise between maximization of different components such as the size and the number of clutches. flight initiation distance (fid) potentially constitutes a general proximate factor influencing such trade-offs reflecting the risks that individuals take. therefore, greater investment in reproduction occurs at a higher risk of death, resulting in selection for efficient flight morphology. i analysed long-term data on fid in a population of b ...	2014	24797579
equal nonbreeding period survival in adults and juveniles of a long-distant migrant bird.	in migrant birds, survival estimates for the different life-history stages between fledging and first breeding are scarce. first-year survival is shown to be strongly reduced compared with annual survival of adult birds. however, it remains unclear whether the main bottleneck in juvenile long-distant migrants occurs in the postfledging period within the breeding ranges or en route. quantifying survival rates during different life-history stages and during different periods of the migration cycle ...	2014	24683458
first observation of african tigerfish hydrocynus vittatus predating on barn swallows hirundo rustica in flight.	a population of african tigerfish hydrocynus vittatus from the schroda dam, actively prey on barn swallows hirundo rustica in flight. this behaviour was discovered during a radio telemetry study and documented using a motion picture video camera. these results show that an avivorous diet is a part of the feeding biology of h. vittatus, and may occur in other populations.	2014	24354922
earlier breeding, lower success: does the spatial scale of climatic conditions matter in a migratory passerine bird?	following over 20 years of research on the climatic effects on biodiversity we now have strong evidence that climate change affects phenology, fitness, and distribution ranges of different taxa, including birds. bird phenology likely responds to changes in local weather. it is also affected by climatic year-to-year variations on larger scales. although such scale-related effects are common in ecology, most studies analyzing the effects of climate change were accomplished using climatic informati ...	2015	27069620
early-life telomere dynamics differ between the sexes and predict growth in the barn swallow (hirundo rustica).	telomeres are conserved dna-protein structures at the termini of eukaryotic chromosomes which contribute to maintenance of genome integrity, and their shortening leads to cell senescence, with negative consequences for organismal functions. because telomere erosion is influenced by extrinsic and endogenous factors, telomere dynamics may provide a mechanistic basis for evolutionary and physiological trade-offs. yet, knowledge of fundamental aspects of telomere biology under natural selection regi ...	2015	26565632
multimodal signalling in the north american barn swallow: a phenotype network approach.	complex signals, involving multiple components within and across modalities, are common in animal communication. however, decomposing complex signals into traits and their interactions remains a fundamental challenge for studies of phenotype evolution. we apply a novel phenotype network approach for studying complex signal evolution in the north american barn swallow (hirundo rustica erythrogaster). we integrate model testing with correlation-based phenotype networks to infer the contributions o ...	2015	26423842
quantitative genetics of plumage color: lifetime effects of early nest environment on a colorful sexual signal.	phenotypic differences among individuals are often linked to differential survival and mating success. quantifying the relative influence of genetic and environmental variation on phenotype allows evolutionary biologists to make predictions about the potential for a given trait to respond to selection and various aspects of environmental variation. in particular, the environment individuals experience during early development can have lasting effects on phenotype later in life. here, we used a n ...	2015	26380676
cloacal microbiome structure in a long-distance migratory bird assessed using deep 16srna pyrosequencing.	effects of vertebrate-associated microbiota on physiology and health are of significant interest in current biological research. most previous studies have focused on host-microbiota interactions in captive-bred mammalian models. these interactions and their outcomes are still relatively understudied, however, in wild populations and non-mammalian taxa. using deep pyrosequencing, we described the cloacal microbiome (cm) composition in free living barn swallows hirundo rustica, a long-distance mi ...	2015	26360776
performance of encounternet tags: field tests of miniaturized proximity loggers for use on small birds.	proximity logging is a new tool for understanding social behavior as it allows for accurate quantification of social networks. we report results from field calibration and deployment tests of miniaturized proximity tags (encounternet), digital transceivers that log encounters between tagged individuals. we examined radio signal behavior in relation to tag attachment (tag, tag on bird, tag on saline-filled balloon) to understand how radio signal strength is affected by the tag mounting technique ...	2015	26348329
clock gene polymorphism and scheduling of migration: a geolocator study of the barn swallow hirundo rustica.	circannual rhythms often rely on endogenous seasonal photoperiodic timers involving 'clock' genes, and clock gene polymorphism has been associated to variation in phenology in some bird species. in the long-distance migratory barn swallow hirundo rustica, individuals bearing the rare clock allele with the largest number of c-terminal polyglutamine repeats found in this species (q8) show a delayed reproduction and moult later. we explored the association between clock polymorphism and migration s ...	2015	26197782
differential contribution of demographic rate synchrony to population synchrony in barn swallows.	populations of many species show temporally synchronous dynamics over some range, mostly caused by spatial autocorrelation of the environment that affects demographic rates. synchronous fluctuation of a demographic rate is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for population synchrony because population growth is differentially sensitive to variation in demographic rates. little is known about the relative effects of demographic rates to population synchrony, because it is rare that all demo ...	2015	26179225
correction: a continent-wide migratory divide in north american breeding barn swallows (hirundo rustica).		2015	26171864
nest sanitation elicits egg discrimination in cuckoo hosts.	nest sanitation is a nearly universal behavior in birds, while egg discrimination is a more specific adaptation that has evolved to counter brood parasitism. these two behaviors are closely related with nest sanitation being the ancestral behavior, and it has been hypothesized to constitute a preadaptation for egg discrimination. however, previous studies found little evidence to support this hypothesis. here, we conducted an empirical test of the association between nest sanitation and egg disc ...	2015	26160343
sexual dimorphism and population differences in structural properties of barn swallow (hirundo rustica) wing and tail feathers.	sexual selection and aerodynamic forces affecting structural properties of the flight feathers of birds are poorly understood. here, we compared the structural features of the innermost primary wing feather (p1) and the sexually dimorphic outermost (ta6) and monomorphic second outermost (ta5) tail feathers of barn swallows (hirundo rustica) from a romanian population to investigate how sexual selection and resistance to aerodynamic forces affect structural differences among these feathers. furth ...	2015	26110255