Abstract
Collecting empirical data is essential for understanding the ecology and biology of a species. If the data collection procedure includes direct interaction with the study subject, particularly regarding repeated measures, there may be a risk of introducing biases on the collected dataset due to changes in the behaviour and/or physiology of the studied individuals. This can be particularly relevant during the breeding season when disturbance by researchers can affect birds on various aspects, including nest and chick survival, physiology, and chick body condition. Researcher effects on the chicks’ body condition have been shown in some species, but were apparently absent in others. Here, we investigate whether varying levels of handling influences the body condition of Eurasian whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) chicks, using data collected on 88 individuals handled up to 11 times, during two breeding seasons. We found that neither the handling event (ordinal occasion when a chick was handled) nor the handling interval (period between two consecutive handling events) affected the chick’s body condition, but we found evidence that body condition is individually consistent during development. Hence, the levels of handling in our study did not have an apparent effect on Eurasian whimbrel chicks’ body condition. Although other potential effects may arise via researchers’ disturbance, our findings contribute to the discussion on researchers’ impacts on their study subjects, emphasizing the importance of species-specific evaluations to improve research methodologies and ethical practices.
Zusammenfassung
Beeinflusst häufige Handhabung die Körperkondition von Regenbrachvogelküken?
Die Erhebung empirischer Daten ist für das Verständnis der Ökologie und Biologie einer Art unerlässlich. Wenn das Datenerfassungsverfahren eine direkte Interaktion mit dem Studienteilnehmer beinhaltet, insbesondere bei wiederholten Messungen, besteht die Gefahr, dass der gesammelte Datensatz aufgrund von Veränderungen im Verhalten und/oder der Physiologie der untersuchten Individuen verzerrt wird. Dies kann insbesondere während der Brutzeit von Bedeutung sein, wenn die Störung durch die Forscher die Vögel in verschiedener Weise beeinflussen kann, z. B. das Überleben von Nest und Küken, die Physiologie und den Körperzustand der Küken. Auswirkungen von Forschern auf die Körperkondition von Küken wurden bei einigen Arten nachgewiesen, während sie bei anderen anscheinend nicht vorhanden waren. In dieser Studie untersuchen wir, ob der unterschiedliche Grad des Umgangs mit Küken des Regenbrachvogels (Numenius phaeopus) die Körperkondition von 88 Individuen beeinflusst, die in zwei Brutsaisons bis zu elf Mal gehandhabt wurden. Wir fanden heraus, dass weder das Handhabungsereignis (die Handhabung des Kükens an sich) noch das Handhabungsintervall (der Zeitraum zwischen zwei aufeinanderfolgenden Handhabungen) den Körperzustand des Kükens beeinflusste, aber wir fanden Hinweise darauf, dass der Körperzustand während der Entwicklung individuell konsistent ist. Daher hatte das Ausmaß des Umgangs in unserer Studie keine offensichtlichen Auswirkungen auf die Körperkondition der Regenbrachvogelküken. Obwohl auch andere potenzielle Auswirkungen durch die Störung von Forschern auftreten können, tragen unsere Ergebnisse zur Diskussion über die Auswirkungen von Forschern auf ihre Studienobjekte bei und unterstreichen die Bedeutung von artspezifischen Bewertungen zur Verbesserung von Forschungsmethoden und ethischen Praktiken.
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Data availability
The datasets used in the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We are thankful to Juan Carlos Illera for the molecular sexing in his laboratory and to Kristinn Jónsson for kindly allowing us to work on his land.
Funding
This research was primarily funded by the Icelandic Centre for Research (RANNIS; grant 217753), with support from ProPolar. Additional financial support from national funds was provided by FCT/MCTES to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020 + LA/P/0094/2020).
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Ethical statement
Bird catching and handling was conducted according to Icelandic laws, under the ringing licence number 365 issued by the Icelandic Institute of Natural History.
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Communicated by F. Bairlein.
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Carneiro, C., Kaasiku, T., Alves, J.A. et al. Does frequent handling influence Eurasian whimbrel chicks’ body condition?. J Ornithol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-024-02185-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-024-02185-w