title: Breeding performance of blue tits (Cyanistes cæruleus ultramarinus) in relation to lead pollution and nest failure rates in rural, intermediate, and urban sites in Algeria.
abstract: The breeding parameters and the egg and nestling morphology of Cyanistes caeruleus populations from rural, intermediate, and urban sites in Algeria and the relationships of those variables with lead contamination were studied during three consecutive years. Breeding success was explained only by predation and vandalism rates. Predation was higher in the rural area, whereas vandalism was higher in the urban site. The other measured breeding parameters and egg characteristics were relatively insensitive to study site. The morphology of urban nestlings exhibited a trend toward smaller body size and mass compared to individuals from intermediate and rural sites. Although lead concentrations were higher in the tissues of urban birds than in intermediate and rural individuals, we did not detect a clear influence of this variable on nestling morphology. We conclude that urbanization influenced blue tit breeding parameters through predation and vandalism and nestling morphology through mechanisms other than lead pollution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems, University of Annaba, BP 23000 Annaba, Algeria. zahra_brahmia@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Brahmia
authors.forename: Renaud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scheifler
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Crini
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maas
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Giraudoux
authors.forename: Slim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benyacoub
mesh_terms: D000462:Algeria; D000818:Animals; D002947:Cities; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D009425:Nesting Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D046109:Passeriformes / Q000502:physiology*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D007854:Lead