Problem-solving performance and reproductive success of great tits in urban and forest habitats.
Success in problem solving, a form of innovativeness, can help animals exploit their environments, and recent research suggests that it may correlate with reproductive success. Innovativeness has been proposed to be especially beneficial in urbanized habitats, as suggested by superior problem-solving performance of urban individuals in some species. If there is stronger selection for innovativeness in cities than in natural habitats, we expect problem-solving performance to have a greater positive effect on fitness in more urbanized habitats. We tested this idea in great tits (Parus major) breeding at two urban sites and two forests by measuring their problem-solving performance in an obstacle-removal task and a food-acquisition task. Urban pairs were significantly faster problem-solvers in both tasks. Solving speed in the obstacle-removal task was positively correlated with hatching success and the number of fledglings, whereas performance in the food-acquisition task did not correlate with reproductive success. These relationships did not differ between urban and forest habitats. Neophobia, sensitivity to human disturbance, and risk taking in the presence of a predator did not explain the relationships of problem-solving performance either with habitat type or with reproductive success. Our results suggest that the benefit of innovativeness in terms of reproductive success is similar in urban and natural habitats, implying that problem-solving skills may be enhanced in urban populations by some other benefits (e.g. increased survival) or reduced costs (e.g. more opportunities to gain practice with challenging tasks).
Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Pf. 158, Veszprém, 8201, Hungary. preiszner@almos.uni-pannon.hu.|Balaton Uplands National Park Directorate, Pf. 23, Csopak, 8229, Hungary. preiszner@almos.uni-pannon.hu.
Bálint
B
Preiszner
Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Pf. 158, Veszprém, 8201, Hungary.|Balaton Uplands National Park Directorate, Pf. 23, Csopak, 8229, Hungary.
Sándor
S
Papp
Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Pf. 158, Veszprém, 8201, Hungary.
Ivett
I
Pipoly
Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Pf. 158, Veszprém, 8201, Hungary.
Gábor
G
Seress
Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Pf. 158, Veszprém, 8201, Hungary.|Department II: Behavioural Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Grosshaderner St. 2, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
Ernő
E
Vincze
Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Pf. 158, Veszprém, 8201, Hungary.
András
A
Liker
Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Pf. 158, Veszprém, 8201, Hungary.|Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Herman Ottó u. 15, Budapest, 1022, Hungary.
Veronika
V
Bókony
D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D065928:Forests; D046109:Passeriformes; D011340:Problem Solving; D012098:Reproduction
Behaviour; Birds; Breeding success; Innovation; Urbanization