Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Symbiosis00:58

Symbiosis

27.8K
Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
27.8K
Microbial Interactions: Parasitism01:22

Microbial Interactions: Parasitism

121
Parasitism is a form of microbial interaction in which parasitic microbes exploit a host organism for nutrients and shelter, often at the host's expense. Unlike mutualistic relationships, where both organisms benefit, parasitism benefits only the parasite and harms the host.Classification of ParasitesMicrobial parasites are broadly classified based on their location relative to the host.Ectoparasites remain on the host’s surface, such as the skin or outer tissues, drawing nutrients...
121
Conservation of Declining Populations02:07

Conservation of Declining Populations

11.6K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
11.6K
Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

17.2K
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
17.2K
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

20.2K
When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
20.2K
Parental Care00:55

Parental Care

11.7K
Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
11.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Snake markings facilitate diverse anti-predator functions depending on habitat and viewing angle.

Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology·2026
Same author

Biopsychosocial needs and complementary treatments for patients undergoing management for periprosthetic joint infection following hip or knee arthroplasty: a systematic review.

EFORT open reviews·2026
Same author

German rehabilitation after total hip or knee arthroplasty through Dutch eyes: a qualitative focus group pilot study.

BMC research notes·2026
Same author

Evolution of aquatic snails' defences resulted in clade-specific differences in egg toxicity, pigments and warning coloration.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same author

Attitude toward physical activity after total hip or knee replacement: A cross-sectional survey study of Dutch and Norwegian patients.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Shoulder elevation and arm extension influence elbow joint loading during door-opening in total elbow arthroplasty: a musculoskeletal modelling study.

Journal of biomechanics·2025
Same journal

Increased rates of hybridization in swordtails are associated with water pollution.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Visual uncertainty and task demands shape active sensing strategies in mice.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

An adaptable, self-organizing, single-cell morphology circuit optimizes suctorian predatory trap structure.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Temporal tuning of switch-like virulence expression resolves environmental uncertainty through phenotypic heterogeneity.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

An abstract relational map emerges in the human medial prefrontal cortex with consolidation.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Phloem evolved gradually and asynchronously to xylem in early vascular plants.

Current biology : CB·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 6, 2026

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients
07:34

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients

Published on: August 22, 2018

7.6K

Bird brood parasitism.

Martin Stevens1

  • 1Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9EZ, UK.

Current Biology : CB
|October 26, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Many bird species engage in brood parasitism, laying eggs in other birds' nests to avoid parental care. This behavior, seen in both interspecific and intraspecific contexts, highlights evolutionary strategies in avian reproduction.

More Related Videos

A Push-pull Protocol to Reduce Colonization of Bird Nest Boxes by Honey Bees
06:03

A Push-pull Protocol to Reduce Colonization of Bird Nest Boxes by Honey Bees

Published on: September 4, 2016

8.0K
An Introduction to Parasitic Wasps of Drosophila and the Antiparasite Immune Response
13:04

An Introduction to Parasitic Wasps of Drosophila and the Antiparasite Immune Response

Published on: May 7, 2012

17.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 6, 2026

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients
07:34

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients

Published on: August 22, 2018

7.6K
A Push-pull Protocol to Reduce Colonization of Bird Nest Boxes by Honey Bees
06:03

A Push-pull Protocol to Reduce Colonization of Bird Nest Boxes by Honey Bees

Published on: September 4, 2016

8.0K
An Introduction to Parasitic Wasps of Drosophila and the Antiparasite Immune Response
13:04

An Introduction to Parasitic Wasps of Drosophila and the Antiparasite Immune Response

Published on: May 7, 2012

17.7K

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Ornithology

Background:

  • Parental care in birds involves significant investment in nest building, incubation, feeding, and protection.
  • Brood parasitism is an evolutionary strategy where some bird species avoid parental investment by laying eggs in other species' nests.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the phenomenon of brood parasitism in avian species.
  • To differentiate between obligate interspecific brood parasitism and intraspecific brood parasitism.

Main Methods:

  • Observational studies of bird nesting behaviors.
  • Genetic analyses to detect intraspecific brood parasitism, which can be difficult to identify otherwise.

Main Results:

  • Approximately 1% of bird species (around 100) are obligate interspecific brood parasites.
  • Intraspecific brood parasitism has been documented in about 200 species, with the actual prevalence likely higher.

Conclusions:

  • Brood parasitism represents a significant, albeit less common, reproductive strategy in birds.
  • The detection of intraspecific brood parasitism often requires advanced genetic techniques, suggesting its underreporting in the scientific literature.