Boogaardt, Sarah van den (2026) Incubation under changing environmental conditions: how wind speed, temperature and tide height affect parental behaviour in the Eurasian Oystercatcher. Bachelor's Research Project (period 2b), Biology.
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Abstract
Incubation is a demanding phase of avian reproduction, requiring adults to maintain egg temperatures within a narrow range. Maintaining stable incubation conditions becomes increasingly difficult under fluctuating environmental conditions. This study investigated how wind speed, air temperature and tide height affected incubation bout length in the Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) on Schiermonnikoog, and whether these effects differed between males and females. It was hypothesized that higher wind speeds would lengthen incubation bouts, higher temperatures would shorten them, incubation bouts would be longer at high tide, the wind-temperature interaction would be strongest and that both sexes would respond similarly to environmental variation. Incubation behaviour was recorded using 48 hour trail-camera footage, and environmental data were downloaded from KNMI and matched to individual incubation bouts. A generalized linear mixed effects model (GLMM) was used to test the effects of wind, temperature, tide height and sex. Tide height had a small but significant positive effect on incubation bout length, while wind speed showed model dependent effects and temperature did not show significant effects on incubation bout length. Interaction terms were not significant, indicating that the environmental variables acted mostly independently during the study period. Males incubated for shorter periods than females, and wind speed affected the sexes differently.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor's Research Project (period 2b)) |
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| Supervisor name: | Lameris, T.K. |
| Degree programme: | Biology |
| Thesis type: | Bachelor's Research Project (period 2b) |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Jun 2026 12:13 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Jun 2026 12:13 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/37318 |
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