对于许多动物来说,巢是繁殖成功的关键。嵌套个人需要执行一系列潜在的挑战性任务,从选择合适的地点和选择合适的材料到筑巢和抵御竞争对手,寄生虫和捕食者。考虑到涉及的高健身风险,非生物和社会环境对筑巢成功的不同影响,我们可能期望认知能够促进嵌套努力。在可变的环境条件下尤其如此,包括那些由于人为影响而发生变化的。这里,我们回顾,在各种各样的分类单元中,将认知与嵌套行为联系起来的证据,包括筑巢地点和材料的选择,筑巢,和鸟巢防御。我们还讨论了不同的认知能力如何增加个体的嵌套成功。最后,我们强调了如何结合实验和比较研究可以揭示认知能力之间的联系,筑巢行为和可能导致它们之间关联的进化途径。这样做,这篇综述强调了当前的知识差距,并为未来的研究提供了建议。本文是主题问题“巢的进化生态学:跨分类单元方法”的一部分。
For many animals, nests are essential for reproductive success. Nesting individuals need to carry out a range of potentially challenging tasks, from selecting an appropriate site and choosing suitable materials to constructing the nest and defending it against competitors, parasites and predators. Given the high fitness stakes involved, and the diverse impacts both the abiotic and social environment can have on nesting success, we might expect cognition to facilitate nesting efforts. This should be especially true under variable environmental conditions, including those changing due to anthropogenic impacts. Here, we review, across a wide range of taxa, evidence linking cognition to nesting behaviours, including selection of nesting sites and materials, nest construction, and nest defence. We also discuss how different cognitive abilities may increase an individual\'s nesting success. Finally, we highlight how combining experimental and comparative research can uncover the links between cognitive abilities, nesting behaviours and the evolutionary pathways that may have led to the associations between them. In so doing, the review highlights current knowledge gaps and provides suggestions for future research. This article is part of the theme issue \'The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach\'.