Egg-size variation in Yellow Warblers: apportionment of parental investment and the brood-survival hypothesis

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 1008-1011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Percy N. Hébert ◽  
Spencer G. Sealy
Keyword(s):  
Egg Size ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Relative Mass ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Passerine Birds ◽  
Dendroica Petechia ◽  
Brood Survival ◽  
Yellow Warblers ◽  
Clutch Initiation

It has been hypothesized that in passerine birds the larger size of last-laid eggs is part of a brood-survival strategy. We examined the usefulness of the brood-survival hypothesis in explaining intraclutch variation in egg mass of Yellow Warblers (Dendroica petechia). In 4- and 5-egg clutches, egg mass increased significantly with laying order. Although last-hatched nestlings in broods of 4 had higher survival rates than their counterparts in broods of 5, there were no differences in the absolute or relative mass of last-laid eggs in clutches of 4 and 5 eggs. In addition, the mass of last-laid eggs that hatched but did not produce a fledgling was not significantly different from that of last-laid eggs that did produce a fledgling. Finally, the relative mass of last-laid eggs was also not correlated with hatch spread or with date of clutch initiation. The results of this study do not support the brood-survival hypothesis.

Age-related variation in song repertoire size and repertoire sharing of yellow warblers (Dendroica petechia)

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 1926-1929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan E. Cosens ◽  
Spencer G. Sealy
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Dendroica Petechia ◽  
Repertoire Size ◽  
Song Repertoire ◽  
Fledging Success ◽  
Related Variation ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Yellow Warblers ◽  
Clutch Initiation

Songs of male yellow warblers (Dendroica petechia), ranging from 1 to 6 years of age, were recorded in the spring and summer of 1984. Recorded repertoire size and number of songs shared with neighbours varied positively with age in the spring but not in summer. Neither clutch initiation date nor fledging success varied with age or number of songs shared but both measures of reproductive success varied with size of recorded song repertoire.

Within-clutch egg-size variation in a subsocial bug: the positional effect hypothesis

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (11) ◽  
pp. 1540-1544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shin-ichi Kudo
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Instar Nymph ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Female Body Size ◽  
Positional Effect ◽  
Effect Hypothesis

If there are differences in predation risk among the offspring within a clutch, parents should allocate less resources to the offspring facing higher risk. Predation risk, and thus offspring size, may depend on the spatial position of individual offspring within a clutch. To test this positional effect hypothesis, I examined egg-size (egg-mass) variation in the subsocial bug Elasmucha signoreti Scott, 1874 (Hemiptera: Acanthosomatidae). In subsocial insects, including Elasmucha , in which females guard their clutches against predators by covering the clutch with their bodies, there are large differences in survival between offspring at the centre and at the periphery of the clutch. There was considerable variation in reproductive output among females; female body size was positively correlated with egg mass but not with clutch size. Females laid significantly lighter eggs in the peripheral, and thus more vulnerable, part of the clutch. No phenotypic trade-off between egg mass and clutch size was detected. Egg mass was positively correlated with hatched first-instar nymph mass. Thus, E. signoreti females seem to allocate their resources according to the different predation risks faced by the offspring within a clutch. I suggest that the positional effect hypothesis can generally be applicable to species whose females lay eggs in clutches and that the eggs suffer different mortality rates which depend on their spatial positions within the clutch.

scholarly journals Sources of Egg-Size Variation in House Wrens (Troglodytes Aedon): Ontogenetic and Environmental Components

The Auk ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 800-807 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Styrsky ◽  
Robert C. Dobbs ◽  
Charles F. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Egg Size ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Ontogenetic Variation ◽  
Troglodytes Aedon ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Female Condition ◽  
Evolutionary Response ◽  
Central Illinois

Abstract Evolutionary theory predicts that heritability of fitness-related traits should be low. Egg size in birds is a fitness-related trait, but exhibits high heritability. One possible explanation for the apparent failure of natural selection to exhaust variability is that variation in egg size is mediated by female condition. In this study, we estimated repeatability of egg size within and between successive clutches in a wild, double-brooded population of House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) in central Illinois, and examined the relationship of egg size with female size and condition. Repeatability of egg volume and mass in individual birds was high within years and between successive years (>0.77), suggesting a substantial heritable component to variation in egg size. However, egg mass was also significantly correlated with female condition. We suggest that the high repeatability values largely reflect permanent but nongenetic (ontogenetic) variation in egg size among females, which is reflected in the positive correlation of egg size with female condition. If variation in egg size is attributable to a combination of nonheritable, ontogenetic variation and variation due to current environmental conditions among females, then selection may not produce an evolutionary response in egg size.

Relation Between Egg Size, Growth, and Natural Mortality of Larval Fish

1975 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 2503-2512 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Ware
Keyword(s):  
Death Rate ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Larval Fish ◽  
Juvenile Fish ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Fish Eggs ◽  
Trophic Relations ◽  
Size Growth ◽  
Dependent Growth ◽  
Eggs And Larvae

A set of density-dependent growth and survivorship equations is derived from evidence that the instantaneous death rate in the sea is inversely proportional to particle size. The survivorship equation reproduces several well-known phenomena observed in fish populations. It predicts: 1) that winter and spring spawning species ought to produce larger eggs than summer spawners, 2) that it is advantageous for species that spawn in batches to produce progressively smaller eggs in spring and summer, and 3) that the death rate of a cohort of fish should decrease continuously as the survivors grow and approach the critical size.The biological basis for the observed variation in the size of pelagic fish eggs and larvae is thought to be due primarily to trophic relations within the pelagic community. It is suggested from what is known of the relative abundance and foraging capabilities of different sized particles, that the survival rates of larval and juvenile fish should increase as they grow and occupy a progressively higher position in the food chain.

scholarly journals A meta-analysis of global avian survival across species and latitude

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micah N. Scholer ◽  
Matt Strimas-Mackey ◽  
Jill E. Jankowski
Keyword(s):  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Passerine Birds ◽  
Tropical Birds ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
Improved Model ◽  
Northern And Southern Hemispheres

AbstractTropical birds are purported to be longer lived than temperate species of similar size, but it has not been shown whether avian survival rates covary with a latitudinal gradient worldwide. Here, we perform a global-scale meta-analysis to investigate the extent of the latitudinal survival gradient. We modeled survival as a function of latitude for the separate northern and southern hemispheres, and considered phylogenetic relationships and extrinsic (climate) and intrinsic (life history) predictors hypothesized to moderate these effects. Using a database of 1,004 estimates from 246 studies of avian survival, we demonstrate that in general a latitudinal survival gradient exists in the northern hemisphere, is dampened or absent for southern hemisphere species, and that survival rates of passerine birds largely account for these trends. We found no indication that the extrinsic climate factors were better predictors of survival than latitude alone, but including species’ intrinsic traits improved model predictions. Notably, species with smaller clutch size and larger body mass showed higher survival. Our results illustrate that while some tropical birds may be longer lived than their temperate counterparts, the shape of the latitude-survival gradient differs by geographic region and is strongly influenced by species’ intrinsic traits.

scholarly journals Environmental noise influences song frequency of Yellow Warblers (Dendroica petechia) in Grand Teton National Park

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 79-90
Author(s):  
Charles E. Taylor ◽  
Yi-Ju Wang ◽  
Martin L. Cody
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
National Park ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Dendroica Petechia ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Minimum Frequency ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Yellow Warblers ◽  
Song Frequency

We explored how Yellow Warblers (Dendroica petechia) alter their songs when encountering noise in Grand Teton National Park. Different strategies for avoiding signal masking are used by other species of birds, yet there is a lack of information of birds’ responses to higher noise levels–above 65 dB; such levels are often found in National Parks that have many visitors. In this study, we investigated singing behavior of Yellow Warblers when facing noise that ranged from 30 dB to 80 dB. In these preliminary results, we found that some features of Yellow Warblers did not appear to change with background noise level, including mean minimum frequency, bandwidth and song length. Other song features we studied did show small but statistically significant changes with higher background noise, including the peak frequency and the mean minimum frequency, both of which were significantly negatively correlated with the level of background noise. This result is different from the positive correlations that are typically observed. We speculate that this difference is due to the very high dB levels of background noise that we observed.   Featured photo bywagon16 on Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/G2W6Bk

scholarly journals Effects of Environmental Conditions and Parental Quality on Inter- and Intraclutch Egg-Size Variation in the Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula Albicollis)

The Auk ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 509-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Hargitai ◽  
János Török ◽  
László Tóth ◽  
Gergely Hegyi ◽  
Balázs Rosivall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Egg Size ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Life History Trait ◽  
Ficedula Albicollis ◽  
Collared Flycatcher ◽  
Egg Formation ◽  
Adaptive Explanation ◽  
Breeding Condition

AbstractEgg size is a particularly important life-history trait mediating maternal influences on offspring phenotype. Females can vary their egg-size investment in relation to environmental circumstances, their own breeding condition, and the quality of their mate. Here we analyzed inter- and intraclutch variation in egg size in the Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) on the basis of eight years of data. According to our results, mean egg size increased with female condition, but did not differ among young, middle-aged, and old females. The male’s age, body size, and forehead patch size did not influence egg size; thus, we found no evidence for differential investment in egg size in relation to male quality. We found no effect of laying date on egg size when controlling for ambient temperature during the egg formation period, yet temperature had a significant effect on egg size. That result indicates proximate constraints on egg formation. Furthermore, we report on annual differences in intraclutch egg-size variation. Egg size increased within clutches in years with a warm prelaying period; whereas in years when the weather during that period was cold, there was no significant intraclutch trend. Proximate considerations seem to explain the observed patterns of intraclutch egg-size variation; however, we cannot reject the adaptive explanation. Mean egg size and intraclutch egg-size variation were unrelated to clutch size. Therefore, we found no evidence for a trade-off between size and number of eggs within a clutch.

scholarly journals Egg Size, Eggshell Porosity, and Incubation Period in the Marine Bird Family Alcidae

The Auk ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 307-315
Author(s):  
Karen Zimmermann ◽  
J. Mark Hipfner
Keyword(s):  
Incubation Period ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Proximate Mechanisms ◽  
Diffusion Limited ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Incubation Periods ◽  
Avian Incubation ◽  
Embryonic Metabolism

Abstract Although the ultimate factors that influence the duration of avian incubation periods are well known, we know much less about the proximate mechanisms by which birds adjust incubation period in response to selection. We tested the hypothesis that an adjustment in eggshell porosity is one such proximate mechanism (i.e., that avian species with higher ratios of incubation period to egg size lay eggs with less porous shells). Eggshell porosity affects the rate of gaseous exchange between the developing embryo and the external environment; thus, to the extent that embryonic metabolism is diffusion-limited, eggshell porosity could directly determine incubation period. To test that hypothesis, we collected eggs from seven species of Alcidae, a family of marine birds that exhibits an unusual degree of interspecific variation in incubation period, and measured egg mass and eggshell porosity (determined by the number and size of pores and the thickness of the shell). Incubation periods were obtained from the literature. Egg mass and eggshell porosity combined explained 87% of the variation in incubation period among the seven species, which included at least one member of each of the six main alcid lineages. As predicted, eggshell porosity and incubation period were negatively related, after controlling for egg mass. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that evolutionary changes in avian incubation period may be attributed, at least in part, to adjustments in eggshell porosity. Taille de l’Œuf, Porosité de la Coquille et Période d’Incubation chez les Oiseaux Marins de la Famille des Alcidés

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