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Musa S, Ladányi M, Loredo Varela RC, Fail J. A morphometric analysis of Thrips tabaci Lindeman species complex (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2023; 72:101228. [PMID: 36427428 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2022.101228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, is a cryptic species complex of three distinct lineages: L1, L2, and T, which exhibit considerable variation in their biological and ecological traits. The most accurate method for their identification is based on molecular techniques. This study aimed to investigate the morphometric variation of T. tabaci cryptic species complex and to distinguish characters that may be useful in discriminating the lineages. For this purpose, morphometric measurements were performed on the eggs, newly hatched first instar larvae, and newly emerged adults. Our results revealed significant differences in egg size between the three lineages. Moreover, the PCA analysis conducted on morphometric measurements of the first instar larvae and adults showed that females of the T lineage are very well separated from the females of the L lineages in the adult stage but not in the first instar larval stage. The distinction between the females is partially congruent with the results of genetic studies. Moreover, our results indicate that adult sexual dimorphism with regard to size in L1 and T lineages is not mediated by the size of eggs and first instar larvae, and this may be due to the different growth rates of males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saranda Musa
- Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 44. Ménesi út, 1118, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Márta Ladányi
- Department of Applied Statistics, Institute of Mathematics and Basic Science, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 29-43. Villányi út, 1118, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Roberto Carlos Loredo Varela
- Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 44. Ménesi út, 1118, Budapest, Hungary
| | - József Fail
- Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 44. Ménesi út, 1118, Budapest, Hungary.
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Redondo I, Pérez-Rodríguez L, Monclús R, Muriel J, Gil D. Sexual differences in phenotypical predictors of floating status: body condition influences male but not female reproductive status in a wild passerine. Oecologia 2022; 199:79-90. [PMID: 35554681 PMCID: PMC9119866 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05180-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Floaters constitute the sexually mature but non-breeding part of populations. Despite being ubiquitous in most species, knowledge about floaters is scarce. Ignoring this significant number of individuals may strongly bias our understanding of population dynamics and sexual selection processes. We used the spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor) to examine whether phenotypical and non-phenotypical variables from early and adult life predict reproductive status, focusing on the earliest age at which most individuals start to breed, when the percentage of floaters is the highest. We compiled data from a long-term study involving eight female and seven male cohorts of individuals PIT-tagged at birth. We compared a suite of nestling (condition, hatching date and brood size) and adult variables (condition, size and ornamentation) between floaters and breeders. We found that adult and nestling body condition strongly and positively influenced the likelihood of breeding in males. Path analysis revealed that male reproductive status could only be predicted by considering nestling body condition—the influence of this variable superseded adult body condition. Female reproductive status was only negatively associated with hatching date. Ornamentation was not associated with reproductive status in any of the sexes, although path analyses revealed that body condition was positively associated with throat feather length. We conclude that predictors of reproductive status are sex-specific in the spotless starling, suggesting an important role of body condition in access to breeding resources in males. Our results also highlight the long-term influence of early life on life trajectories and their potential implications on floating status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iraida Redondo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN), CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Lorenzo Pérez-Rodríguez
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Raquel Monclús
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée UR 4443, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, 93430, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Jaime Muriel
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Diego Gil
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN), CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
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Musa S, Ladányi M, Fail J. There Is No Influence of Egg Size on Sex Allocation in Arrhenotokous Lineages of Thrips tabaci Lindeman. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13050408. [PMID: 35621744 PMCID: PMC9147309 DOI: 10.3390/insects13050408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary How parents control the sex of their offspring greatly differs in the animal kingdom. Two lineages in the Thrips tabaci Lindeman cryptic species complex exhibit arrhenotokous haplodiploidy, which enables parents to influence the sex of offspring by different fertilization mechanisms. In two other haplodiploid species, sex allocation is mediated by egg size. Contrary to the two haplodiploid arthropods with an egg-size-mediated sex allocation mechanism, our study proves that a different mechanism that is independent of egg size regulates sex allocation in T. tabaci. The results presented in this paper raise intriguing questions regarding the evolutionary forces driving egg size and sex allocation in haplodiploids. In addition, our results indicate a significant reduction in egg size with increasing maternal age that cannot be attributed to the resource depletion hypothesis. Abstract In two haplodiploid species, sex allocation in young arrhenotokous females is mediated by egg size. We tested if sex allocation is mediated by egg size in two arrhenotokous lineages of the haplodiploid species complex of T. tabaci: L1 and T. We measured the size of eggs produced by very young mothers, 3–5-day-old mothers (just like in the case of Tetranychus urticae) and 7–10-day-old mothers (as in Pezothrips kellyanus). Moreover, we measured the size of eggs oviposited by mothers in their entire lifespan. We found that in T. tabaci, sex allocation is not mediated by egg size. Egg size and gender were independent of maternal age in the L1 lineage, whilst in the T lineage, the observed egg size difference between males and females was only present in the progeny of young females (7–10-day-old mothers). Furthermore, we found that male eggs produced by mated mothers were larger than those produced by virgin mothers in the L1 lineage, but in the T lineage, there were no differences in the size of male eggs produced by mated and virgin mothers. Our results indicate that these two subspecies have different resource allocation strategies in response to maternal mating status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saranda Musa
- Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Menesi út 44, 1118 Budapest, Hungary;
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary, University of Prishtina, 10000 Prishtina, Kosovo
| | - Márta Ladányi
- Department of Applied Statistics, Institute of Mathematics and Basic Science, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Villanyi út 29-43, 1118 Budapest, Hungary;
| | - József Fail
- Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Menesi út 44, 1118 Budapest, Hungary;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.:+36-1-3057218
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Celis P, Graves JA, Gil D. Reproductive Strategies Change With Time in a Newly Founded Colony of Spotless Starlings (Sturnus unicolor). Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.658729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in avian reproductive strategies is often studied from a comparative perspective, since even closely-related taxa differ greatly in the degree of polygyny, extra-pair paternity (EPP) or intra-specific brood-parasitism. However, substantial variation at the species level suggests that ecological factors are important in shaping these patterns. In this study, we examined the temporal plasticity of these strategies, following a population from the year of colony formation to 2 years after this. Parentage data from these years shows that polygyny decreased with time, likely as a consequence of increased competition for nesting sites and mates by new recruits, and immigrants of higher quality arriving to the colony as time passed. In parallel to this temporal change, we found an increase in intra-specific brood-parasitism and quasi-parasitism (QP). We interpret these patterns as a consequence of an increase of floaters with time; these birds pursue a mixture of alternative mating strategies to succeed in the population. We also found evidence of conspecific brood parasitism (CBP), by nesting females that laid part of the clutch in another nest or that after losing a partially laid clutch resorted to lay the last eggs in another nest. Analyses of the distance between the main nest and nests containing the secondary polygynous brood or extra-pair or parasitic young showed an avoidance of contiguous nests for conducting these alternative reproductive tactics. At the same time, these secondary nests were closer to the main nest than random distances within the colony, suggesting that access to public information was restricted to a narrow area around the main nest. Our study emphasizes how behavioral patterns are plastic traits that vary not only with individual circumstances, but also with time, tracking changes in density and social structure.
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BARTLOW ANDREWW, JANKOWSKI MARKD, HATHCOCK CHARLESD, RYTI RANDALLT, RENEAU STEVENL, FAIR JEANNEM. Sex ratio of Western Bluebirds Sialia mexicana is mediated by phenology and clutch size. THE IBIS 2021; 163:977-989. [PMID: 35801167 PMCID: PMC9257600 DOI: 10.1111/ibi.12935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Mothers may produce more of one sex to maximize their fitness if there are differences in the cost of producing each sex or there are differences in their relative reproductive value. Breeding date and clutch size are known to influence offspring sex ratios in birds through sex differences in dispersal, social behaviours, differential mortality, and available food resources. We tested if breeding date, clutch size and drought conditions influenced offspring sex ratios in a sexually size-monomorphic species, the Western Bluebird, by interrogating a 21-year dataset. After controlling for differential mortality, we found that hatch dates late in the breeding season were associated with the production of more females, suggesting that the value of producing males declines as the breeding season progresses. When clutch size was taken into account, small clutches yielded significantly more females late in the breeding season compared to the early and middle parts of the breeding season that produced significantly more males. Large clutches early in the season tended to produce more females, although this was not significant. Drought severity was not correlated with sex ratio adjustment. We propose and discuss several explanations for these patterns, including male offspring, but not female offspring, acting as helpers, increased female nestling provisioning late in the breeding season, differences in food abundance, and egg-laying order. Future work will help to uncover the mechanisms leading to these patterns. Identifying patterns and mechanisms of sex ratio skew from long-term datasets is important for informing predictions regarding life-history trade-offs in wildlife populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- ANDREW W. BARTLOW
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Biosecurity and Public Health, Mailstop M888, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - MARK D. JANKOWSKI
- Laboratory Services and Applied Science Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 6 Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - CHARLES D. HATHCOCK
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Environmental Stewardship, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - RANDALL T. RYTI
- Neptune and Company, Inc., 1505 15th St #B, Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA
| | - STEVEN L. RENEAU
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, PO Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545
| | - JEANNE M. FAIR
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Biosecurity and Public Health, Mailstop M888, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
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Cornell A, Melo M, Zimmerman C, Therrien JF. Nestling Physiology Is Independent of Somatic Development in a Common Raptor, the American Kestrel ( Falco sparverius). Physiol Biochem Zool 2021; 94:99-109. [PMID: 33464188 DOI: 10.1086/712816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAlthough many studies have documented the developmental trajectory of somatic traits in birds, few measure physiological traits, and even fewer document individual variation in developmental trajectory across ecological context. Hematological traits underlying aerobic capacity can be predictive of nestling survival, fledgling flight ability, and ultimately recruitment. This study aimed to assess individual variation in the developmental trajectory of two physiological traits that underlie aerobic capacity, hematocrit and hemoglobin concentration, in relation to somatic development and ecological context. Our study species, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius), is sexually dimorphic and therefore likely to show sexual variation in developmental trajectory and nestling maturity. We used lay date, year, brood size, nestling sex ratio, and parental nest visit rate to assess ecological context. Although somatic traits showed similar trajectories across nestlings, developmental trajectory for hematocrit and hemoglobin concentration showed individual variation not previously documented. This individual variation in developmental change, or trajectory, for physiological traits could not be explained by somatic development, sex, parental nest visit rate, lay date, year, brood size, or nestling sex ratio. However, we did find higher final hemoglobin concentration in 2018 and in nests with earlier lay dates. These findings demonstrate the importance of assessing physiological traits that capture aspects of individual quality distinct from somatic traits. Future studies are needed to understand the causes of individual variation in developmental trajectory, which cannot be explained by the ecological variables presented here, and the potential fitness consequences of this variation.
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Ágh N, Pipoly I, Szabó K, Vincze E, Bókony V, Seress G, Liker A. Does offspring sex ratio differ between urban and forest populations of great tits (Parus major)? Biol Futur 2020; 71:99-108. [PMID: 34554536 DOI: 10.1007/s42977-020-00024-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Since male and female offspring may have different costs and benefits, parents may use sex ratio adjustment to increase their own fitness under different environmental conditions. Urban habitats provide poorer conditions for nestling development in many birds. Therefore, we investigated whether great tits (Parus major) produce different brood sex ratios in urban and natural habitats. We determined the sex of nestlings of 126 broods in two urban and two forest sites between 2012 and 2014 by molecular sexing. We found that brood sex ratio did not differ significantly between urban and forest habitats either at egg-laying or near fledging. Male offspring were larger than females in both habitats. This latter result suggests that male offspring may be more costly to raise than females, yet our findings suggest that urban great tits do not produce more daughters despite the unfavourable breeding conditions. This raises the possibility that other aspects of urban life, such as better post-fledging survival, might favour males and thereby compensate for the extra energetic costs of producing male offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nóra Ágh
- MTA-PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary.
| | - Ivett Pipoly
- MTA-PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Krisztián Szabó
- Conservation Genetic Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ernő Vincze
- MTA-PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Veronika Bókony
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor Seress
- MTA-PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary
| | - András Liker
- MTA-PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary
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Wrobel ER, Bentz AB, Lorenz WW, Gardner ST, Mendonça MT, Navara KJ. Corticosterone and testosterone treatment influence expression of gene pathways linked to meiotic segregation in preovulatory follicles of the domestic hen. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232120. [PMID: 32407351 PMCID: PMC7224459 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Decades of work indicate that female birds can control their offspring sex ratios in response to environmental and social cues. In laying hens, hormones administered immediately prior to sex chromosome segregation can exert sex ratio skews, indicating that these hormones may act directly on the germinal disc to influence which sex chromosome is retained in the oocyte and which is discarded into an unfertilizable polar body. We aimed to uncover the gene pathways involved in this process by testing whether treatments with testosterone or corticosterone that were previously shown to influence sex ratios elicit changes in the expression of genes and/or gene pathways involved in the process of meiotic segregation. We injected laying hens with testosterone, corticosterone, or control oil 5h prior to ovulation and collected germinal discs from the F1 preovulatory follicle in each hen 1.5h after injection. We used RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) followed by DESeq2 and gene set enrichment analyses to identify genes and gene pathways that were differentially expressed between germinal discs of control and hormone-treated hens. Corticosterone treatment triggered downregulation of 13 individual genes, as well as enrichment of gene sets related to meiotic spindle organization and chromosome segregation, and additional gene sets that function in ion transport. Testosterone treatment triggered upregulation of one gene, and enrichment of one gene set that functions in nuclear chromosome segregation. This work indicates that corticosterone can be a potent regulator of meiotic processes and provides potential gene targets on which corticosterone and/or testosterone may act to influence offspring sex ratios in birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth R. Wrobel
- Department of Poultry Science, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
| | - Alexandra B. Bentz
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - W. Walter Lorenz
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Georgia Genomics and Bioinformatics Core, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
| | - Stephen T. Gardner
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States of America
| | - Mary T. Mendonça
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States of America
| | - Kristen J. Navara
- Department of Poultry Science, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Gherardi-Fuentes C, Ruiz J, Verdugo C, Navedo JG. Male-biased adult sex ratio in non-breeding areas of an extreme long-distance migratory shorebird population. ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2020.103560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Tschumi M, Humbel J, Erbes J, Fattebert J, Fischer J, Fritz G, Geiger B, van Harxen R, Hoos B, Hurst J, Jacobsen LB, Keil H, Kneule W, Michel VT, Michels H, Möbius L, Perrig M, Rößler P, Schneider D, Schuch S, Stroeken P, Naef-Daenzer B, Grüebler MU. Parental sex allocation and sex-specific survival drive offspring sex ratio bias in little owls. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2694-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Equitable Chick Survival in Three Species of the Non-Migratory Shorebird Despite Species-Specific Sexual Dimorphism of the Young. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9050271. [PMID: 31126098 PMCID: PMC6562553 DOI: 10.3390/ani9050271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary We aimed to determine whether seasonal brood sex-ratio, sex-biased chick survival, and sex specific dimorphism at hatching or during growth occurs among three species of resident Australian shorebird. Our results describe no sex-bias in chick production, survival or growth rates between sexes for any of the three species studied. Abstract Sex-biases in populations can have important implications for species’ social biology, population demography and mating systems. It has recently been suggested that in some shorebirds, sex-specific bias in survival of precocial young may occur. This may be driven by variation in the brood sex-ratio and/or the sexual size dimorphism of young birds, which may influence predator escape capacity. Understanding the survival of young birds remains a significant knowledge gap for many taxa, especially when young birds are mobile and cryptic. Our aims were to estimate the sex-ratio variation in three species of Australian resident shorebird, specifically to determine: (1) whether seasonal brood sex-ratio variation at hatching is occurring, (2) the extent of any sex-biased chick survival, (3) if sex specific dimorphism at hatching or during growth occurs; and, (4) whether escape capacity differs between the sexes. We radio-tracked 50 Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles, 42 Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus and 27 Hooded Plover Thinornis cucullatus chicks from individual broods, examined the likelihood of hatchlings being male or female based on the hatching date within the breeding season, and compared size at hatching, growth and mortality of chicks of different sexes. There was no sex-bias with the hatching date across the breeding season, nor were there differences in survival or growth rates between sexes for any of the three species studied. In one species, male hatchlings had longer tarsi than females, but this did not result in differential escape propensity or improved survival. In conclusion, the hatching date, survival and growth of chicks from three species of resident shorebird was not influenced by their sex.
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Molecular characterization of avian malaria in the spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor). Parasitol Res 2018; 117:919-928. [PMID: 29327322 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-018-5748-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
We studied the prevalence and genetic diversity of malaria parasites in the poorly investigated spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor) breeding in central Spain, aiming to describe the phylogenetic relationships among them and with other haemosporidians infecting the genus Sturnus. A total of 180 nestlings and 180 adult individuals from four different breeding seasons were screened for haemosporidian parasites using a nested PCR approach for the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus. Although the malaria prevalence ranged between years, the overall prevalence was 6.94%. Adults had a higher prevalence than chicks: 12.77 vs. 1.11%, respectively. We molecularly characterized avian malaria isolated in peripheral blood samples taken from malaria-infected individuals. Sequence analyses revealed four unique Plasmodium lineages of avian malaria (STURUNI01, STURUNI02, SYAT05, SGS1) in our spotless starling population. The phylogenetic analysis showed a well-supported clade comprised by STURUNI01, STURUNI02, and SYAT05. The most common lineage (SYAT05) has been previously found in 26 other avian host species, including populations of spotless starling in Portugal. Because this sedentary species is widely distributed throughout the Iberian Peninsula, we suggest that the local transmission of these lineages might place migratory birds at infection risk.
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Costanzo A, Panseri S, Giorgi A, Romano A, Caprioli M, Saino N. The Odour of Sex: Sex-Related Differences in Volatile Compound Composition among Barn Swallow Eggs Carrying Embryos of Either Sex. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0165055. [PMID: 27851741 PMCID: PMC5112806 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian communication has been traditionally believed to be mainly mediated by visual and auditory channels. However, an increasing number of studies are disclosing the role of olfaction in the interaction of birds with their social environment and with other species, as well as in other behaviors such as nest recognition, food location and navigation. Olfaction has also been suggested to play a role in parent-offspring communication not only in the post- but also in the pre-hatching period. Volatile compounds produced during embryogenesis and passively released through the eggshell pores may indeed represent the only cue at parents' disposal to assess offspring quality, including the sex composition of their clutch before hatching. In turn, sex identification before hatching may mediate adaptive strategies of allocation to either sex. In the present study, we analyzed odour composition of barn swallow eggs incubated in their nest in order to identify any sex-related differences in volatile compounds emitted. For the first time in any bird species, we also investigated whether odour composition is associated with relatedness. The evidence of differences in odour composition among eggs containing embryos of either sex indicates that parents have a cue to identify their brood sex composition even before hatching which can be used to modulate their behavior accordingly. Moreover, odour similarity within nests may represent the prerequisite for kin recognition in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara Panseri
- Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Annamaria Giorgi
- Centre for Applied Studies in the Sustainable Management and Protection of the Mountain Environment, Ge.S.Di.Mont., University of Milan, Edolo, Brescia, Italy
| | - Andrea Romano
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Nicola Saino
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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No facultative manipulation of offspring sex ratio in relation to parental genetic characteristics in a bird with sex-specific heterozygosity-fitness correlation. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2119-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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16
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Maternal natal environment and breeding territory predict the condition and sex ratio of offspring. Evol Biol 2016; 44:11-20. [PMID: 28286350 DOI: 10.1007/s11692-016-9380-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Females in a variety of taxa adjust offspring sex ratios to prevailing ecological conditions. However, little is known about whether conditions experienced during a female's early ontogeny influence the sex ratio of her offspring. We tested for past and present ecological predictors of offspring sex ratios among known-age females that were produced as offspring and bred as adults in a population of house wrens. The body condition of offspring that a female produced and the proportion of her offspring that were male were negatively correlated with the size of the brood in which she herself was reared. The proportion of sons within broods was negatively correlated with maternal hatching date, and varied positively with the quality of a female's current breeding territory as predicted. However, females producing relatively more sons than daughters were less likely to return to breed in the population the following year. Although correlative, our results suggest that the rearing environment can have enduring effects on later maternal investment and sex allocation. Moreover, the overproduction of sons relative to daughters may increase costs to a female's residual reproductive value, constraining the extent to which sons might be produced in high-quality breeding conditions. Sex allocation in birds remains a contentious subject, largely because effects on offspring sex ratios are small. Our results suggest that offspring sex ratios are shaped by various processes and trade-offs that act throughout the female life history and ultimately reduce the extent of sex-ratio adjustment relative to classic theoretical predictions.
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Ahmed A. Assessment of Maternal Immunity against Newcastle Disease in Offspring Chicks
as Affected by Parents Genetic Crossing. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.3923/ajava.2015.35.42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Rutkowska J, Dubiec A, Nakagawa S. All eggs are made equal: meta-analysis of egg sexual size dimorphism in birds. J Evol Biol 2013; 27:153-60. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2013] [Revised: 10/15/2013] [Accepted: 10/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. Rutkowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences; Jagiellonian University; Kraków Poland
| | - A. Dubiec
- Museum and Institute of Zoology; Polish Academy of Sciences; Warsaw Poland
| | - S. Nakagawa
- Department of Zoology; University of Otago; Dunedin New Zealand
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19
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Muriel J, Pérez-Rodríguez L, Puerta M, Gil D. Differential effects of yolk testosterone and androstenedione in embryo development and nestling growth in the spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2013; 194:175-82. [PMID: 24090611 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2013] [Revised: 09/05/2013] [Accepted: 09/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Yolk androgens in avian eggs play a significant role in embryo and nestling development. However, few studies have examined the differential effect of two of the main yolk androgens, testosterone (T) and androstenedione (A4). Here, we injected eggs of spotless starlings with physiological levels of either T, A4, the combination T+A4 or vehicle substance (control), to examine the differential ability of these steroids to influence nestling development. We found that the duration of the embryonic period was increased by T, and less so by A4, but not by the combination T+A4. Body condition was reduced in all experimental treatments where A4 was present, particularly so in the combination T+A4. Tarsus length was increased in males by A4, and in a lower degree by T, whereas the combination T+A4 inhibited growth. However, these differences in tarsus length between groups disappeared at the end of the nestling period. Cell-mediated immune responsiveness was marginally affected by the interaction between treatment and sex. These patterns suggest that in this species, T has a stronger influence during embryo development than A4, whereas during nestling development the capacities of both androgens to influence growth are similar. The combination T+A4 showed non-additive effects, suggesting either some kind of inhibition between the two androgens, or else an excessive effect due to a bell-shaped pattern of response. Our results suggest a complex picture of sex and age-dependent effects of T and A4, and underline the necessity of further research in the metabolism and action of egg androgens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Muriel
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, E-28006 Madrid, Spain.
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20
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Offspring sex ratio varies with clutch size for female house wrens induced to lay supernumerary eggs. Behav Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/art100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
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21
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Yilmaz-Dikmen B, Dikmen S. A morphometric method of sexing white layer eggs. BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF POULTRY SCIENCE 2013. [DOI: 10.1590/s1516-635x2013000300006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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22
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Badyaev AV. "Homeostatic hitchhiking": a mechanism for the evolutionary retention of complex adaptations. Integr Comp Biol 2013; 53:913-22. [PMID: 23868466 DOI: 10.1093/icb/ict084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The complexity of organismal organization channels and accommodates novel genomic and developmental modifications. Here, I extend this perspective to suggest that emergent processes that dominate homeostasis-co-option, re-use, and recombination of accumulated elements-can create configurations and dependencies among these elements that strongly reduce the number of evolutionary steps needed for the evolution of precise novel adaptations. Evolutionary retention and environmental matching of such configurations are further facilitated when they include elements of homeostasis that are responsive to particular environmental cues. I apply this perspective to the study of evolution of sex-biased egg-laying in birds, a phenomenon that combines precision, complexity, context-dependency, and reversibility. I show that homeostatic hitchhiking can overcome the main difficulty in the evolution of this adaptation-the perceived necessity of de novo co-evolution of oogenesis, sex-determination, and order of ovulation in each environmental context-something that would require unrealistic expectations of evolutionary rates and population sizes and is not a desirable outcome for a process that needs to retain substantial environmental sensitivity. First, I explain the rationale behind the homeostatic-hitchhiking hypothesis and outline its predictions specifically for studies of sex-bias in order of egg-laying. Second, I show that a combination of self-regulatory and emergent processes and ubiquitous re-use of conserved growth factors make oogenesis particularly amendable to homeostatic hitchhiking. Third, I review empirical evidence for this mechanism in the rapid evolution of adaptive sex-biased order of egg-laying that accompanied colonization of North America by the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V Badyaev
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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23
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Saalfeld ST, Conway WC, Haukos DA, Johnson WP. Seasonal Variation in Offspring Sex Ratio in the Snowy Plover. WEST N AM NATURALIST 2013. [DOI: 10.3398/064.073.0106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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24
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Sanger TJ, Sherratt E, McGlothlin JW, Brodie ED, Losos JB, Abzhanov A. Convergent evolution of sexual dimorphism in skull shape using distinct developmental strategies. Evolution 2013; 67:2180-93. [PMID: 23888844 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 02/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Studies integrating evolutionary and developmental analyses of morphological variation are of growing interest to biologists as they promise to shed fresh light on the mechanisms of morphological diversification. Sexually dimorphic traits tend to be incredibly divergent across taxa. Such diversification must arise through evolutionary modifications to sex differences during development. Nevertheless, few studies of dimorphism have attempted to synthesize evolutionary and developmental perspectives. Using geometric morphometric analysis of head shape for 50 Anolis species, we show that two clades have converged on extreme levels of sexual dimorphism through similar, male-specific changes in facial morphology. In both clades, males have evolved highly elongate faces whereas females retain faces of more moderate proportion. This convergence is accomplished using distinct developmental mechanisms; one clade evolved extreme dimorphism through the exaggeration of a widely shared, potentially ancestral, developmental strategy whereas the other clade evolved a novel developmental strategy not observed elsewhere in the genus. Together, our analyses indicate that both shared and derived features of development contribute to macroevolutionary patterns of morphological diversity among Anolis lizards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Sanger
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA.
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25
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Bowers EK, Munclinger P, Bureš S, Kučerová L, Nádvorník P, Krist M. Cross-fostering eggs reveals that female collared flycatchers adjust clutch sex ratios according to parental ability to invest in offspring. Mol Ecol 2012; 22:215-28. [PMID: 23116299 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2012] [Revised: 09/20/2012] [Accepted: 10/02/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Across animal taxa, reproductive success is generally more variable and more strongly dependent upon body condition for males than for females; in such cases, parents able to produce offspring in above-average condition are predicted to produce sons, whereas parents unable to produce offspring in good condition should produce daughters. We tested this hypothesis in the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) by cross-fostering eggs among nests and using the condition of foster young that parents raised to fledging as a functional measure of their ability to produce fit offspring. As predicted, females raising heavier-than-average foster fledglings with their social mate initially produced male-biased primary sex ratios, whereas those raising lighter-than-average foster fledglings produced female-biased primary sex ratios. Females also produced male-biased clutches when mated to males with large secondary sexual characters (wing patches), and tended to produce male-biased clutches earlier within breeding seasons relative to females breeding later. However, females did not adjust the sex of individuals within their clutches; sex was distributed randomly with respect to egg size, laying order and paternity. Future research investigating the proximate mechanisms linking ecological contexts and the quality of offspring parents are able to produce with primary sex-ratio variation could provide fundamental insight into the evolution of context-dependent sex-ratio adjustment.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Keith Bowers
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
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26
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Kristensen DL, Erikstad KE, Reiertsen TK, Moum T, Barrett RT, Jenni-Eiermann S. Are female offspring from a single-egg seabird more costly to raise? Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
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27
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Veiga JP, Polo V, Arenas M, Sánchez S. Intruders in Nests of the Spotless Starling: Prospecting for Public Information or for Immediate Nesting Resources? Ethology 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2012.02083.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- José P. Veiga
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; CSIC; José Gutiérrez Abascal 2; Madrid; Spain
| | - Vicente Polo
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación; ESCET; Universidad Rey Juan Carlos; Madrid; Spain
| | - Marta Arenas
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; CSIC; José Gutiérrez Abascal 2; Madrid; Spain
| | - Sara Sánchez
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; CSIC; José Gutiérrez Abascal 2; Madrid; Spain
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28
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Jiménez-Cortés JG, Serrano-Meneses MA, Córdoba-Aguilar A. The effects of food shortage during larval development on adult body size, body mass, physiology and developmental time in a tropical damselfly. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2012; 58:318-326. [PMID: 22085821 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2011.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2011] [Revised: 10/29/2011] [Accepted: 11/02/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Few studies have looked jointly at the effects of larval stressors on life history and physiology across metamorphosis, especially in tropical insects. Here we investigated how the variation of food availability during the larval stage of the tropical and territorial American rubyspot damselfly (Hetaerina americana) affects adult body size and body mass, and two physiological indicators of condition--phenoloxidase activity (an indicator of immune ability) and protein concentration. We also investigated whether larval developmental time is prolonged when food is scarce, an expected situation for tropical species whose larval time is less constrained, compared to temperate species. Second instar larvae were collected from their natural environments and reared in one of two diet regimes: (i) "rich" provided with five Artemia salina prey every day, and (ii) "poor" provided with two A. salina prey every day. In order to compare how distinct our treatments were from natural conditions, a second set of last-instar larvae were also collected and allowed to emerge. Only body size and phenoloxidase increased in the rich regime, possibly to prioritize investment on sexually selected traits (which increase mating opportunities), and immune ability, given pathogen pressure. The sexes did not differ in body size in relation to food regimes but they did differ in body mass and protein concentration; this can be explained on the basis of the energetically demanding territorial activities by males (for the case of body mass), and female allocation to egg production (for the case of protein). Finally, animals delayed larval development when food was scarce, which is coherent for tropical environments. These findings provide key insights in the role of food availability in a tropical species.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Guillermo Jiménez-Cortés
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, México D.F., Mexico
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29
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Serra L, Pirrello S, Caprioli M, Griggio M, Andreotti A, Romano A, Pilastro A, Saino N, Sacchi R, Galeotti P, Fasola M, Spina F, Rubolini D. Seasonal decline of offspring quality in the European starling Sturnus vulgaris: an immune challenge experiment. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-012-1318-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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30
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Saino N, Romano M, Caprioli M, Ambrosini R, Rubolini D, Fasola M. Hatching asynchrony and offspring sex: an experiment on maternal effects in the yellow-legged gull. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2011. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2011.568973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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31
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Pryke SR, Rollins LA, Griffith SC. CONTEXT-DEPENDENT SEX ALLOCATION: CONSTRAINTS ON THE EXPRESSION AND EVOLUTION OF MATERNAL EFFECTS. Evolution 2011; 65:2792-9. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01391.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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32
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Schrand BE, Stobart CC, Engle DB, Desjardins RB, Farnsworth GL. Nestling Sex Ratios in Two Populations of Northern Mockingbirds. SOUTHEAST NAT 2011. [DOI: 10.1656/058.010.0215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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33
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Macke E, Magalhães S, Khan HDT, Luciano A, Frantz A, Facon B, Olivieri I. Sex allocation in haplodiploids is mediated by egg size: evidence in the spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch. Proc Biol Sci 2011; 278:1054-63. [PMID: 20926443 PMCID: PMC3049031 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2010] [Accepted: 09/14/2010] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Haplodiploid species display extraordinary sex ratios. However, a differential investment in male and female offspring might also be achieved by a differential provisioning of eggs, as observed in birds and lizards. We investigated this hypothesis in the haplodiploid spider mite Tetranychus urticae, which displays highly female-biased sex ratios. We show that egg size significantly determines not only larval size, juvenile survival and adult size, but also fertilization probability, as in marine invertebrates with external fertilization, so that female (fertilized) eggs are significantly larger than male (unfertilized) eggs. Moreover, females with on average larger eggs before fertilization produce a more female-biased sex ratio afterwards. Egg size thus mediates sex-specific egg provisioning, sex and offspring sex ratio. Finally, sex-specific egg provisioning has another major consequence: male eggs produced by mated mothers are smaller than male eggs produced by virgins, and this size difference persists in adults. Virgin females might thus have a (male) fitness advantage over mated females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Macke
- Université Montpellier 2, UMR 5554, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier cedex 05, France
| | - Sara Magalhães
- Université Montpellier 2, UMR 5554, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier cedex 05, France
- Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Edificio C2-3° Piso Campo Grande, 1749016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Hong Do-Thi Khan
- Université Montpellier 2, UMR 5554, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier cedex 05, France
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), 400 Route des Chappes, 06903 Sophia Antipolis cedex, France
| | - Anthony Luciano
- Université Montpellier 2, UMR 5554, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier cedex 05, France
| | - Adrien Frantz
- Université Montpellier 2, UMR 5554, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier cedex 05, France
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6), UMR 7625, 7 quai Saint Bernard—case 237, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France
| | - Benoît Facon
- Université Montpellier 2, UMR 5554, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier cedex 05, France
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), CBGP, Campus International de Baillarguet, 34988 Montferrier-sur-Lez cedex, France
| | - Isabelle Olivieri
- Université Montpellier 2, UMR 5554, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier cedex 05, France
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34
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Hegyi G, Rosivall B, Szöllősi E, Eens M, Török J. Context-dependent effects of nestling growth trajectories on recruitment probability in the collared flycatcher. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-011-1175-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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35
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López-Rull I, Celis P, Salaberria C, Puerta M, Gil D. Post-fledging recruitment in relation to nestling plasma testosterone and immunocompetence in the spotless starling. Funct Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2010.01783.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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36
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Sex allocation in Savi’s warblers Locustella luscinioides: multiple factors affect seasonal trends in brood sex ratios. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-010-1046-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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37
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Food supplementation affects egg albumen content and body size asymmetry among yellow-legged gull siblings. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-010-0993-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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38
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Rosivall B, Szöllősi E, Hasselquist D, Török J. Males are sensitive — sex-dependent effect of rearing conditions on nestling growth. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-010-0969-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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39
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Elevated testosterone levels affect female breeding success and yolk androgen deposition in a passerine bird. Behav Processes 2009; 82:312-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2009.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2009] [Revised: 07/22/2009] [Accepted: 07/26/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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40
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Maternal characteristics and the production and recruitment of sons in the eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-009-0787-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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41
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Badyaev AV. Evolutionary significance of phenotypic accommodation in novel environments: an empirical test of the Baldwin effect. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2009; 364:1125-41. [PMID: 19324617 PMCID: PMC2666683 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
When faced with changing environments, organisms rapidly mount physiological and behavioural responses, accommodating new environmental inputs in their functioning. The ubiquity of this process contrasts with our ignorance of its evolutionary significance: whereas within-generation accommodation of novel external inputs has clear fitness consequences, current evolutionary theory cannot easily link functional importance and inheritance of novel accommodations. One hundred and twelve years ago, J. M. Baldwin, H. F. Osborn and C. L. Morgan proposed a process (later termed the Baldwin effect) by which non-heritable developmental accommodation of novel inputs, which makes an organism fit in its current environment, can become internalized in a lineage and affect the course of evolution. The defining features of this process are initial overproduction of random (with respect to fitness) developmental variation, followed by within-generation accommodation of a subset of this variation by developmental or functional systems ('organic selection'), ensuring the organism's fit and survival. Subsequent natural selection sorts among resultant developmental variants, which, if recurrent and consistently favoured, can be inherited when existing genetic variance includes developmental components of individual modifications or when the ability to accommodate novel inputs is itself heritable. Here, I show that this process is consistent with the origin of novel adaptations during colonization of North America by the house finch. The induction of developmental variation by novel environments of this species's expanding range was followed by homeostatic channelling, phenotypic accommodation and directional cross-generational transfer of a subset of induced developmental outcomes favoured by natural selection. These results emphasize three principal points. First, contemporary novel adaptations result mostly from reorganization of existing structures that shape newly expressed variation, giving natural selection an appearance of a creative force. Second, evolutionary innovations and maintenance of adaptations are different processes. Third, both the Baldwin and parental effects are probably a transient state in an evolutionary cycle connecting initial phenotypic retention of adaptive changes and their eventual genetic determination and, thus, the origin of adaptation and evolutionary change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V Badyaev
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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42
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Badyaev AV, Uller T. Parental effects in ecology and evolution: mechanisms, processes and implications. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2009; 364:1169-77. [PMID: 19324619 PMCID: PMC2666689 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 252] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
As is the case with any metaphor, parental effects mean different things to different biologists--from developmental induction of novel phenotypic variation to an evolved adaptation, and from epigenetic transference of essential developmental resources to a stage of inheritance and ecological succession. Such a diversity of perspectives illustrates the composite nature of parental effects that, depending on the stage of their expression and whether they are considered a pattern or a process, combine the elements of developmental induction, homeostasis, natural selection, epigenetic inheritance and historical persistence. Here, we suggest that by emphasizing the complexity of causes and influences in developmental systems and by making explicit the links between development, natural selection and inheritance, the study of parental effects enables deeper understanding of developmental dynamics of life cycles and provides a unique opportunity to explicitly integrate development and evolution. We highlight these perspectives by placing parental effects in a wider evolutionary framework and suggest that far from being only an evolved static outcome of natural selection, a distinct channel of transmission between parents and offspring, or a statistical abstraction, parental effects on development enable evolution by natural selection by reliably transferring developmental resources needed to reconstruct, maintain and modify genetically inherited components of the phenotype. The view of parental effects as an essential and dynamic part of an evolutionary continuum unifies mechanisms behind the origination, modification and historical persistence of organismal form and function, and thus brings us closer to a more realistic understanding of life's complexity and diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V Badyaev
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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43
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Evolution of "determinants" in sex-determination: a novel hypothesis for the origin of environmental contingencies in avian sex-bias. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2008; 20:304-12. [PMID: 19073270 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2008.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2008] [Revised: 11/18/2008] [Accepted: 11/19/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Sex-determination is commonly categorized as either "genetic" or "environmental"-a classification that obscures the origin of this dichotomy and the evolution of sex-determining factors. The current focus on static outcomes of sex-determination provides little insight into the dynamic developmental processes by which some mechanisms acquire the role of sex determinants. Systems that combine "genetic" pathways of sex-determination (i.e., sex chromosomes) with "environmental" pathways (e.g., epigenetically induced segregation distortion) provide an opportunity to examine the evolutionary relationships between the two classes of processes and, ultimately, illuminate the evolution of sex-determining systems. Taxa with sex chromosomes typically undergo an evolutionary reduction in size of one of the sex chromosomes due to suppressed recombination, resulting in pronounced dimorphism of the sex chromosomes, and setting the stage for emergence of epigenetic compensatory mechanisms regulating meiotic segregation of heteromorphic sex chromosomes. Here we propose that these dispersed and redundant regulatory mechanisms enable environmental contingency in genetic sex-determination in birds and account for frequently documented context-dependence in avian sex-determination. We examine the evolution of directionality in such sex-determination as a result of exposure of epigenetic regulators of meiosis to natural selection and identify a central role of hormones in integrating female reproductive homeostasis, resource allocation to oocytes, and offspring sex. This approach clarifies the evolutionary relationship between sex-specific molecular genetic mechanisms of sex-determination and non-sex-specific epigenetic regulators of meiosis and demonstrates that both can determine sex. Our perspective shows how non-sex-specific mechanisms can acquire sex-determining function and, by establishing the explicit link between physiological integration of oogenesis and sex-determination, opens new avenues to the studies of adaptive sex-bias and sex-specific resource allocation in species with genetic sex-determination.
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44
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Gil D, Bulmer E, Celis P, Puerta M. Increased sibling competition does not increase testosterone or corticosterone levels in nestlings of the spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor). Horm Behav 2008; 54:238-43. [PMID: 18190915 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2007] [Revised: 11/19/2007] [Accepted: 11/19/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Nestling begging in passerine birds is a complex behaviour that is shaped by a multitude of ecological factors and could be physiologically mediated by varying levels of steroid hormones. Previous research has shown links between sibling competition and testosterone and corticosterone in several bird species. The spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor) is a medium sized passerine in which nestlings compete intensively for resources, often resulting in marked size hierarchies that can have profound effects on their fitness. We tested the hypothesis that an increase in sibling competition levels would result in increases in testosterone and corticosterone in this species. To this end we conducted a brood size manipulation, creating small, medium and large broods. This manipulation had the expected effect on morphology: nestling size and mass decreased with increasing brood size. Androgen levels varied in response to brood size manipulation but, contrary to expectations, the largest concentrations were found in reduced brood sizes. Corticosterone levels increased with increasing brood size, but this effect disappeared when we corrected for the time taken to process nestlings. Cell-mediated immune response was found to decrease with increasing brood size and testosterone levels. The results suggest that the proposed link between testosterone and corticosterone and sibling competition does not hold in this species, and underlines the diversity of species-specific responsiveness to steroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Gil
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutierrez Abascal 2, E-28006 Madrid, Spain.
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Veiga J, Polo V. Fitness Consequences of Increased Testosterone Levels in Female Spotless Starlings. Am Nat 2008; 172:42-53. [DOI: 10.1086/587850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Badyaev AV, Young RL, Hill GE, Duckworth RA. Evolution of sex-biased maternal effects in birds. IV. Intra-ovarian growth dynamics can link sex determination and sex-specific acquisition of resources. J Evol Biol 2008; 21:449-60. [PMID: 18205775 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2007.01498.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The evolutionary importance of maternal effects is determined by the interplay of maternal adaptations and strategies, offspring susceptibility to these strategies, and the similarity of selection pressures between the two generations. Interaction among these components, especially in species where males and females differ in the costs and requirements of growth, limits inference about the evolution of maternal strategies from their expression in the offspring phenotype alone. As an alternative approach, we examine divergence in the proximate mechanisms underlying maternal effects across three house finch populations with contrasting patterns of sex allocation: an ancestral population that shows no sex-biased ovulation, and two recently established populations at the northern and southern boundaries of the species range that have opposite sequences of ovulation of male and female eggs. For each population, we examined how oocyte acquisition of hormones, carotenoids and vitamins was affected by oocyte growth and overlap with the same and opposite sexes. Our results suggest that sex-specific acquisition of maternal resources and sex determination of oocytes are linked in this system. We report that acquisition of testosterone by oocytes that become males was not related to growth duration, but instead covaried with temporal exposure to steroids and overlap with other male oocytes. In female oocytes, testosterone acquisition increased with the duration of growth and overlap with male oocytes, but decreased with overlap with female oocytes. By contrast, acquisition of carotenoids and vitamins was mostly determined by organism-wide partitioning among oocytes and oocyte-specific patterns of testosterone accumulation, and these effects did not differ between the sexes. These results provide important insights into three unresolved phenomena in the evolution of maternal effects - (i) the evolution of sex-specific maternal allocation in species with simultaneously developing neonates of both sexes; (ii) the link between sex determination and sex-specific acquisition of maternal products; and (iii) the evolution of context-dependent modulation of maternal effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- A V Badyaev
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
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Food supply during prelaying period modifies the sex-dependent investment in eggs of Eurasian kestrels. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-007-0405-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Sex-specific maternal effect on egg mass, laying order, and sibling competition in the Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata var. domestica). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-007-0400-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Uller T, Olsson M. NO SEASONAL SEX-RATIO SHIFT DESPITE SEX-SPECIFIC FITNESS RETURNS OF HATCHING DATE IN A LIZARD WITH GENOTYPIC SEX DETERMINATION. Evolution 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2006.tb01850.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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D'Alba L, Torres R. Seasonal Egg-Mass Variation and Laying Sequence in a Bird With Facultative Brood Reduction. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1093/auk/124.2.643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Females may maximize their lifetime reproductive output by adjusting their investment in each breeding event to the perceived likelihood of success. The Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) is a long-lived seabird with facultative siblicide. We examined whether there is differential resource allocation to eggs with laying order and whether greater egg mass increases hatching probability, chick survival, hatching interval, and mass and size at hatching. We found that the relative investment in first and second eggs decreased as the season advanced: second eggs were slightly (1.5%) heavier than first eggs in early clutches; by contrast, first eggs were 2% heavier than second eggs in late clutches. Accordingly, hatching probability increased with laying date for first eggs and decreased for second eggs. The mass of the egg increased hatching probability, and no effect on chick survival was detected. Laying interval increased after a heavier egg was laid, and heavier eggs produced heavier hatchlings. Hatching intervals were positively related to laying intervals, but egg mass was unrelated to the length of the incubation period and the hatching interval. Our results suggest that egg mass influences embryo survival and that Blue-footed Booby females may adaptively allocate resources to eggs of different laying order according to breeding conditions.
Variación del Peso de los Huevos y Secuencia de Postura en un Ave con Reducción Facultativa de la Nidada
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana D'Alba
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 70-275, México D.F. 4510, Mexico
| | - Roxana Torres
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 70-275, México D.F. 4510, Mexico
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