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Miller KD, Atkins Coleman AJ, O'Neil KL, Mueller AJ, Pell RD, Bowers EK. Individual Optimization of Reproductive Investment and the Cost of Incubation in a Wild Songbird. Am Nat 2024; 203:254-266. [PMID: 38306278 DOI: 10.1086/727967] [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: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
AbstractDespite avid interest in life history trade-offs and the costs of reproduction, evidence that increased parental allocation reduces subsequent breeding productivity is mixed. This uncertainty may be attributable to environmental heterogeneity in space and time, necessitating experiments across a range of ecological contexts. Over three breeding seasons, we cross-fostered clutches between nests to manipulate incubation duration in a wild population of Carolina wrens, a species in which only females incubate, to test for a cost of incubation on current and future reproduction. Prolonged incubation affected maternal productivity in a manner dependent on the current environment and initial investment in eggs, suggesting that incubation is optimized according to other components of reproduction and individual quality. Effects of incubation duration on foster nestling condition varied between years, being costly in one, beneficial in another, and neutral in the third. The proportion of young fledged, females' probability of breeding again within seasons, and subsequent clutch sizes all declined with increasing incubation effort-effects that became more pronounced as seasons progressed. Therefore, costs of incubation were almost entirely dependent on maternal quality and environmental variation, illustrating the importance of conducting experiments across a range of environmental settings for understanding the costs of reproduction and evolution of life histories.
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Reformulation of Trivers-Willard hypothesis for parental investment. Commun Biol 2022; 5:371. [PMID: 35440689 PMCID: PMC9018816 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03286-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The Trivers-Willard hypothesis (TWH) plays a central role in understanding the optimal investment strategies to male and female offspring. Empirical studies of TWH, however, yielded conflicting results. Here, we present models to predict optimal comprehensive multi-element parental strategies composed of primary sex ratio, brood size, resource allocation among offspring, and the resultant secondary sex ratio. Our results reveal that the optimal strategy depends on sex differences in the shape of offspring fitness function rather than in fitness variance. Also, the slope of the tangent line (through the origin) to the offspring fitness function can be used to predict the preferred offspring sex. We also briefly discuss links between the model and the empirical research. This comprehensive reformulation of TWH will offer a thorough understanding of multi-element parental investment strategies beyond the classical TWH.
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3
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Parental favoritism in a wild bird population. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:677-687. [PMID: 33398622 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01463-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
In most taxa with altricial young, offspring solicit food from their parents using a combination of visual and acoustic stimuli, but exactly what these young are communicating, and how selection shapes parental responses, remains unresolved. Theory posits that parents' interpretation and response to begging should vary with the likelihood of a return on their investment. We tested this in a wild population of prothonotary warblers (Protonotaria citrea), predicting that parents bias food non-randomly toward certain individuals within their broods depending on both the size and number of offspring. We observed parent-offspring interactions and detected strong dependence between brood size and nestling size in shaping parental responses to begging. Larger siblings were less likely to solicit food during feeding events than their smaller siblings, but they received a disproportionate share from parents in nests containing fewer-than-average young, whereas the smaller-than-average nestlings were disproportionately fed in broods containing a greater-than-average number of young. These findings suggest that parents respond to begging signals according to multiple social cues, favoring the stronger siblings with greater survival prospects when few copies of their genes are present, but overtly favoring runts to ensure whole-brood survival when capable of fledging more young. Future experimental studies may shed light on the contributions of parental decision-making and memory, how young nestlings learn in parent-offspring communication systems, and the adaptive significance of these behaviors.
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Germain RM, Grainger TN, Jones NT, Gilbert B. Maternal provisioning is structured by species’ competitive neighborhoods. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.05530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M. Germain
- Dept Botany and Dept of Zoology, Univ. of British Columbia; Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Tess N. Grainger
- Dept Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Toronto; Toronto ON Canada
| | - Natalie T. Jones
- Dept Biological Sciences, Univ. of California - San Diego; San Diego CA USA
| | - Benjamin Gilbert
- Dept Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Toronto; Toronto ON Canada
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Poorboy DM, Bowers EK, Sakaluk SK, Thompson CF. Experimental cross-fostering of eggs reveals effects of territory quality on reproductive allocation. Behav Ecol 2018; 29:1190-1198. [PMID: 30214135 PMCID: PMC6129948 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Parental and territory quality are often correlated in territorial birds, and both factors influence the resources allocated to offspring. Surprisingly, the relative contribution of these two components of variation in parental investment remains obscure. We experimentally decoupled the normal covariation between parental quality and territory quality to test the hypothesis that territory quality influences female prenatal and postnatal reproductive allocation. Territories were categorized into low-, intermediate-, and high-quality based on fledging success of nests over the previous 6 years (nesting sites are fixed in space).To decouple covariation between territory quality and individual quality, nestbox entrance size was increased on high-quality territories and left small on poor-quality sites because house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) prefer small over large entrances to their nest sites. We found a significant prenatal effect of territory quality on nestling provisioning: when reared on intermediate-quality territories, nestlings hatching from eggs produced on low-quality territories were provisioned at a higher rate than those hatching from eggs produced on high-quality territories. We propose that the increased provisioning was brought about by increased nestling begging mediated by a maternally derived compound, such as corticosterone, transferred to the eggs of stressed females in poor-quality habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan M Poorboy
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - E Keith Bowers
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences and Edward J. Meeman Biological Station, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Scott K Sakaluk
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Charles F Thompson
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
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Ratikainen II, Haaland TR, Wright J. Differential allocation of parental investment and the trade-off between size and number of offspring. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20181074. [PMID: 30068679 PMCID: PMC6111174 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
When parents decide how much to invest in current versus future offspring and how many offspring to divide their current investments between, the optimal decision can be affected by the quality of their partner. This differential allocation (DA) is highly dependent on exactly how partner quality affects reproductive costs and offspring benefits. We present a stochastic dynamic model of DA in which females care for a series of clutches when mated with males of different quality. In each reproductive event, females choose the size and number of offspring. We find that if partner quality affects reproductive costs, then DA in total reproductive investment occurs only via changes in the number of offspring. DA in the optimal size of the offspring occurs only if partner quality affects the offspring benefit function. This is mostly in the form of greater female investment per offspring as male quality decreases. Simultaneously, we find that adaptive DA increases the number of offspring, and thus the amount of total investment, as male quality increases. Only certain model scenarios produce the positive DA in offspring size seen in empirical studies, providing a predictive framework for DA and how partner quality affects reproductive costs and offspring benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irja Ida Ratikainen
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Høgskoleringen 5, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Thomas Ray Haaland
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Høgskoleringen 5, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jonathan Wright
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Høgskoleringen 5, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
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Haaland TR, Wright J, Kuijper B, Ratikainen II. Differential Allocation Revisited: When Should Mate Quality Affect Parental Investment? Am Nat 2017; 190:534-546. [DOI: 10.1086/693484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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8
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Pigeon G, Festa-Bianchet M, Pelletier F. Long-term fitness consequences of early environment in a long-lived ungulate. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:rspb.2017.0222. [PMID: 28424347 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Cohort effects can be a major source of heterogeneity and play an important role in population dynamics. Silver-spoon effects, when environmental quality at birth improves future performance regardless of the adult environment, can induce strong lagged responses on population growth. Alternatively, the external predictive adaptive response (PAR) hypothesis predicts that organisms will adjust their developmental trajectory and physiology during early life in anticipation of expected adult conditions but has rarely been assessed in wild species. We used over 40 years of detailed individual monitoring of bighorn ewes (Ovis canadensis) to quantify long-term cohort effects on survival and reproduction. We then tested both the silver-spoon and the PAR hypotheses. Cohort effects involved a strong interaction between birth and current environments: reproduction and survival were lowest for ewes that were born and lived at high population densities. This interaction, however, does not support the PAR hypothesis because individuals with matching high-density birth and adult environments had reduced fitness. Instead, individuals born at high density had overall lower lifetime fitness suggesting a silver-spoon effect. Early-life conditions can induce long-term changes in fitness components, and their effects on cohort fitness vary according to adult environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Pigeon
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1 K 2R1
| | - Marco Festa-Bianchet
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1 K 2R1
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1 K 2R1
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Beyer JE, Hambright KD. Maternal effects are no match for stressful conditions: a test of the maternal match hypothesis in a common zooplankter. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica E. Beyer
- Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Plankton Ecology and Limnology Laboratory Department of Biology University of Oklahoma Norman OK USA
| | - K. David Hambright
- Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Plankton Ecology and Limnology Laboratory Department of Biology University of Oklahoma Norman OK USA
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Wang Y, Zeng ZG, Ma L, Li SR, Du WG. Food restriction affects maternal investment but not neonate phenotypes in a viviparous lizard. Zool Res 2017; 38:81-87. [PMID: 28409503 PMCID: PMC5396030 DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2017.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Food availability significantly affects an animal's energy metabolism, and thus its phenotype, survival, and reproduction. Maternal and offspring responses to food conditions are critical for understanding population dynamics and life-history evolution of a species. In this study, we conducted food manipulation experiments in field enclosures to identify the effect of food restriction on female reproductive traits and postpartum body condition, as well as on hatchling phenotypes, in a lacertid viviparous lizard from the Inner Mongolian desert steppe of China. Females under low-food availability treatment (LFT) had poorer immune function and body condition compared with those under high-food availability treatment (HFT). The food availability treatments significantly affected the litter size and litter mass of the females, but not their gestation period in captivity or brood success, or the body size, sprint speed, and sex ratio of the neonates. Females from the LFT group had smaller litter sizes and, therefore, lower litter mass than those from the HFT group. These results suggest that female racerunners facing food restriction lay fewer offspring with unchanged body size and locomotor performance, and incur a cost in the form of poor postpartum body condition and immune function. The flexibility of maternal responses to variable food availability represents an important life strategy that could enhance the resistance of lizards to unpredictable environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhi-Gao Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Liang Ma
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shu-Ran Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wei-Guo Du
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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11
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Engqvist L, Reinhold K. Adaptive trans‐generational phenotypic plasticity and the lack of an experimental control in reciprocal match/mismatch experiments. Methods Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leif Engqvist
- Behavioural Ecology Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Wohlenstrasse 50A CH‐3032 Hinterkappelen Switzerland
- Evolutionary Biology Bielefeld University Morgenbreede 45, D‐33615 Bielefeld Germany
| | - Klaus Reinhold
- Evolutionary Biology Bielefeld University Morgenbreede 45, D‐33615 Bielefeld Germany
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