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109 results for “bird reproduction”

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dryad36/100

Colorful traits in female birds relate to individual condition, reproductive performance, and male mate preferences: A meta-analytic approach dataset

Colorful traits in females are suggested to have evolved and be maintained by sexual selection. Although several studies have evaluated this idea, support is still equivocal. Evidence has been compiled in reviews, and a handful of quantitative synthesis have explored evidence of the link between condition and specific color traits in males and females. However, understanding the potential function of females' colorful traits in sexual communication has not been the primary focus of any of those previous studies. Here, using a meta-analytic approach, we find that evidence from empirical studies in birds supports the idea that colorful female ornaments are positively associated with residual mass and immune response, clutch size, and male-mate preferences. Hence, colorful traits in female birds likely evolved and are maintained by sexual selection.

opencc-zeroAug 2021View details →

dryad36/100

Data for: The El Nino-Southern Oscillation dramatically reduces the frequency of reproduction and reproductive rate of a tropical forest bird

Although climate change has been implicated in population declines of tropical forest birds, there is a critical lack of data on the mechanisms underlying these declines. Attempts to link climatic factors to variation in adult survival, fecundity, or nest success have been largely inconclusive. Recent community-scale analyses have suggested that tropical birds may be less likely to breed under adverse conditions, but long-term data on individual reproduction are needed to test this hypothesis. Here we leverage 12 years of data on a lowland forest bird, the greater ani (Crotophaga major), to investigate how demographic parameters vary with phase of the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a major driver of climatic conditions in tropical wet forest. The likelihood of breeding and annual reproductive rate both decreased dramatically in El Niño-like years, with only 37.5% of adults attempting breeding in 2015 (a strong El Niño year). For birds that did breed, however, clutch size and daily nest predation rate were unaffected by climate. Of the local climate variables investigated, dry season length and the frequency of high temperatures were most closely associated with reproductive failure. These results indicate that El Niño conditions alter the demography of greater anis by reducing the likelihood of reproduction, a response that may be more widespread than currently recognized. We suggest that reduced reproduction under adverse conditions represents an important and understudied aspect of the life histories of tropical forest birds.

opencc-zeroSep 2021View details →

dryad36/100

Why do parents produce small broods of offspring that have lower body mass, survival, and lifetime reproductive success? A case study in a long-lived bird

Numerous studies have examined the correlation between offspring quantity and quality, and many have found that the most common brood size is often smaller than broods with the highest offspring quality or production. However, the reasons why these small broods with lower offspring quality are produced, are still poorly explained. Using data spanning 29 years, we investigated the effects of brood size on nestlings' body mass and the lifetime fitness for those offspring as adults (as proxies of offspring quality) in the Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon). We also examined the temporal variation of brood size. We found that overall offspring quality increases with brood size and that individuals from broods of three had the highest quality, as quantified by larger body mass, higher adult survival, and lifetime reproductive success. Furthermore, brood size of an individual pair significantly varied across years, and the proportion of broods containing two offspring increased while broods of three decreased after 2000 when the population dispersed to low-quality habitat. These findings indicate that spatiotemporal variation in resources may impact variation in brood size and subsequent fitness consequences, and that small broods are more common in resource-poor years or low-quality habitats. In contrast, parents with access to high-quality resources produce larger broods of nestlings that achieve higher body mass and subsequently experience higher adult survival and lifetime fitness. This study highlights how variation in life history traits can be influenced by resource condition, and provides an insight into particular habitat that need conservation for Crested Ibis.

opencc-zeroJan 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Data and code for: When origin, reproduction ability, and diet define the role of birds in invasions

The ecological impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) are increasingly documented, however, they are usually studied through the lens of either the IAS or the species that suffer from them (IAS-threatened species). A clear understanding of how both protagonists of biological invasions are characterized is still lacking. We investigated the morphology, life-history, and ecology of birds involved in biological invasions. Evaluating the disposal of 450 IAS-threatened birds and 400 alien birds in a functional space, we found that both groups harbored various strategies. Aliens had larger clutches and were more herbivorous than IAS-threatened and worldwide birds, while IAS-threatened birds were more insular endemic from the Australia region than alien and worldwide birds. IAS-threatened species showed opposite strategies to alien birds regarding traits related to diet, origin, and reproduction. Further exploring traits associated with impact magnitude, we found that alien birds with high impact had a generalist behavior and an animal-based diet. Although traits were a strong basis to distinguish aliens from IAS-threatened birds, they did not differentiate the impact type. In conclusion, by emphasizing differences relating to the density distribution of bird groups in a functional space, we opened new opportunities to identify the role of birds in biological invasions.

opencc-zeroMar 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Climatic forcing and individual heterogeneity in a resident mountain bird: legacy data reveal effects on reproductive strategies

Optimization of clutch size and timing of reproduction have substantial effects on lifetime reproductive success in vertebrates, and both individual quality and environmental variation may impact life history strategies. We tested hypotheses related to maternal investment and timing of reproduction, using 17 years (1978-1994) of individual-based life history data on willow ptarmigan (Lagopus l. lagopus, n=290 breeding females with n=319 breeding attempts) in central Norway. We analysed whether climatic variation and individual state variables (age and body mass) affected number of offspring and timing of reproduction, and individual repeatability in strategies. The results suggest that willow ptarmigan share a common optimal clutch size that is largely independent of measured individual states. While we found no clear direct weather effects on clutch size, higher spring temperatures advanced onset of breeding, and early breeding was followed by an increased number of offspring. Warmer springs were positively related to maternal mass, and mass interacted with clutch size in production of hatchlings. Finally, clutch size and timing of reproduction were highly repeatable within individuals, indicating that individual quality guided trade-offs in reproductive effort. Our results demonstrate how climatic forcing and individual heterogeneity in combination influenced life history traits in a resident montane keystone species.

opencc-zeroMay 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Complex relationships between climate and reproduction in a resident montane bird

Animals use climate-related environmental cues to fine-tune breeding timing and investment to match peak food availability. In birds, spring temperature is a commonly documented cue used to initiate breeding, but with global climate change, organisms are experiencing both directional changes in ambient temperatures and extreme year-to-year precipitation fluctuations. Montane environments exhibit complex climate patterns where temperatures and precipitation change along elevational gradients, and where exacerbated annual variation in precipitation has resulted in extreme swings between heavy snow and drought. We used 10 years of data to investigate how annual variation in climatic conditions is associated with differences in breeding phenology and reproductive performance in resident mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli) at two elevations in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains, USA. Variation in spring temperature was not associated with differences in breeding phenology across elevations in our system. Greater snow accumulation was associated with later breeding initiation at high, but not low, elevation. Brood size was reduced under drought, but only at low elevation. Our data suggest complex relationships between climate and avian reproduction and point to fall climate as important for reproductive performance, likely via its effect on phenology and abundance of invertebrates.

opencc-zeroJun 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Heritable variation in thermal profiles is associated with reproductive success in the world's largest bird

Organisms inhabiting extreme thermal environments, such as desert birds, have evolved spectacular adaptations to thermoregulate during hot and cold conditions. However, our knowledge of selection for thermoregulation and the potential for evolutionary responses is limited, particularly for large organisms experiencing extreme temperature fluctuations. Here we use thermal imaging to quantify selection and genetic variation in thermoregulation in ostriches (Struthio camelus), the world's largest bird species that is experiencing increasingly volatile temperatures. We found that females that are better at regulating their head temperatures ('thermoregulatory capacity') had higher egg-laying rates under hotter conditions. Thermoregulatory capacity was both heritable and showed signatures of local adaptation: females originating from more unpredictable climates were better at regulating their head temperatures in response to temperature fluctuations. Together these results reveal that past and present evolutionary processes have shaped genetic variation in thermoregulatory capacity, which appears to protect critical organs, such as the brain, from extreme temperatures during reproduction.

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

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