Changes in lipid and protein reserves and in diet of breeding House Sparrows

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 950-956 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Krementz ◽  
C. Davison Ankney
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
High Protein ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Fat Reserves ◽  
Egg Formation ◽  
Nutrient Reserves

We collected House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) around London, Ontario, weighed their protein and fat reserves, and determined their food habits and egg production to test the effects of reserve levels on the timing of egg formation and the control of clutch size. Although consumption of high-protein foods was apparently related to insect availability, females consumed more high-protein foods than did males, especially during the laying period. Before egg production began, protein and fat reserves of males declined but those of females were constant. After egg production began, reserves of males remained constant through postreproduction. Neither protein nor fat reserves were accumulated by females before egg formation began, suggesting that an elevated threshold level of nutrient reserves was not necessary to commence egg formation. Protein reserves of females did not decline during egg production; fat reserves increased just before the first ovulation and declined rapidly thereafter. Neither fat reserve levels on the first day of ovulation nor the decline in fat reserves thereafter were related to clutch size. Postlaying females had, on average, enough fat reserves to produce an additional egg. We conclude that although female House Sparrow use fat reserves during egg laying, their clutch size is not controlled thereby.

Intraseasonal Reproductive Costs for the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

The Auk ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 100 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Bruce McGillivray
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Physiological Strain ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Fat Reserves ◽  
Breeding Attempt

Abstract House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) near Calgary, Alberta begin breeding in early spring and continue through to late summer. High productivity from previous broods is negatively correlated with fledgling production from second and third broods. Although fat reserves may limit the ability of females to raise young, there is no concomitant drop in clutch size or in the probability of renesting. Pairs that fledge many young in a year space fledgling production evenly over the breeding season but are most productive in mid-season. The interval between fledging and the initiation of the next clutch increases with the number fledged. This delay, an indication of the physiological strain involved in rearing young, is greater for later broods and for females nesting in trees. Measures of reproductive effort (clutch size, number fledged, length of the nestling period) vary seasonally but give no indication of peaking for last broods. Thus, reproductive effort is not adjusted to parallel changes in the probability of surviving to the next breeding attempt.

scholarly journals Nutrient Reserves and Clutch-Size Regulation of Northern Shovelers in Alaska

The Auk ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 971-979 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret C. MacCluskie ◽  
James S. Sedinger
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Brood Rearing ◽  
Nutrient Reserve ◽  
Anas Clypeata ◽  
Nutrient Reserves ◽  
Nest Initiation

Abstract We determined patterns of nutrient-reserve use by female Northern Shovelers (Anas clypeata) nesting at Minto Flats, Alaska, and compared them with those of female shovelers nesting in the Prairie Pothole Region of Manitoba, Canada. Individual variation in somatic lipid was best explained by nest initiation date; females that initiated nests early had larger lipid reserves than females that delayed nest initiation. These results contrast with those from Manitoba, which showed that females used lipid reserves and stored protein during egg production. Incubating females from Alaska did not use protein or mineral reserves, but lipid reserves decreased significantly throughout incubation. Females in Alaska and Manitoba used lipid reserves similarly during incubation. We conclude that endogenous nutrient availability does not proximately limit clutch size during laying for this population of shovelers, possibly due to the high productivity of wetlands in interior Alaska and/or the long photoperiod that allow females to forage extensively. Successful completion of incubation or brood rearing may be an ultimate factor that controls clutch size for this population of shovelers.

Bioenergetics of Egg Production by Female House Sparrows

The Auk ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Krementz ◽  
C. Davison Ankney
Keyword(s):  
Total Energy ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Standard Metabolic Rate ◽  
Energy Requirements ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Energy Expenditures ◽  
Total Body ◽  
Production Period

Abstract To determine the daily and total energy expenditures of breeding female House Sparrows (Passer domesticus), we collected 276 females near London, Ontario between April 1981 and May 1983. Protein and fat content of developing follicles, eggs, and oviducts were determined and converted into their energy equivalents. Eight days were required to develop and lay a modal clutch of 4 eggs. Fat energy requirements were not estimable accurately because total body fat did not decline linearly over the egg production period; therefore, energy requirements were estimated as a range. Based on a 4-egg clutch, the maximum daily costs of reproduction, 16.5-17.6 kJ/day, equalled 44-47% of a female's standard metabolic rate. We estimate that daily costs very less than 10% for other clutch sizes (3 or 5). The total energy demand of reproduction was 66-71 kJ. Protein requirements comprised 59-63% of the total costs and were apportioned among oviduct (5-6%), yolk protein (17-19%), and albumen (36-39%). Fat requirements accounted for the remaining 37-41% of total costs. Based on our estimates of energy needed for reproduction, and on other evidence, we suspect that egg production by House Sparrows is not constrained by energy acquisition.

Nutrient Reserve Dynamics of Breeding and Molting Brant

The Auk ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 361-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Davison Ankney
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Northwest Territories ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Nutritional Stress ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Branta Bernicla ◽  
Nutrient Reserve ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Nutrient Reserves

Abstract I collected 150 Brant (Branta bernicla) at East Bay, Southampton Island, Northwest Territories, Canada, in 1979 and 1980 to evaluate how much these birds rely on reserves of fat, protein, and calcium during egg production, incubation, and the subsequent wing molt. Egg laying resulted in decreases in body weight and nutrient reserves of females. These decreases could have accounted for all of the fat but only 70% of the protein in an average clutch. Neither males nor females had sufficient reserves when incubation began to enable them to fast during that period. Only 11% and 22% of the energy required by males and females, respectively, could have been derived from their reserves during incubation. Brant evidently did not use body reserves to obtain nutrients for feather growth during wing molt. Rather, molting males and females accumulated muscle protein, which supports my hypothesis that wing molt is not a nutritional stress for waterfowl.

scholarly journals Dietary carotenoid supplementation facilitates egg laying in a wild passerine

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge García-Campa ◽  
Wendt Müller ◽  
Sonia González-Braojos ◽  
Emilio García-Juárez ◽  
Judith Morales
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Antioxidant Properties ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Blue Tit ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Dietary Carotenoid

During egg laying, female birds face a trade-off between self-maintenance and investment into current reproduction. Providing eggs with resources is energetically demanding, since in most species females lay one egg per day. However, the costs of egg laying not only relate to energetic requirements, but also depend on the availability of specific resources that are vital for egg production and embryonic development. One of these compounds are carotenoids, pigments with antioxidant properties and immuno-stimulatory functions, which are crucial during embryonic development. In this study, we explore how carotenoid availability alleviates this trade-off and facilitates egg laying in the blue tit. Blue tit females lay one egg per day and have the largest clutch size of all European passerines. We performed a lutein supplementation experiment, and measured potential consequences for egg laying capacity and egg quality. We found that lutein-supplemented females had less laying interruptions and thus completed their clutch faster than control females. No effects of treatment were found on the onset of egg laying or clutch size. Experimentally enhanced carotenoid availability did not elevate yolk carotenoid levels or egg mass, but negatively affected eggshell thickness. Our results provide hence evidence on the limiting role of carotenoids during egg laying, However, the benefits of laying faster following lutein supplementation were counterbalanced by a lower accumulation of calcium in the eggshell. Thus, even though single components may constrain egg laying, it is the combined availability of a range of different resources which ultimately determines egg quality and thus embryonic development.

Effect of Estradiol Monobenzoate on some Serum Constituents of Maturing Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

1961 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 859-864 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Chung-Wai Ho ◽  
W. E. Vanstone
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
Gonadal Hormones ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Blood Picture ◽  
Exogenous Estrogen ◽  
Egg Formation

Blood changes associated with egg production or estrogenization in other egg-laying vertebrates have been obtained in adult sockeye salmon. The blood picture of male salmon following estrogenization approaches that of sexually maturing females. Exogenous estrogen superimposed on endogenous gonadal hormones in maturing female salmon enhances the serum changes associated with egg formation.

Egg productivity of quails of Japanese breed under different phase feeding schemes

2021 ◽  
pp. 31-39
Author(s):  
A. A. Kretov
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive System ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Secretory Activity ◽  
Reproductive Organs ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Phase 3 ◽  
Risk Zone ◽  
Egg Formation

The primary cause of injuries and inflammation of the reproductive system in female quails in industrial quail farming is the process of egg formation and its passage through the oviduct. With technological injuries females aged from 42 to 55 days are involved into the risk zone, whose weight of laid eggs ranges from 11,6 to 13,7 g. In previous morphological and histological studies, the following patterns of development of the organs of the reproductive system of quails under conditions of intensive technology have been established. The development of the reproductive organs of female quails of Japanese breed proceeds sequentially in seven periods: the first (1–21 days) is the period of relative rest of the growth of organs, the second (21–35 days) is the period of intensive morphogenesis of the ovaries and oviduct departments, the third (35–45 days) is the period of preparation and the beginning of egg laying, the fourth (45–75 days) is the period of egg laying growth or functional formation of the oviduct departments, the fifth (75–185 days) is the period of intensive folliculogenesis and high secretory activity of the departments of the oviduct or the peak of egg production, the sixth (185–200 days) is the beginning of the involution of the reproductive organs and a decrease in the rate of egg production, the seventh (200 days and older) is the involution of the reproductive organs and the termination of egg laying. Taking into account these patterns of development of the reproductive organs of quails, the feeding scheme of female egg quails has been adjusted, which provides for the division of the productive period into 4 phases: phase 1 is the beginning of egg production (36–45 days), phase 2 is the growth of egg production (46–75 days), phase 3 is the peak of egg production (76–185 days) and phase 4 is the decline of egg production (185–200 days). The proposed scheme of phase feeding of female quails of Japanese breed during the productive period is the advantageous technological technique, since it allows to reduce the injuries of the poultry oviduct and improve the quality indicators of the quail egg, as a result of reducing the weight and size of eggs in the initial phase of egg production and the number of large eggs during the entire productive period. The use of the new scheme of phase feeding of female quails of Japanese breed allows us to get more egg mass by 67,5 kg, due to the increase in the gross harvest of commercial quail eggs by 4,5 % and the livability of the quails by 5,6 %.

scholarly journals Mass-dependent predation risk as a mechanism for house sparrow declines?

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross MacLeod ◽  
Phil Barnett ◽  
Jacquie Clark ◽  
Will Cresswell
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Fat Reserves ◽  
Mass Dependent ◽  
Starvation Risk

House sparrow ( Passer domesticus ) numbers have declined rapidly in both rural and urban habitats across Western Europe over the last 30 years, leading to their inclusion on the UK conservation red list. The decline in farmland has been linked to a reduction in winter survival caused by reduced food supply. This reduction in food supply is associated with agricultural intensification that has led to the loss of seed-rich winter stubble and access to spilt grain. However, urban house sparrows have also declined, suggesting that reduced food supply in farmland is not the sole reason for the decline. Here, we show that changes in house sparrow mass and thus fat reserves are not regulated to minimize starvation risk, as would be expected if limited winter food were the only cause of population decline. Instead, the species appears to be responding to mass-dependent predation risk, with starvation risk and predation risk traded-off such that house sparrows may be particularly vulnerable to environmental change that reduces the predictability of the food supply.

scholarly journals Continuous Laying and Clutch-Size Limitation in Mallards

The Auk ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 261-266
Author(s):  
Todd W. Arnold ◽  
David W. Howerter ◽  
James H. Devries ◽  
Brian L. Joynt ◽  
Robert B. Emery ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Anas Platyrhynchos ◽  
Nest Success ◽  
Large Component ◽  
Egg Formation ◽  
Size Limitation

Abstract We assessed nutritional constraints on clutch size in Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) by observing incidence and consequences of continuous laying—the sequential production of eggs in two or more nest bowls. Continuous laying behavior was detected in 278 of 3,064 radiotracked Mallards (9.1%). Continuous laying females produced an average of 12.12 total eggs (SD = 2.70, range 5–18, n = 69), versus 8.90 eggs for normal nesting females (SD = 1.67, range 4–14, n = 587). On average, continuous laying females were 25 g heavier than noncontinuous laying females, and body mass was positively correlated with egg production among continuous laying females. Nest success was not affected by continuous laying, but continuous laying females that abandoned their nests were more likely to be young or to have laid a greater number of eggs. A large component of the breeding Mallard population can lay more eggs than they typically do, and there appear to be minimal consequences of that behavior. These observations appear inconsistent with the egg-formation hypothesis.

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