Erratum: Sex differences in parental care in the common swift (Apus apus): effect of brood size and nestling age

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (11) ◽  
pp. 2130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Carere ◽  
Enrico Alleva
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
The Common

Sex differences in parental care in the common swift (Apus apus): effect of brood size and nestling age

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
pp. 1382-1387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Carere ◽  
Enrico Alleva
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Energy Requirements ◽  
Mediterranean Population ◽  
Parental Behaviour ◽  
Breeding Activity ◽  
The Common ◽  
Meal Delivery

We analysed sex differences in parental behaviour in a Mediterranean population of common swifts (Apus apus). Females attended the nest and fed the chicks at a higher rate than males and were more in contact with the nestlings during the first days after hatching, while no sex differences were found in other parameters measured. For larger broods no quantitative sex differences were observed in meal-delivery and brooding time, while for small broods the rate of feeding by males was lower than the rate of feeding by females, and males attended the nest less than females. No sex differences were observed at the early nestling stage, but males attended the nest less than females later in the nestling stage. No extra-pair breeding activity was observed. These results suggest that males reduce parental care when the energy requirements of the chicks decrease, while females do not.

Brood Size and Offspring Age Affect Risk-Taking and Aggression in Nest-Guarding Common Gobies

Behaviour ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 125 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 233-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Vestergaard ◽  
Carin Magnhagen
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Zoarces Viviparus ◽  
The Common ◽  
Egg Developmental Stage ◽  
Time Away ◽  
Common Goby

AbstractThe importance of brood size, offspring age, and male size for parental care behaviour was studied in the common goby, Pomatoschistus microps. In field observations, the aggression of nest guarding males was measured as attacks towards a finger when disturbing the nest. Attacking males had larger and more developed clutches compared to non-attacking males, but did not differ in body size. In another set of observations nest guarding males were exposed to a predator (eelpout, Zoarces viviparus) and subsequently chased away from their nests. Time away from the nest decreased significantly with egg developmental stage, i.e. with the time the male had spent guarding a particular brood. However, no correlations with male body length or numbers of eggs in the nest were found. We conclude that male common gobies evaluate future reproductive success by using brood age and brood size as cues for making decisions about risk-taking and aggressive behaviour during parental care.

The Breeding Behaviour of the Pink-Footed Goose: Parental Care and Vigilant Behaviour During the Fledging Period

Behaviour ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 65 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 62-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lazarus John ◽  
Inglis I.R.
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Parental Investment ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Time Budget ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Anser Brachyrhynchus ◽  
Term Pair ◽  
Pink Footed Goose

In this study we describe the pattern of parental investment in the pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) during the fledging period in Iceland, concentrating particularly on the analysis of vigilant behaviour as one important element of parental care. We quantify parental investment, and its cost to the parent, by comparing the behaviour of parents with that of 'pairs' of adults without young (most of which are probably failed breeders). Each partner's strategy of investment is not expected to be purely selfish in this long-term pair-bonding species, and the sex differences in parental care are examined in this light. The time budgets of parents and pairs differed, parents walking more, grazing more and preening less. Parents also spent more time in the extreme head up posture and less in the head low and head on back postures than pairs but time devoted to the head up posture was the same for both. Brood size had no effect on the time budget. Time spent extreme head up declined over the study period in parents but not in pairs. Spacing patterns and behaviour varied independently in non-breeding birds but families sat closer to other geese when the vigilance level of the parents was low (i.e. in the head on back or head low postures) than when it was high (the head up or extreme head up postures). All agonistic encounters between parents and non-breeders were both initiated and won by the parents. Tied encounters occurred between birds of equivalent status in terms of brood size or non-breeding group size. The potential sources of parental care are summarized (Table 6) and, after considering the evidence for each, it is concluded that (apart from brooding) two types of parental investment are made by parents: (1) enhancement of offspring feeding efficiency by reducing competition through agonistic behaviour, and perhaps avoidance; and (2) protection from predators by (a) active defence, (b) seeking proximity with other geese when resting, and (c) visual scanning for predators (mainly by the male) using the extreme head up posture. Parents paid for this investment by devoting less time to preening and sleeping. The male's investment in predator vigilance was made at the cost of a reduced feeding time and to compensate for this he pecked at a faster rate than his mate. These sex differences are explicable in terms of earlier differences during incubation. The adoption of unrelated goslings was observed and the implications of the phenomenon are discussed. For individuals in non-breeding groups the time spent extreme head up declined as group size increased. The functional significance of this finding is discussed and it is concluded that in sitting groups extreme head up is probably used to scan for predators.

The Breeding Behaviour of the Pink-Footed Goose: Parental Care and Vigilant Behaviour During the Fledging Period

Behaviour ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 65 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 62-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lazarus John ◽  
Inglis I.R.
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Parental Investment ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Time Budget ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Anser Brachyrhynchus ◽  
Term Pair ◽  
Pink Footed Goose

In this study we describe the pattern of parental investment in the pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) during the fledging period in Iceland, concentrating particularly on the analysis of vigilant behaviour as one important element of parental care. We quantify parental investment, and its cost to the parent, by comparing the behaviour of parents with that of 'pairs' of adults without young (most of which are probably failed breeders). Each partner's strategy of investment is not expected to be purely selfish in this long-term pair-bonding species, and the sex differences in parental care are examined in this light. The time budgets of parents and pairs differed, parents walking more, grazing more and preening less. Parents also spent more time in the extreme head up posture and less in the head low and head on back postures than pairs but time devoted to the head up posture was the same for both. Brood size had no effect on the time budget. Time spent extreme head up declined over the study period in parents but not in pairs. Spacing patterns and behaviour varied independently in non-breeding birds but families sat closer to other geese when the vigilance level of the parents was low (i.e. in the head on back or head low postures) than when it was high (the head up or extreme head up postures). All agonistic encounters between parents and non-breeders were both initiated and won by the parents. Tied encounters occurred between birds of equivalent status in terms of brood size or non-breeding group size. The potential sources of parental care are summarized (Table 6) and, after considering the evidence for each, it is concluded that (apart from brooding) two types of parental investment are made by parents: (1) enhancement of offspring feeding efficiency by reducing competition through agonistic behaviour, and perhaps avoidance; and (2) protection from predators by (a) active defence, (b) seeking proximity with other geese when resting, and (c) visual scanning for predators (mainly by the male) using the extreme head up posture. Parents paid for this investment by devoting less time to preening and sleeping. The male's investment in predator vigilance was made at the cost of a reduced feeding time and to compensate for this he pecked at a faster rate than his mate. These sex differences are explicable in terms of earlier differences during incubation. The adoption of unrelated goslings was observed and the implications of the phenomenon are discussed. For individuals in non-breeding groups the time spent extreme head up declined as group size increased. The functional significance of this finding is discussed and it is concluded that in sitting groups extreme head up is probably used to scan for predators.

Manipulation of sex differences in parental care: the effect of brood size

1990 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 462-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Wright ◽  
Innes Cuthill
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Brood Size

scholarly journals Offspring telomere length in the long lived Alpine swift is negatively related to the age of their biological father and foster mother

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 20170188 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Criscuolo ◽  
Sandrine Zahn ◽  
Pierre Bize
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Foster Parents ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Early Growth ◽  
Foster Mother ◽  
Biological Father ◽  
Accumulation Of Damage ◽  
Older Males

A growing body of studies is showing that offspring telomere length (TL) can be influenced by the age of their parents. Such a relationship might be explained by variation in TL at conception (gamete effect) and/or by alteration of early growth conditions in species providing parental care. In a long-lived bird with bi-parental care, the Alpine swift ( Apus melba ), we exchanged an uneven number of 2 to 4-day-old nestlings between pairs as part of a brood size manipulation. Nestling TL was measured at 50 days after hatching, which allowed investigation of the influence of the age of both their biological and foster parents on offspring TL, after controlling for the manipulation. Nestling TL was negatively related to the age of their biological father and foster mother. Nestling TL did not differ between enlarged and reduced broods. These findings suggest that offspring from older males were fertilized by gametes with shorter telomeres, presumably due to a greater cell division history or a longer accumulation of damage, and that older females may have provided poorer parental care to their offspring.

Sex differences in parental care

2012 ◽  
pp. 101-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Kokko ◽  
Michael D. Jennions
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Parental Care
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