scholarly journals The mechanisms underlying seasonal timing of breeding : a multi-level approach using bi-directional genomic selection on timing of egg-laying

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Charlotte Verhagen
Keyword(s):  
Genomic Selection ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Timing Of Breeding ◽  
Seasonal Timing ◽  
Multi Level

scholarly journals Mate Attentiveness, Seasonal Timing of Breeding and Long-term Pair Bonding in the House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)

Behaviour ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 141 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Hill ◽  
Kevin McGraw
Keyword(s):  
Pair Bond ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Timing Of Breeding ◽  
Pair Bonding ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Breeding Date ◽  
Pair Bonds ◽  
Term Pair

AbstractIn seasonally breeding birds, natural selection favors individuals that begin breeding earlier in a year because they produce more or higher quality offspring than those that begin breeding later. Among the factors that influence the timing of breeding, which include the age, health, competitive ability, or mate quality of individuals, is the longevity of the pair bond, with birds that remain mated across years initiating breeding earlier in the season than newly formed pairs. The behavioural interactions between pair members that may facilitate long-term pair bonding and early breeding onset have infrequently been studied, however. Here we report the relationship between male-female affiliative behaviour, pair-bond duration, and breeding date in house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus), a short-lived, socially monogamous passerine species in which the duration of pair bonds is highly variable within and among seasons. Finches that initiated breeding earliest in the season were those that had bred with one another in previous years. Early breeding males from returning pairs maintained significantly closer contact with their mate during the first egg-laying period of the year than did males from late-breeding, newly formed pairs. Similarly, early-breeding females from returning pairs followed their mate more closely in nest-vicinity flights during the fertile period than females from late-breeding, newly formed pairs. These results suggest that attributes of and interactions between both pair members may help to maintain stable breeding pairs and influence the timing of breeding in seasonally nesting, short-lived songbirds. Rather than advertising for or seeking extra-pair fertilization opportunities, high-quality pairs of finches may invest heavily in their mate to secure the pair bond and ensure high intrapair reproductive success.

THE SEASONAL TIMING AND DISPERSION OF EGG-LAYING AMONG LAUGHING GULLS LARUS ATRICILLA

Ibis ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. A. MONTEVECCHI ◽  
M. IMPEKOVEN ◽  
A. SEGRE-TERKEL ◽  
C. G. BEER
Keyword(s):  
Egg Laying ◽  
Seasonal Timing ◽  
Laughing Gulls

Timing of breeding in subarctic passerines in relation to food availability

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tapio Eeva ◽  
Simo Veistola ◽  
Esa Lehikoinen
Keyword(s):  
Food Availability ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Pied Flycatcher ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Timing Of Breeding ◽  
Nestling Period

We studied timing of breeding in four species of hole-nesting passerines, the Siberian tit (Poecile cinctus), great tit (Parus major), pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca), and redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), and the abundance of the arthropods in their diet (ground-dwelling spiders, winged insects, foliage-feeding lepidopteran and hymenopteran larvae) in Finnish Lapland for 6-12 years. Densities of the invertebrate groups varied considerably, both seasonally and annually. All the bird species started to breed in early summer, when weather conditions were often poor. At the beginning of the breeding season all species relied on ground-dwelling spiders, whose abundances peaked early and were less variable over the years than those of insects. Abundances and timing of emergence of caterpillars in birch and pine canopies (the major food sources for foliage-gleaners) were highly variable, but each year their abundances peaked in July or August, after the nestling period of the birds. This contrasts with reported cases in deciduous forests at midlatitudes and shows that at our site the birds did not time their nestling period ultimately to coincide with peak food availability. Mean clutch sizes declined seasonally in the tit species and the pied flycatcher but not in the redstart. The number of fledglings did not depend on laying date, except in the Siberian tit, for which dependence of fledgling number on laying date varied among years. Although early broods were not more productive (i.e., greater number of fledglings) than later ones, early breeding is ultimately a necessity for recruitment because of the short subarctic summer. Birds cannot delay breeding in the north because late breeding would shorten the time available for moulting, food-hoarding, and preparation for migration or wintering. Our results show that at the time of egg laying, passerines may receive proximate cues to allow them to predict food conditions during the nestling period. Still, exact prediction of food availability during later phases of nesting is constrained by an inherent discrepancy between warm-blooded birds and poikilothermic invertebrates: once a bird has started egg laying, the subsequent phases follow nearly automatically on certain calendar dates, whereas the development of the arthropods depends on the rate of temperature increase.

scholarly journals Fine-tuning of seasonal timing of breeding is regulated downstream in the underlying neuro-endocrine system in a small songbird

2019 ◽  
Vol 222 (17) ◽  
pp. jeb202481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Verhagen ◽  
Veronika N. Laine ◽  
A. Christa Mateman ◽  
Agata Pijl ◽  
Ruben de Wit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endocrine System ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Timing Of Breeding ◽  
Seasonal Timing

scholarly journals Genetic and phenotypic responses to genomic selection for timing of breeding in a wild songbird

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 1708-1721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Verhagen ◽  
Phillip Gienapp ◽  
Veronika N. Laine ◽  
Elizabeth M. Grevenhof ◽  
Andrea C. Mateman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genomic Selection ◽  
Timing Of Breeding ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Phenotypic Responses

scholarly journals Body Size and Condition, Timing of Breeding, and Aspects of Egg Production in Eastern Kingbirds

The Auk ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Flight Muscle ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Timing Of Breeding ◽  
Muscle Weight ◽  
Egg Weight

Abstract Variation in timing of breeding in Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) was correlated only weakly with external morphological characters, but was correlated positively and significantly with estimates of body size based on measurements of skeletons and muscle weights. Small females apparently held a reproductive advantage in being able to mobilize resources for reproduction before large females. Egg weight was independent of all measures of female size, but was directly and significantly (P = 0.03) correlated with standard flight muscle weight, a relative index of body condition. Egg size was thus a function more of female body condition than size. On average, shell, yolk, and albumen comprised 5.6%, 21.9%, and 72.5%, respectively, of fresh egg weight. Dry albumen and dry shell increased proportionately with fresh egg weight, but dry yolk did not. Total protein, lipid, and energy of fresh eggs all increased proportionately with weight. Comparison of egg composition and standard flight muscle weight of laying females indicated moderate positive, although nonsignificant, correlations between body condition and measures of egg quality, especially lipid content. Based on post-egg-laying body composition and nutrient requirements for the production of one egg, it appeared that most females probably could have laid an additional egg almost solely from body reserves. Clutch size thus appears to be independent of body condition.

scholarly journals Does Differential Access to Protein Influence Differences in Timing of Breeding of Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma Coerulescens) in Suburban and Wildland Habitats?

The Auk ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 1114-1127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan J. Schoech ◽  
Reed Bowman
Keyword(s):  
Luteinizing Hormone ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Condition Index ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Timing Of Breeding ◽  
Florida Scrub ◽  
Calendar Date ◽  
Aphelocoma Coerulescens ◽  
Endogenous Protein ◽  
Total Body

Abstract Timing of breeding in Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) varies both within and between years. Social status and breeding experience may explain much of the within-year variation, but the availability of certain foods may partially explain between-year patterns. Scrub-jays in suburban habitats with access to unlimited human-provided foods breed earlier and with less between-year variation in timing of breeding than jays in wildland habitats. We hypothesized that those differences in timing of breeding result from access to human-provided foods in the suburban site. Human-provided food may influence timing of breeding by improving the overall body condition of females, or it may influence breeding by providing nutrients essential for breeding. If condition mediated, breeding females in the two habitats should differ in certain physiological parameters relative to time before egg laying and calendar date. If the effect is not related to body condition, we expect differences in prebreeding females relative to calendar date, but not in relation to time before egg laying. To test those predictions, we measured plasma levels of total protein, calcium, luteinizing hormone, and estradiol. We also measured variables associated with body condition—body mass, a size-corrected condition index, and total body lipids. Most variables tended to increase with both days before laying and calendar date, except total body lipids, which decreased. Suburban females had higher levels of plasma protein relative to both days before egg laying and calendar date than female breeders in the wildland habitat. Luteinizing hormone differed between sites relative to calendar date but not days before laying. Our data suggest that suburban scrub-jays with access to predictable sources of high-quality human-provided foods accumulate endogenous protein that can be used to breed earlier.

Timing of seasonal breeding in birds, with particular reference to New Zealand birds

1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
JF Cockrem
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Supplementary Information ◽  
Timing Of Breeding ◽  
Seasonal Breeding ◽  
Gonadal Growth ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
New Zealand Birds ◽  
Breeding Seasons

A model to explain the timing of seasonal breeding in birds is presented. It is assumed that, despite the wide range in egg-laying seasons, there are common physiological mechanisms which underlie seasonality in birds and that most, if not all, birds are photoperiodic. Birds are considered to possess an internal rhythm of reproduction which is synchronized with seasonal changes in the environment by external factors, particularly the annual cycle of daylength. The rhythm consists, at least in part, of regular changes in the photoperiodic response between states of photosensitivity and photorefractoriness. Avian breeding seasons effectively start in autumn when birds become photosensitive, regardless of when egg-laying occurs. The timing of breeding is then influenced by the rate of increase of hypothalamic 'drive' and by the sensitivity of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to inhibitory feedback from gonadal steroids. If sensitivity is high, gonadal growth will not occur until the threshold daylength for photostimulation is exceeded after the winter solstice. Egg-laying then starts in late winter, spring or summer. Alternatively, steroid feedback may be relatively low and gonadal growth may be sufficiently rapid once the birds become photosensitive that breeding occurs in late autumn or winter. The time of egg-laying in birds may also be strongly influenced by supplementary information, such as social cues, food availability, temperature and rainfall and, in some species, this information is more important than daylength in determining the timing of breeding. The review also includes the first summary of the breeding seasons of New Zealand birds. The pattern of egg-laying is exactly the same in native birds, in birds introduced to New Zealand and in other Southern hemisphere birds from similar latitudes, with a broad peak of egg-laying occurring from September to December. In addition, annual cycles of steroid hormone concentrations in the North Island brown kiwi, the yellow-eyed penguin and the kakapo are consistent with results from many studies on Northern hemisphere birds. This model for the timing of breeding in birds can be applied to New Zealand birds and it is concluded that the physiological control mechanisms for the timing of seasonal breeding in New Zealand birds are similar to those of other birds.

Timing of Breeding

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony D. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Day Length ◽  
Specific Response ◽  
Timing Of Breeding ◽  
Physiological Mechanisms ◽  
Reproductive Process ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
Proximate Factor ◽  
Female Specific

This chapter argues that the timing of the initiation of a single breeding event, or the initiation of the first of multiple breeding events within the same breeding season, is completely dependent on the female-specific reproductive process of timing of egg production and egg-laying. It discusses how early-season events are critical in determining timing of breeding; fitness consequences of timing decisions; selection on timing of breeding; sex-specific response mechanisms for timing of breeding; physiological mechanisms associated with photoperiod (day length) as a proximate factor; physiological mechanisms associated with temperature as a proximate factor; and physiological mechanisms associated with food availability as a “proximate” factor.

Changes in timing of breeding and reproductive success in birds

2019 ◽  
pp. 108-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter O. Dunn
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Timing Of Breeding ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Daily Food Intake ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Daily Food

Many studies on birds have shown advancing dates of egg-laying in response to climate change. This chapter reviews the latest knowledge about the roles of photoperiod, food abundance, body condition, and hormones in regulating the timing of egg-laying. A variety of responses and predictors have been discovered in recent studies, some of which may be related to whether a species relies on daily food intake (‘income’) or stored resources (‘capital’) for breeding. The literature on advancing laying dates shows that the rate is dependent on the number of broods per season, habitat, and trophic level. Mismatches between timing of breeding and peaks in food supply are often mentioned as a potential threat to populations. However, to date, there is no association between changes in laying date and population trends, which suggests that the effects of climate change on bird populations may be driven by other factors.

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