scholarly journals Unusually Large Brood Size of the Saw-Whet Owl

Blue Jay ◽  
1965 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Spencer G. Sealy
Keyword(s):  
2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 478-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Verhulst ◽  
Marie-Jeanne Holveck ◽  
Katharina Riebel

Long-term effects of developmental conditions on health, longevity and other fitness components in humans are drawing increasing attention. In evolutionary ecology, such effects are of similar importance because of their role in the trade-off between quantity and quality of offspring. The central role of energy consumption is well documented for some long-term health effects in humans (e.g. obesity), but little is known of the long-term effects of rearing conditions on energy requirements later in life. We manipulated the rearing conditions in zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ) using brood size manipulation and cross-fostering. It has previously been shown in this species that being reared in a large brood has negative fitness consequences, and that such effects are stronger in daughters than in sons. We show that, independent of mass, standard metabolic rate of 1-year-old birds was higher when they had been reared in a large brood, and this is to our knowledge the first demonstration of such an effect. Furthermore, the brood size effect was stronger in daughters than in sons. This suggests that metabolic efficiency may play a role in mediating the long-term fitness consequences of rearing conditions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 825-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miku Yabuta ◽  
Jens T Høeg ◽  
Shigeyuki Yamato ◽  
Yoichi Yusa

Abstract Although parasitic castration is widespread among rhizocephalan barnacles, Boschmaella japonica Deichmann & Høeg, 1990 does not completely sterilise the host barnacle Chthamalus challengeri Hoek, 1883. As little information is available on the relationships with the host in “barnacle-infesting parasitic barnacles” (family Chthamalophilidae), we studied the life cycles of both B. japonica and C. challengeri and the effects of the parasite on the host reproduction. Specimens of C. challengeri were collected from an upper intertidal shore at Shirahama, Wakayama, western Japan from April 2017 to September 2018 at 1–3 mo intervals. We recorded the body size, number of eggs, egg volume, and the presence of the parasite for each host. Moreover, settlement and growth of C. challengeri were followed in two fixed quadrats. Chthamalus challengeri brooded from February to June. The prevalence of B. japonica was high (often exceeded 10%) from April to July, and was rarely observed from September to next spring. The life cycle of the parasite matched well with that of the host. The parasite reduced the host’s brooding rate and brood size, to the extent that no hosts brooded in 2018.


Bird Study ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrice Sicurella ◽  
Mario Caffi ◽  
Manuela Caprioli ◽  
Diego Rubolini ◽  
Nicola Saino ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1785) ◽  
pp. 20133287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelle J. Boonekamp ◽  
G. A. Mulder ◽  
H. Martijn Salomons ◽  
Cor Dijkstra ◽  
Simon Verhulst

Developmental stressors often have long-term fitness consequences, but linking offspring traits to fitness prospects has remained a challenge. Telomere length predicts mortality in adult birds, and may provide a link between developmental conditions and fitness prospects. Here, we examine the effects of manipulated brood size on growth, telomere dynamics and post-fledging survival in free-living jackdaws. Nestlings in enlarged broods achieved lower mass and lost 21% more telomere repeats relative to nestlings in reduced broods, showing that developmental stress accelerates telomere shortening. Adult telomere length was positively correlated with their telomere length as nestling ( r = 0.83). Thus, an advantage of long telomeres in nestlings is carried through to adulthood. Nestling telomere shortening predicted post-fledging survival and recruitment independent of manipulation and fledgling mass. This effect was strong, with a threefold difference in recruitment probability over the telomere shortening range. By contrast, absolute telomere length was neither affected by brood size manipulation nor related to survival. We conclude that telomere loss, but not absolute telomere length, links developmental conditions to subsequent survival and suggest that telomere shortening may provide a key to unravelling the physiological causes of developmental effects on fitness.


Crustaceana ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-429
Author(s):  
Ye Ji Lee ◽  
Won Gyu Park

Abstract The population dynamics of Stenothoe valida Dana, 1852 were studied at Cheongsapo beach of Busan, Republic of Korea, from March 2019 to March 2020. Sampling was conducted once a month at low tide during spring tides. Specimens were grouped by the cephalic length at 0.025 mm intervals, and classified into four categories: females, ovigerous females, males and juveniles. The sex ratio, defined as females : total males + females, exceeded 0.5 during most of the study period. Brood size was significantly coupled with ovigerous female size. Two to four cohorts appeared at each study period. New cohorts occurred at almost every sampling except in the samples Jun-2, and Nov-2. Life span was estimated at 1-2 months. The juvenile ratio, the ratio of ovigerous females, and the recruitment rate estimated by FiSAT were commonly high in summer and winter. The life history of S. valida was not coupled with water temperature, but had a strong seasonal pattern.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 20170188 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Criscuolo ◽  
Sandrine Zahn ◽  
Pierre Bize

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.


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