Ambient temperature and female body condition are related to night incubation behavior in wood ducks<i>Aix sponsa</i>

Grimaudo, Alexander T.; Hope, Sydney F.; DuRant, Sarah E.; Kennamer, Robert A.; Hallagan, John J.; Hopkins, William A.

doi:10.1111/jav.02379

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 100 publications

(131 reference statements)

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“…In this scenario, it might be expected that females with better body condition could increase nocturnal nest attentiveness faster and reach nocturnal full incubation earlier, although a previous study found that better body condition correlated with longer partial nocturnal incubation periods in precocial Wood Ducks Aix sponsa (Grimaudo et al . 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of ambient temperature and clutch size on incubation behaviour onset in a female‐only incubator songbird

Diez‐Méndez¹,

Sanz²,

Barba

2021

Ibis

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Ambient temperature is assumed to be the major cue used by passerines to synchronize their laying and hatching dates to the expected peak of prey availability. While laying eggs, females are still able to fine‐tune their hatching date following increasing or decreasing patterns of ambient temperature, mostly via changes in incubation onset. The onset of incubation behaviour in relation to the laying sequence could have later consequences for the duration of the incubation period and the extent of hatching asynchrony. Clutch size is also known to affect incubation patterns and might therefore condition potential responses to changing temperatures. In this study we assessed the association of ambient temperature and clutch size with the onset of four different incubation behaviours: partial and full nocturnal incubation, and partial and full diurnal incubation. We also evaluated how the onset and duration of each incubation behaviour might predict the duration of diurnal full incubation and the extent of hatching asynchrony. To achieve our aims, we monitored incubation behaviour using temperature data loggers during the egg‐laying period in three Mediterranean Great Tit Parus major populations in three consecutive years. Our results showed that increasing temperatures were related to an advance of diurnal partial incubation, but not its duration or the onset of full incubation behaviour. We did not find any effect of ambient temperatures on nocturnal incubation. However, females lengthened nocturnal partial incubation and delayed the onset of nocturnal full and diurnal partial incubation when laying larger clutches. Longer diurnal incubation before clutch completion was associated with greater hatching asynchrony. Moreover, longer diurnal partial incubation shortened the duration of the full incubation period. In conclusion, increasing ambient temperatures during the egg‐laying period advanced diurnal partial incubation, indirectly shortening the full incubation period and increasing hatching asynchrony.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of ambient temperature and clutch size on incubation behaviour onset in a female‐only incubator songbird

Diez‐Méndez¹,

Sanz²,

Barba

2021

Ibis

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“…This egg was secured in the centre of the clutch, but attached to a spring, which kept the egg stationary but flexible. When the temperature data from the stationary logger indicated that the hen had started partial incubation at night and thus, would shortly begin full incubation (Grimaudo et al., 2020), we replaced six eggs in the nest with our mobile temperature loggers, which had no cables or wires and could be freely moved and rotated by the hen. Wood ducks are an ideal species for this type of study because in our study sites they are known to readily accept and incubate eggs from other hens (brood parasitism), as well as free‐moving wooden eggs, even with imperfections and holes (S. F. Hope, R. A. Kennamer, S. E. DuRant, W. A. Hopkins, pers.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incubation temperature as a constraint on clutch size evolution

et al. 2021

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Elucidating factors that limit the number of offspring produced is fundamental to understanding life‐history evolution. Here, we examine the hypothesis that parental ability to maintain an optimal physical developmental environment for all offspring constrains clutch size via effects on offspring quality. Experimental laboratory studies of birds have shown that a <1°C difference in average incubation temperature has diverse effects on fitness‐related post‐hatching offspring phenotypes. Thus, the inability of parents to maintain optimal incubation temperatures could constrain clutch sizes. A fundamental question that has not been sufficiently addressed is whether larger clutch sizes lead to within nest variation in egg temperature that is large enough to produce offspring with different phenotypes within a brood. This could lead to differential survival among offspring, and could create a trade‐off between offspring number and quality. We manipulated clutch size in nests of free‐living wood ducks and measured incubation temperature among and within clutches using multiple temperature loggers. As clutch size increased, average incubation temperatures were lower and more variable, and eggs took longer to hatch. Notably, the range in average incubation temperature among eggs within nests increased with clutch size and exceeded 1°C in large clutches. Clutch size did not affect hatch success. In conjunction with our companion laboratory studies that used artificial incubation to document the effects of temperature variation on fitness‐related traits in this species, our work suggests that suboptimal incubation temperatures could be a factor that limits clutch size through diminishing returns on post‐hatch offspring quality. A free plain language summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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“…Therefore, under cold conditions, sanderlings may need more time for energy replenishment, especially to compensate for the low availability of arthropods. However, this effect is likely mediated by the body condition, with individuals in better conditions having more energy to invest in reproduction [ 56 , 57 ] and experience fewer energetic constraints than those in poorer condition. While declining temperatures trigger extended recesses regardless of body condition, the duration of extended recesses only increases for individuals below a given threshold of body condition (see section 3d; figure 3 b ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extended incubation recesses in sanderlings are impacted by temperature and body condition

Etchart,

Lecomte,

Dechaume-Moncharmont

et al. 2024

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Complex incubation strategies have evolved to solve the trade-off between parent survival and care for their eggs with often brief departures (recesses) that maximize egg survival, and infrequent extended recesses maximizing adult condition. Here we examined incubation behaviour of sanderlings ( Calidris alba ), a species that exhibits both biparental and uniparental incubation behaviour. During 11 breeding seasons in Greenland, we have quantified incubation variability with thermologgers placed in nests. We estimated the impact of environmental conditions and individual characteristics on the occurrence and the duration of recesses. We found that extended recesses are a unique feature of uniparentals, and their frequency and duration increased in colder temperatures. The relationship was mediated by body condition, with individuals in poor condition performing longer extended recesses in colder temperatures. This suggests that extended recesses may represent a shift towards self-maintenance at the expense of the egg care, allowing birds to continue incubating under unfavourable conditions. Our study illustrates how extended recesses may be a key breeding strategy to overcome high energetic costs associated with incubation. Quantifying such behavioural flexibility paves the way for tracking future behavioural responses of individuals in the face of changing environments.

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Ambient temperature and female body condition are related to night incubation behavior in wood ducksAix sponsa

Cited by 10 publications

References 100 publications

Impacts of ambient temperature and clutch size on incubation behaviour onset in a female‐only incubator songbird

Impacts of ambient temperature and clutch size on incubation behaviour onset in a female‐only incubator songbird

Incubation temperature as a constraint on clutch size evolution

Extended incubation recesses in sanderlings are impacted by temperature and body condition

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