Individual variation in age‐dependent reproduction: Fast explorers live fast but senesce young?

Dingemanse, Niels Jeroen; Moiron, Maria; Araya‐Ajoy, Yimen G.; Mouchet, Alexia; Abbey-Lee, Robin N.

doi:10.1111/1365-2656.13122

Cited by 56 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…For example, an increasingly popular approach is to determine the relative fit of alternative SEMs based on the entire posterior distribution (rather than the point estimates) of among individual (Araya‐Ajoy & Dingemanse, 2014) or genetic correlation matrices (e.g., Dingemanse, Barber, et al, 2020; Dochtermann & Dingemanse, 2013). Such solutions are welcome, but can introduce their own biases and are therefore best used in combination with simulations that demonstrate their utility for the particular data set at hand (e.g., Araya‐Ajoy & Dingemanse, 2017; Dingemanse, Moiron, Araya‐Ajoy, Mouchet, & Abbey‐Lee, 2020; Dochtermann & Dingemanse, 2013). Again, simpler pragmatic solutions are acceptable, but authors should always be clear about their different options, how any issues related to stats‐on‐stats were dealt with, and how those decisions might affect their biological conclusions.…”

Section: Statistical Analyses and Reporting Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Criteria for acceptable studies of animal personality and behavioural syndromes

2020

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Section: Statistical Analyses and Reporting Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Criteria for acceptable studies of animal personality and behavioural syndromes

2020

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“…Un-banded birds were given a unique, numbered band. Birds were then tested for their exploratory behaviour (detailed below), weighed, morphologically measured (Moiron et al 2019), aged based on plumage characteristic as first year breeder or older (Dingemanse et al 2020), and assessed for ticks (protocol detailed below). All birds were captured in May (with a few captures in June in 2018).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The usage of BLUPs has been criticised when associated uncertainty is not taken forward; some have proposed to estimate a posterior distribution of possible BLUP values and thereby take forward uncertainty in subsequent analyses (Hadfield et al 2010; Houslay and Wilson 2017). However, recent work has shown that taking forward uncertainty in BLUP-values resulted in biased estimates, whereas utilizing average BLUPs as fixed effects was shown to be less precise but unbiased (Dingemanse et al 2020). Therefore, we here present the estimated effect of the average BLUP values.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Repeatable differences in exploratory behaviour predict tick infestation probability in wild great tits

Rollins¹,

Mouchet²,

Margos

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of various vertebrate hosts, including many species of bird. Birds can disperse ticks over short and long distances, therefore impacting tick population dynamics. The likelihood that birds attract ticks should depend on their behaviour and the environment. We studied various key ecological variables (breeding density, human disturbance) and phenotypic traits (exploratory behaviour; body condition) proposed to predict tick burden in great tits (Parus major). Our study spanned over three years and 12 human-recreated plots, equipped with nest-boxes in southern Germany. Adult breeders were assessed for exploratory behaviour, tick burden, and body condition. For each plot, human disturbance was quantified as a human recreational pressure index during biweekly nest box inspections by scoring the number of recreants using the plots. Infestation probability but not tick burden increased with exploratory behaviour. We also found moderate support for a positive effect of recreational pressure on infestation probability. Further, body condition negatively predicted tick burden. Individuals were repeatable in tick burden across years. Our study implies that infestation probability and tick burden are governed by distinct ecological and phenotypic drivers. Our findings also highlight the importance of incorporating ecological and individual variation in host phenotypes to predict spatiotemporal distributions of ticks in nature.

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“…In many organisms, reproductive productivity is age-dependent (Bouwhuis et al, 2009;Hammers et al, 2012;Lemaître et al, 2015;Zhang et al, 2015;Salguero-Gómez et al, 2016;Jankowiak et al, 2018;Dingemanse et al, 2020): an individual's performance increases over early life to a maximum and is followed by a decline in older ages. This decline in reproductive performance at old age is considered a sign of senescence -a within-individual age-specific decline in reproductive performance paired with an increase in the probability of death caused by the loss of physiological and cellular function (Medawar, 1952;Williams, 1957).…”

Section: Impact Summary (297 Words)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Egg size variation in the context of polyandry: a case study using long-term field data from snowy plovers

Eberhart‐Hertel¹,

Rodrigues²,

Krietsch³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Identifying age-dependent trade-offs between reproductive effort and survival in wild organisms is central for understanding the evolutionary mechanisms of senescence. According to the disposable soma theory, early-life energy investments in reproduction compromise late-life investments in somatic maintenance – leading to senescence. Once thought to only be detectable in captive populations, senescence has recently been documented by several longitudinal studies of wild organisms. However, some reproductive traits that are used to quantify senescence may also be shaped by other age-dependent processes such as mating tactics. For instance, polygamy, which is often positively associated with age, may lead to reduced gamete size due to trade-offs between gamete quantity and quality. Here we investigate how mating behaviour and senescence are associated with reproductive trade-offs of female snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus). Snowy plovers are long-lived shorebirds (longevity record: 19 years) that produce several nests each year, with females either being polyandrous and sequentially changing partners between breeding attempts or remaining monogamous between attempts. We examined how age, seasonality, and mating tactics affect within-female variation in egg volume using repeated measures collected over a 14-year period. Our results provide clear evidence for senescence in snowy plover females starting at three years of age. Furthermore, females laid smaller eggs in years when they were polyandrous compared to years when they were monogamous, with early- and late-season clutches having the smallest eggs. We suggest that individual female reproductive performance is regulated by flexible mating tactics and age- and season-dependent effects. Our findings highlight the existence of multiple trade-offs for female reproductive investments that likely shape individual variation in lifetime reproductive success. We encourage future research investigating reproductive senescence of wild populations to incorporate age-dependent reproductive investments in light of mating system dynamics.Impact SummaryWhy do organisms senesce at older ages? Life-history theory predicts that early life investments in reproduction compromise future investment opportunities for somatic repair, which leads to senescence. Earlier works assumed that senescence was only observable in captive populations due to the high degree of extrinsic mortality experienced by wild organisms. However, with the expansion of longitudinal studies collecting repeated measures from wild individuals, recent works have identified key insights into the selective processes driving patterns of senescence in nature. Here, we use a 14-year longitudinal mark-recapture dataset of snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus) breeding in a wild subtropical population in western Mexico to investigate age-dependent trade-offs between female reproductive effort and performance. The snowy plover is a long-lived shorebird characterized by a flexible polyandrous mating system. This rare breeding behaviour represents a unique background for investigating senescence in light of between and within-individual variation in reproductive investment. Our study focused on age-dependent dynamics of egg volume – a convenient measure of a female’s intrinsic reproductive investment, particularly in birds with precocial chicks. We explored age-related correlates of within-female egg volume dynamics while controlling for among-female variation and the confounding effect of trait-dependent (dis)appearance of young (or old) females in the population. Our results show that egg volume expresses an early-life increase followed by a late-life decrease, indicative of reproductive senescence. Furthermore, females tended to lay smaller eggs in years during which they were polyandrous than in years when they were monogamous. Notably, polyandry was not associated with age. As expected, egg volume was highly repeatable within females and clutches. We conclude that age-dependent reproductive effort is an important component driving between- and within-individual variation in reproductive performance of facultatively polygamous species. We encourage future works studying reproductive senescence of wild populations to incorporate age-dependent reproductive investment and mating tactics.

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Individual variation in age‐dependent reproduction: Fast explorers live fast but senesce young?

Cited by 56 publications

References 72 publications

Criteria for acceptable studies of animal personality and behavioural syndromes

Criteria for acceptable studies of animal personality and behavioural syndromes

Repeatable differences in exploratory behaviour predict tick infestation probability in wild great tits

Egg size variation in the context of polyandry: a case study using long-term field data from snowy plovers

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