No effect of partner age and lifespan on female age‐specific reproductive performance in blue tits

Amininasab, S. Mojtaba; Hammers, Martijn; Vedder, Oscar; Komdeur, Jan; Korsten, Peter

doi:10.1111/jav.00970

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Estimates are from the best supported model (Table 1) 6 days against 2-4 days in previous studies (population level estimates, Gustafsson and Pärt 1990;Jarvinen 1991). The age of peak performance of reproductive traits at 2-3 years seems to be a common pattern in females of short lived passerines (Eurasian blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus Amininasab et al 2017; Barn swallow Hirundo rustica Balbontin et al 2007; Great tit Parus major Bouwhuis et al 2009; Song sparrow Melospiza melodia Keller et al 2008; House sparrow Passer domesticus Schroeder et al 2012).…”

Section: Reproductive Aging and Synchronymentioning

confidence: 86%

Age-specific reproduction in female pied flycatchers: evidence for asynchronous aging

Fay

Ravussin²,

Arrigo³

et al. 2021

Oecologia

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Age-related variation in reproductive performance is central for the understanding of population dynamics and evolutionary processes. Our understanding of age trajectories in vital rates has long been limited by the lack of distinction between patterns occurring within- and among-individuals, and by the lack of comparative studies of age trajectories among traits. Thus, it is poorly understood how sets of demographic traits change within individuals according to their age. Based on 40 years of monitoring, we investigated age-related variation in five reproductive traits in female pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) including laying date, clutch size, brood size, nest success (probability that a nest produces at least one chick) and egg success of successful nests (proportion of eggs resulting in a chick). We disentangled within- from among-individual processes and assessed the relative contribution of within-individual age-specific changes and selective appearance and disappearance. Finally, we compared the aging pattern among these five reproductive traits. We found strong evidence for age-specific performance including both early-life improvement and late-life decline in all reproductive traits but the egg success. Furthermore, the aging patterns varied substantially among reproductive traits both for the age of peak performance and for the rates of early-life improvement and late-life decline. The results show that age trajectories observed at the population level (cross-sectional analysis) may substantially differ from those occurring at the individual level and illustrate the complexity of variation in aging patterns across traits.

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Section: Reproductive Aging and Synchronymentioning

confidence: 86%

Age-specific reproduction in female pied flycatchers: evidence for asynchronous aging

Fay

Ravussin²,

Arrigo³

et al. 2021

Oecologia

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“…These included two key biological variables that are often found to relate to behaviour and reproductive success: individual age and timing of breeding (e.g. Amininasab et al 2017;Araya-Ajoy and Dingemanse 2017). Hence, we included (1) age of the male (first year breeder or older) and (2) the laying date at its nest.…”

Section: Statistical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Male aggressiveness and risk-taking during reproduction are repeatable but not correlated in a wild bird population

Salazar

García

Kuspiel

et al. 2021

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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The existence of among-individual variation in behaviour within populations is poorly understood. Recent theory suggests that fine-scale individual differences in investment into current versus future reproduction may lead to a ‘slow-fast’-pace-of-life continuum, also referred to as the ‘pace-of-life-syndrome’ (POLS) hypothesis. According to this idea, individuals are predicted to differ in their level of risk-taking, which may drive among-individual variation and covariation of behaviours. Consistent individual differences in aggression, an ecologically relevant and potentially risky behaviour, have been reported across the animal kingdom. Here we test whether such individual differences in aggression are a manifestation of underlying differences in risk-taking. In a wild blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) population, we used standard behavioural tests to investigate if male territorial aggressiveness and risk-taking during breeding are positively related. At the start of breeding, we simulated conspecific territorial intrusions to obtain repeated measures of male aggressiveness. Subsequently, we measured male risk-taking as their latency to resume brood provisioning after presenting two different predators at their nest: human and sparrowhawk, a common predator of adult songbirds. First, we found substantial repeatability for male aggressiveness (R = 0.56 ± 0.08 SE). Second, while males took longer to resume provisioning after presentation of a sparrowhawk mount as compared to a human observer, risk-taking was repeatable across these two predator contexts (R = 0.51 ± 0.13 SE). Finally, we found no evidence for a correlation between male aggressiveness and risk-taking, thereby providing little support to a main prediction of the POLS hypothesis. Significance statement Consistent, and often correlated, individual differences in basal behaviours, such as aggression, exploration and sociability, are found across the animal kingdom. Why individuals consistently differ in their behaviour is poorly understood, as behavioural traits would seem inherently flexible. The ‘pace-of-life syndrome’ (POLS) hypothesis proposes observed behavioural variation to reflect differences in risk-taking associated with individual reproductive strategies. We tested this idea in a wild blue tit population by investigating whether individual males that were more aggressive toward territorial intruders also took more risk when provisioning their nestlings under a threat of predation. While we found consistent individual differences in both aggressiveness and risk-taking, these behaviours were not significantly correlated. Therefore, our study demonstrates among-individual variation in ecologically relevant behaviours in wild blue tits but provides little support for the POLS hypothesis.

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“…Female age has also been shown to influence clutch size, with older females typically laying smaller clutches later in the breeding season (Amininasab et al . 2017). The impact of female age could not be explored with this dataset and could be contributing to the negative effect of temperature on clutch size, which should be noted when interpreting these results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Variation in clutch size did not differ with any of the environmental variables investigated across these sites, but variation in clutch size was higher later in the breeding season, which may be linked to the age of the breeding female. Typically, laying date decreases and then increases with age, and older females lay smaller clutches(Auld et al 2011, Amininasab et al 2017, Bonamour et al 2020. If the populations have a mixed age-structure this may explain why variation in clutch size increases as the season progresses, as young females may produce larger clutch sizes than older females, and both may breed later in a breeding season, increasing the variability observed as the season progresses.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The phenology and clutch size of UK Blue Tits does not differ with woodland composition

Branston

Whittingham

Phillimore

et al. 2023

Ibis

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The deciduous tree‐herbivorous caterpillar‐insectivorous bird food chain is a well‐studied system for investigating the impacts of climate change across trophic levels. To date, across Europe, most attention has focused on the impacts of increasing spring temperature on changes to phenology in Oak‐dominated (Quercus spp.) woodlands. Paridae species and Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca are the most studied secondary consumers, all of which demonstrate an advancement in reproductive phenology with increases in spring temperature. Shifts in climate and phenology may also impact on reproductive investment in clutch size, and the effects of climate on phenology and clutch size may vary depending on woodland composition. To date, the effects of among‐habitat variation in phenology and reproductive investment have received little attention. Insectivorous birds inhabiting woodlands that differ in tree composition may differ in the timing of breeding, due to local tree leafing phenology acting as a cue for egg‐laying date and/or clutch size. Moreover, for most insectivorous birds, woodland composition within a territory is likely to be the main determinant of food availability for both adults and chicks. Consequently, if warming springs affect the temporal patterns of food availability differently across different woodland compositions, this may affect the optimal average local phenology for nesting birds. Here, using data from 34 long‐term (mean 15 years) nest monitoring sites across the UK, we investigate the effect of woodland tree composition and temperature on Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus first egg date (FED) and clutch size. We supplemented the nest monitoring data by quantifying woodland composition, at a site level, through modified point counts. We predict that birds breeding in woodlands with greater proportions of late‐leafing species, such as Oak and Ash Fraxinus excelsior, will breed later than those breeding in woodlands with greater proportions of early‐leafing species, such as Birch Betula spp. and Beech Fagus sylvatica. We found no evidence for differences in Blue Tit FED or clutch size in relation to the proportion of any of the tree species investigated, after controlling for temperature and latitude (FED: −3.4 and 2.2, clutch size: −0.4 and − 0.2 eggs for one‐unit increase in temperature and latitude, respectively). In recent decades and across all sites, clutch size has decreased as spring temperatures have increased, a strategy which could allow birds flexibly to adjust their breeding phenology such that nestling demand coincides with peak food availability. The lack of an effect of woodland composition on Blue Tit phenology suggests Blue Tits do not fine‐tune their reproductive phenology to the local tree composition. Whether this lack of evidence for phenological divergence is due to an absence of divergent selection on breeding phenology and clutch size or to gene flow is not clear.

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No effect of partner age and lifespan on female age‐specific reproductive performance in blue tits

Cited by 8 publications

References 48 publications

Age-specific reproduction in female pied flycatchers: evidence for asynchronous aging

Age-specific reproduction in female pied flycatchers: evidence for asynchronous aging

Male aggressiveness and risk-taking during reproduction are repeatable but not correlated in a wild bird population

The phenology and clutch size of UK Blue Tits does not differ with woodland composition

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