Sexually dimorphic eggs, nestling growth and sibling competition in American Kestrels <i>Falco sparverius</i>

Anderson, David J.; Reeve, Jo; Bird, David M.

doi:10.1046/j.1365-2435.1997.00091.x

Cited by 114 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(37 reference statements)

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“…A possible explanation for our results is sexual dimorphism of egg size, which has been previously reported in various avian species (e.g., American kestrel, Falco sparverius: Anderson et al, 1997; house sparrow, Passer domesticus: Cordero et al, 2000;brown songlark: Magrath et al, 2003). However, we did not find any differences in egg mass between offspring sexes (Two-sample t test: t = 0.227, p = 0.820; male egg mass: mean ± SD = 1.065 ± 0.073 g, N = 63; female egg mass ± SD = 1.062 ± 0.091 g, N = 56), indicating that heavier eggs did not necessarily contain sons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Differential allocation in relation to mate song quality in the Bengalese finch

Soma

Okanoya

2013

Behav

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Postmating sexual selection plays an important part in the evolution of secondary sexual characters. Based on differential allocation theory that predicts biased reproductive investment of females depending on the attractiveness of mates, a number of previous studies have shown that egg production is related in various ways to ornamental sexual traits of males, but evidence for behavioral sexual traits is less abundant. In this study we examine such maternal effects in relation to birdsong.Because the Bengalese finch is a monomorphic songbird, courtship song serves a key role in mate choice. To take into account individual female differences in egg production performance, we sequentially paired naïve, captive, female Bengalese finches to two different males, and investigated if their reproductive investment (clutch size, egg mass and hatchling sex ratio) was related to the song traits of their mates. We found that clutch size and egg mass were highly repeatable within individual females while sex ratio was not. Despite the inflexibility of egg mass within each female, egg mass increased when females were mated to males with longer songs. In addition, we found a non-significant weak tendency toward male-biased sex ratio in relation to longer song duration of mates. Our findings suggest that females mated to better mates adjusted their reproductive investment by producing heavier eggs and possibly offspring of the more costly sex.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Differential allocation in relation to mate song quality in the Bengalese finch

Soma

Okanoya

2013

Behav

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“…2006) Female common kestrels Falco tinnunculus differentiate offspring sex basing on laying order (Dijkstra et. al.1990), and in american kestrels Falco sparverius sex is largely dependent on egg size (Anderson et al 1997). Similar relationship has been found in the blackbird Turdus merula (Martyka et.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Secondary sex ratio of nestlings of the blackbird (Turdus merula)

et al. 2016

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In years 2006-2007 secondary sex ratio of blackbird nestlings in Stefan Żeromski park in Szczecin was studied. 190 nestlings were sexed by genetic analysis. Female: male ratio was found to be 1 : 0,94. No relationships were found between hatching date and sex of nestling and female age and sex of offspring. Drugorzędowa struktura płciowa u piskląt kosa (Turdus merula)Słowa kluczowe struktura płciowa, kos, populacja miejska Streszczenie W latach 2006-2007 badano drugorzędową strukturę płciową u piskląt kosa w parku im. S. Żeromskiego w Szczecinie. Stosując analizy molekularne oznaczono płeć 190 piskląt. Stosunek samic do samców wynosił 1 : 0,94. Nie stwierdzono zależności między datą wyklucia, a płcią pisklęcia, ani pomiędzy wiekiem samicy, a płcią pisklęcia.

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“…In fact, variation in egg components has been shown to be related to offspring sex (Anderson et al 1997;Cordero et al 2000Cordero et al , 2001Cunningham & Russell 2001). This intrepretation, however, is unlikely because in another experiment there was no effect of tail manipulation on progeny sex ratio (Saino et al 1999b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early maternal effects mediated by immunity depend on sexual ornamentation of the male partner

Saino

Ferrari

Martinelli

et al. 2002

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

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Vertebrates have an immature immune system soon after birth, and parasites can therefore be particularly virulent to young hosts. Transfer of immune factors via the egg can give rise to early maternal effects with important consequences for offspring ® tness, as maternally derived immunity confers anti-parasite protection. Mothers are expected to allocate immunity differentially to the eggs according to the reproductive value of their offspring as in¯uenced by the quality of their father. In this study, we analysed transmission to the yolk of antibodies speci® c to an antigen (Newcastle disease virus vaccine, NDV) by vaccinated female barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) mated to males whose secondary sexual characteristics had been manipulated. Concentration of anti-NDV antibodies in the yolk positively covaried with that in maternal plasma. Anti-NDV antibodies were more concentrated in the ® rst but not the fourth eggs laid by females mated with tail-elongated males compared with those mated with tail-shortened and control males. This experiment shows that allocation of maternal immune factors to the eggs is affected by quality of the male, as signalled by its secondary sexual characteristic. Thus, early maternal effects are in¯uenced by sexual attractiveness of male mates and are mediated by immunity.

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Sexually dimorphic eggs, nestling growth and sibling competition in American Kestrels Falco sparverius

Cited by 114 publications

References 37 publications

Differential allocation in relation to mate song quality in the Bengalese finch

Differential allocation in relation to mate song quality in the Bengalese finch

Secondary sex ratio of nestlings of the blackbird (Turdus merula)

Early maternal effects mediated by immunity depend on sexual ornamentation of the male partner

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