The effect of egg size and habitat on starling nestling growth and survival |
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Authors: | Henrik G Smith Måns Bruun |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Animal Ecology, Lund University, S-223 62 Lund, Sweden Fax: +46-46-222-4716; e-mail: Henrik.Smith@Zooekol.lu.se, SE |
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Abstract: | In spite of the fact that hatchling size and energy reserves in birds are affected by egg size, many studies have failed
to find an effect of egg size on offspring fitness. One possibility is that this is because they have been performed in areas
with high food availability and that effects of egg size on offspring fitness are most apparent in areas of low food availability.
To investigate this, egg size,␣offspring mass and survival of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) were measured in an agricultural landscape with a low but variable amount of pasture, the preferred foraging habitat of
parent starlings. Offspring mass was related to egg size, but egg size explained a declining proportion of the variation in
nestling mean mass as nestlings grew older. Offspring survival during the early, but not during the late nestling period was
related to egg size. Throughout the nestling␣period, survival was related to the mass of the nestlings. It is suggested that
the effect of egg size on␣offspring survival is through the effect of egg size on offspring mass, this effect declining as
offspring grow older. Offspring survival during the early part of the nestling period was related to egg size when availability
of pasture was low, but not when it was high. However, the interaction was not significant. Selection for␣larger egg size
is discussed in relation to the structuring␣of starling populations into sources and sinks.
Received: 22 September 1997 / Accepted: 22 January 1998 |
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Keywords: | Egg size Chick survival Chick mass Food availability European starling |
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