Manipulating parental condition affects brood sex ratio, immunocompetence, and early chick mortality in two gull species differing in sexual size dimorphism
Abstract Sex allocation theory predicts that parents should adjust their brood sex ratio to maximize fitness returns in relation to parental investment. Adaptive adjustment of sex ratio may be driven by differential costs of rearing sons and daughters or differential benefits of investing limited re...
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Oxford University Press (OUP)
2021
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukab007 http://academic.oup.com/auk/article-pdf/138/2/ukab007/37841447/ukab007.pdf |
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croxfordunivpr:10.1093/ornithology/ukab007 2023-05-15T17:07:23+02:00 Manipulating parental condition affects brood sex ratio, immunocompetence, and early chick mortality in two gull species differing in sexual size dimorphism Bukaciński, Dariusz Bukacińska, Monika Chylarecki, Przemysław National Science Centre, Poland 2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukab007 http://academic.oup.com/auk/article-pdf/138/2/ukab007/37841447/ukab007.pdf en eng Oxford University Press (OUP) https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model Ornithology volume 138, issue 2 ISSN 0004-8038 2732-4613 Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics journal-article 2021 croxfordunivpr https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukab007 2022-12-30T10:33:47Z Abstract Sex allocation theory predicts that parents should adjust their brood sex ratio to maximize fitness returns in relation to parental investment. Adaptive adjustment of sex ratio may be driven by differential costs of rearing sons and daughters or differential benefits of investing limited resources into offspring of different sex. In both cases, possible sex ratio bias should depend on parental condition. For sexually dimorphic birds with males larger than females, sons may be less likely to fledge since they are more vulnerable to food shortages or because they have impaired immunocompetence due to higher testosterone levels. Poor condition females should thus overproduce daughters to minimize possible reproductive failure. We manipulated the number of eggs laid and the amount of food available to laying females to induce differences in the condition in 2 gull species differing in sexual size dimorphism. In the Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), sexual size differences are marginal; but in the Mew Gull (Larus canus), males are 11% larger. In both species, females forced to lay an additional egg (presumed in worse condition) overproduced daughters, whereas females receiving supplemental food before laying (presumed improved condition) overproduced sons. This sex ratio skew was larger in Mew Gull, a species with larger size dimorphism. Chick immunocompetence at hatching was unrelated to sex, being higher in broods of fed mothers and lower for chicks hatched from last-laid eggs. Chick survival between hatching and day 5 post-hatch was positively related to their immunocompetence, but chicks from last-laid eggs and males of Mew Gull, the more dimorphic species, survived less well. Results indicate that costs of raising larger sex offspring coupled with parental condition shape brood sex ratio in populations studied. Adaptive brood sex ratio adjustment occurs mostly before egg laying and includes differential sex allocation in eggs depending on the probability of producing a fledged chick. Article in Journal/Newspaper Larus canus Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus Oxford University Press (via Crossref) Ornithology 138 2 |
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Open Polar |
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Oxford University Press (via Crossref) |
op_collection_id |
croxfordunivpr |
language |
English |
topic |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
spellingShingle |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics Bukaciński, Dariusz Bukacińska, Monika Chylarecki, Przemysław Manipulating parental condition affects brood sex ratio, immunocompetence, and early chick mortality in two gull species differing in sexual size dimorphism |
topic_facet |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
description |
Abstract Sex allocation theory predicts that parents should adjust their brood sex ratio to maximize fitness returns in relation to parental investment. Adaptive adjustment of sex ratio may be driven by differential costs of rearing sons and daughters or differential benefits of investing limited resources into offspring of different sex. In both cases, possible sex ratio bias should depend on parental condition. For sexually dimorphic birds with males larger than females, sons may be less likely to fledge since they are more vulnerable to food shortages or because they have impaired immunocompetence due to higher testosterone levels. Poor condition females should thus overproduce daughters to minimize possible reproductive failure. We manipulated the number of eggs laid and the amount of food available to laying females to induce differences in the condition in 2 gull species differing in sexual size dimorphism. In the Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), sexual size differences are marginal; but in the Mew Gull (Larus canus), males are 11% larger. In both species, females forced to lay an additional egg (presumed in worse condition) overproduced daughters, whereas females receiving supplemental food before laying (presumed improved condition) overproduced sons. This sex ratio skew was larger in Mew Gull, a species with larger size dimorphism. Chick immunocompetence at hatching was unrelated to sex, being higher in broods of fed mothers and lower for chicks hatched from last-laid eggs. Chick survival between hatching and day 5 post-hatch was positively related to their immunocompetence, but chicks from last-laid eggs and males of Mew Gull, the more dimorphic species, survived less well. Results indicate that costs of raising larger sex offspring coupled with parental condition shape brood sex ratio in populations studied. Adaptive brood sex ratio adjustment occurs mostly before egg laying and includes differential sex allocation in eggs depending on the probability of producing a fledged chick. |
author2 |
National Science Centre, Poland |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Bukaciński, Dariusz Bukacińska, Monika Chylarecki, Przemysław |
author_facet |
Bukaciński, Dariusz Bukacińska, Monika Chylarecki, Przemysław |
author_sort |
Bukaciński, Dariusz |
title |
Manipulating parental condition affects brood sex ratio, immunocompetence, and early chick mortality in two gull species differing in sexual size dimorphism |
title_short |
Manipulating parental condition affects brood sex ratio, immunocompetence, and early chick mortality in two gull species differing in sexual size dimorphism |
title_full |
Manipulating parental condition affects brood sex ratio, immunocompetence, and early chick mortality in two gull species differing in sexual size dimorphism |
title_fullStr |
Manipulating parental condition affects brood sex ratio, immunocompetence, and early chick mortality in two gull species differing in sexual size dimorphism |
title_full_unstemmed |
Manipulating parental condition affects brood sex ratio, immunocompetence, and early chick mortality in two gull species differing in sexual size dimorphism |
title_sort |
manipulating parental condition affects brood sex ratio, immunocompetence, and early chick mortality in two gull species differing in sexual size dimorphism |
publisher |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukab007 http://academic.oup.com/auk/article-pdf/138/2/ukab007/37841447/ukab007.pdf |
genre |
Larus canus Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus |
genre_facet |
Larus canus Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus |
op_source |
Ornithology volume 138, issue 2 ISSN 0004-8038 2732-4613 |
op_rights |
https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukab007 |
container_title |
Ornithology |
container_volume |
138 |
container_issue |
2 |
_version_ |
1766062759954350080 |