The timing of reproduction

• Main Author: Lank, David B
• Format: Book Part
• Language: unknown
• Published: Oxford University PressOxford 1995
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic; Aptenodytes forsteri; Emperor penguins
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198540649.003.0011; https://academic.oup.com/book/chapter-pdf/52323306/isbn-9780198540649-book-part-11.pdf

Abstract Ornithologists have long accepted that the seasonality of breeding by birds is driven in large measure by the timing of availability of food for young. The extraordinary breeding biology of Emperor Penguins Aptenodytes forsteri, which involves a 3 − 4 month incubation fast by males through the Antarctic winter, testifies to the extreme adaptations which have evolved to ensure that eggs hatch at a time when chicks may be provisioned (Le Maho 1977). Lack (1968) suggested that laying dates, clutch sizes, and chick growth rates were coadapted packages that ensure maximal fitness. Snow Geese start to nest as soon as snow melts on the breeding grounds, and by the end of incubation, suitable food is usually available to support gosling growth. In this chapter, we examine variation in laying date within the normal nest initiation period.