Variable but predictable prey availability affects predator breeding success: natural versus experimental evidence
International audience Food supply is a major source of variation in breeding success for predators, and to what extent individuals are able to cope with temporal variability in food availability remains an outstanding question in life-history studies. We confronted the natural variation in clutch s...
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ftccsdartic:oai:HAL:hal-00319451v1 2023-05-15T15:56:37+02:00 Variable but predictable prey availability affects predator breeding success: natural versus experimental evidence Millon, Alexandre Arroyo, Beatriz E. Bretagnolle, Vincent Centre d'études biologiques de Chizé (CEBC) Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) 2008-09-08 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00319451 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00447.x en eng HAL CCSD Wiley info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00447.x hal-00319451 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00319451 doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00447.x ISSN: 0952-8369 EISSN: 1469-7998 Journal of Zoology https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00319451 Journal of Zoology, Wiley, 2008, 275, pp.349-358. ⟨10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00447.x⟩ [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2008 ftccsdartic https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00447.x 2021-11-28T01:40:05Z International audience Food supply is a major source of variation in breeding success for predators, and to what extent individuals are able to cope with temporal variability in food availability remains an outstanding question in life-history studies. We confronted the natural variation in clutch size and breeding success with results from a food supplementation experiment during egg formation, conducted over several contrasted years of natural food supply in an avian specialist predator, the Montagu's harrier Circus pygargus. This raptor mainly preys on common vole Microtus arvalis a cyclic microtine under temperate latitudes. Vole abundance together with timing of breeding accounted for most of the variance in clutch size and number of fledglings. Results from empirical and experimental data were overall in agreement. Fed pairs consistently increased clutch size compared with controls in all experimental years, whereas no effect of food supplementation on egg volume was detected. Supplemented pairs, however, did not fledge significantly more chicks than controls. The costs entailed by the increase in clutch size appear nevertheless to be limited compared with previous studies. Food supply seemed therefore to display sufficient predictability throughout a breeding season to afford individuals the opportunity to adjust their breeding effort to an optimal number of offspring, in agreement with Lack's anticipation hypothesis. Article in Journal/Newspaper Common vole Microtus arvalis Archive ouverte HAL (Hyper Article en Ligne, CCSD - Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) Journal of Zoology 275 4 349 358 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Archive ouverte HAL (Hyper Article en Ligne, CCSD - Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) |
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ftccsdartic |
language |
English |
topic |
[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes |
spellingShingle |
[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes Millon, Alexandre Arroyo, Beatriz E. Bretagnolle, Vincent Variable but predictable prey availability affects predator breeding success: natural versus experimental evidence |
topic_facet |
[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes |
description |
International audience Food supply is a major source of variation in breeding success for predators, and to what extent individuals are able to cope with temporal variability in food availability remains an outstanding question in life-history studies. We confronted the natural variation in clutch size and breeding success with results from a food supplementation experiment during egg formation, conducted over several contrasted years of natural food supply in an avian specialist predator, the Montagu's harrier Circus pygargus. This raptor mainly preys on common vole Microtus arvalis a cyclic microtine under temperate latitudes. Vole abundance together with timing of breeding accounted for most of the variance in clutch size and number of fledglings. Results from empirical and experimental data were overall in agreement. Fed pairs consistently increased clutch size compared with controls in all experimental years, whereas no effect of food supplementation on egg volume was detected. Supplemented pairs, however, did not fledge significantly more chicks than controls. The costs entailed by the increase in clutch size appear nevertheless to be limited compared with previous studies. Food supply seemed therefore to display sufficient predictability throughout a breeding season to afford individuals the opportunity to adjust their breeding effort to an optimal number of offspring, in agreement with Lack's anticipation hypothesis. |
author2 |
Centre d'études biologiques de Chizé (CEBC) Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Millon, Alexandre Arroyo, Beatriz E. Bretagnolle, Vincent |
author_facet |
Millon, Alexandre Arroyo, Beatriz E. Bretagnolle, Vincent |
author_sort |
Millon, Alexandre |
title |
Variable but predictable prey availability affects predator breeding success: natural versus experimental evidence |
title_short |
Variable but predictable prey availability affects predator breeding success: natural versus experimental evidence |
title_full |
Variable but predictable prey availability affects predator breeding success: natural versus experimental evidence |
title_fullStr |
Variable but predictable prey availability affects predator breeding success: natural versus experimental evidence |
title_full_unstemmed |
Variable but predictable prey availability affects predator breeding success: natural versus experimental evidence |
title_sort |
variable but predictable prey availability affects predator breeding success: natural versus experimental evidence |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00319451 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00447.x |
genre |
Common vole Microtus arvalis |
genre_facet |
Common vole Microtus arvalis |
op_source |
ISSN: 0952-8369 EISSN: 1469-7998 Journal of Zoology https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00319451 Journal of Zoology, Wiley, 2008, 275, pp.349-358. ⟨10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00447.x⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00447.x hal-00319451 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00319451 doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00447.x |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00447.x |
container_title |
Journal of Zoology |
container_volume |
275 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
349 |
op_container_end_page |
358 |
_version_ |
1766392002414379008 |