Body condition and the grouping behavior of brood-caring female common eiders (Somateria mollissima)
Both theoretical and empirical work has shown that group size increases with increasing ecological constraints on solitary breeding. Ecological constraints refer to extrinsic factors such as availability of breeding sites, food or mates. Common eider (Somateria mollissima) females pool their broods...
Published in: | Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2003
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/body-condition-and-the-grouping-behavior-of-brood-caring-female-c https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-003-0641-0 |
id |
ftunivwagenin:oai:library.wur.nl:wurpubs/375448 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftunivwagenin:oai:library.wur.nl:wurpubs/375448 2024-02-04T09:59:39+01:00 Body condition and the grouping behavior of brood-caring female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) Ost, M. Ydenberg, R.C. Lindstrom, K. Kilpi, M. 2003 application/pdf https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/body-condition-and-the-grouping-behavior-of-brood-caring-female-c https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-003-0641-0 en eng https://edepot.wur.nl/448 https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/body-condition-and-the-grouping-behavior-of-brood-caring-female-c doi:10.1007/s00265-003-0641-0 info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Wageningen University & Research Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 54 (2003) 5 ISSN: 0340-5443 abandonment conflict creching behavior dispersal evolution group-size gull predation parental decisions reproductive skew wrens info:eu-repo/semantics/article Article/Letter to editor info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2003 ftunivwagenin https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-003-0641-0 2024-01-10T23:27:02Z Both theoretical and empirical work has shown that group size increases with increasing ecological constraints on solitary breeding. Ecological constraints refer to extrinsic factors such as availability of breeding sites, food or mates. Common eider (Somateria mollissima) females pool their broods and share brood-rearing duties, or rear broods alone. Females are often in poor condition at hatching, as incubation is accomplished without feeding, and variation in body condition is largely environmentally induced and thus unpredictable. We found that the intensity of and duration of parental care that females provide is positively correlated with their body condition at hatching. This suggests that body condition is an ecological constraint on successful solitary breeding. We further observed that group productivity in common eider broods is a decelerating function of the number of tending females. As predicted, females in poorer condition (i.e., facing stronger ecological constraints) were found in larger groups. This result is straightforward if solitary tenders can enter any group at no cost. However, if entry is group-controlled, stable groups of non-relatives are predicted not to occur when per capita reproduction declines with group size. The Nperson staying incentive model permits groups to form under these conditions, because reproduction is unevenly Article in Journal/Newspaper Common Eider Somateria mollissima Wageningen UR (University & Research Centre): Digital Library Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 54 5 451 457 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wageningen UR (University & Research Centre): Digital Library |
op_collection_id |
ftunivwagenin |
language |
English |
topic |
abandonment conflict creching behavior dispersal evolution group-size gull predation parental decisions reproductive skew wrens |
spellingShingle |
abandonment conflict creching behavior dispersal evolution group-size gull predation parental decisions reproductive skew wrens Ost, M. Ydenberg, R.C. Lindstrom, K. Kilpi, M. Body condition and the grouping behavior of brood-caring female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) |
topic_facet |
abandonment conflict creching behavior dispersal evolution group-size gull predation parental decisions reproductive skew wrens |
description |
Both theoretical and empirical work has shown that group size increases with increasing ecological constraints on solitary breeding. Ecological constraints refer to extrinsic factors such as availability of breeding sites, food or mates. Common eider (Somateria mollissima) females pool their broods and share brood-rearing duties, or rear broods alone. Females are often in poor condition at hatching, as incubation is accomplished without feeding, and variation in body condition is largely environmentally induced and thus unpredictable. We found that the intensity of and duration of parental care that females provide is positively correlated with their body condition at hatching. This suggests that body condition is an ecological constraint on successful solitary breeding. We further observed that group productivity in common eider broods is a decelerating function of the number of tending females. As predicted, females in poorer condition (i.e., facing stronger ecological constraints) were found in larger groups. This result is straightforward if solitary tenders can enter any group at no cost. However, if entry is group-controlled, stable groups of non-relatives are predicted not to occur when per capita reproduction declines with group size. The Nperson staying incentive model permits groups to form under these conditions, because reproduction is unevenly |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ost, M. Ydenberg, R.C. Lindstrom, K. Kilpi, M. |
author_facet |
Ost, M. Ydenberg, R.C. Lindstrom, K. Kilpi, M. |
author_sort |
Ost, M. |
title |
Body condition and the grouping behavior of brood-caring female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) |
title_short |
Body condition and the grouping behavior of brood-caring female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) |
title_full |
Body condition and the grouping behavior of brood-caring female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) |
title_fullStr |
Body condition and the grouping behavior of brood-caring female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Body condition and the grouping behavior of brood-caring female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) |
title_sort |
body condition and the grouping behavior of brood-caring female common eiders (somateria mollissima) |
publishDate |
2003 |
url |
https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/body-condition-and-the-grouping-behavior-of-brood-caring-female-c https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-003-0641-0 |
genre |
Common Eider Somateria mollissima |
genre_facet |
Common Eider Somateria mollissima |
op_source |
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 54 (2003) 5 ISSN: 0340-5443 |
op_relation |
https://edepot.wur.nl/448 https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/body-condition-and-the-grouping-behavior-of-brood-caring-female-c doi:10.1007/s00265-003-0641-0 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Wageningen University & Research |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-003-0641-0 |
container_title |
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |
container_volume |
54 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
451 |
op_container_end_page |
457 |
_version_ |
1789964584259420160 |