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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Consequences of hatching deviations for breeding success
T2 - a long-term study on blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus
AU - Glądalski, M.
AU - Mainwaring, M.C.
AU - Bańbura, M.
AU - Kaliński, A.
AU - Markowski, M.
AU - Skwarska, J.
AU - Wawrzyniak, J.
AU - Bańbura, J.
AU - Hartley, I.R.
PY - 2020/8/1
Y1 - 2020/8/1
N2 - The causes and consequences of variation in the incubation regimes of oviparous animals remain unclear, despite having important fitness consequences. Avian incubation regimes can be shortened by parents initiating incubation prior to clutch completion or prolonged when there are gaps in the laying sequence. Here, we begin by quantifying variation in the incubation regimes of three populations of blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus from the UK and Poland before examining the consequences of such variation for their hatching and fledging success. We then investigate the mechanism causing such variation by exploring the impact of local weather conditions on incubation regimes. The difference between the expected and actual hatching dates of clutches was termed the “hatching deviation” and this showed considerable variation. Hatching deviation was negatively related to local temperature and clutch size. Hatching deviation affected hatching success and hatching deviation, temperature, wind speed and clutch size affected fledging success. Deviating from the expected laying and incubation regime caused lowered reproductive success. The most successful birds were those that were able to lay one egg per day and begin incubation upon clutch completion.
AB - The causes and consequences of variation in the incubation regimes of oviparous animals remain unclear, despite having important fitness consequences. Avian incubation regimes can be shortened by parents initiating incubation prior to clutch completion or prolonged when there are gaps in the laying sequence. Here, we begin by quantifying variation in the incubation regimes of three populations of blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus from the UK and Poland before examining the consequences of such variation for their hatching and fledging success. We then investigate the mechanism causing such variation by exploring the impact of local weather conditions on incubation regimes. The difference between the expected and actual hatching dates of clutches was termed the “hatching deviation” and this showed considerable variation. Hatching deviation was negatively related to local temperature and clutch size. Hatching deviation affected hatching success and hatching deviation, temperature, wind speed and clutch size affected fledging success. Deviating from the expected laying and incubation regime caused lowered reproductive success. The most successful birds were those that were able to lay one egg per day and begin incubation upon clutch completion.
KW - Breeding success
KW - delayed breeding time
KW - hatching delay
KW - hatching deviation
KW - thermal conditions
KW - Animalia
KW - Aves
KW - Cyanistes caeruleus
U2 - 10.1080/24750263.2020.1787532
DO - 10.1080/24750263.2020.1787532
M3 - Journal article
VL - 87
SP - 385
EP - 394
JO - The European Zoological Journal
JF - The European Zoological Journal
IS - 1
ER -