Abstract
Breeding birds use a range of nutrient accumulation and allocation strategies to meet the nutritional demands of clutch formation and incubation. On one end of the spectrum, capital breeders use stored nutrients acquired prior to clutch formation and incubation to sustain metabolism during reproduction, while on the opposite end, income breeders derive nutrients solely from exogenous sources on the breeding grounds. Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) are an ideal candidate to test for adoption of an income strategy among migratory waterfowl because of their small body size, temperate breeding range, and timing of reproduction relative to pulses in nutrient availability within breeding habitats. We collected migrating and pre-breeding Blue-winged Teal (n = 110) during the warmest spring in over a century in the southern edge of the species’ breeding range, which produced ideal conditions to test for adoption of an income breeding strategy among migratory waterfowl. Regression analyses revealed that females accumulated protein and fat reserves early in follicle development and appeared to mobilize at least some reserves coincident with the onset of clutch formation. Accumulation and subsequent mobilization of nutrient reserves was inconsistent with adherence to an income breeding strategy and suggested breeding Blue-winged Teal used capital (albeit locally acquired) for reproduction. Our results add to existing knowledge on the ubiquity of endogenous nutrient reserve accumulation prior to and during reproduction by waterfowl, perhaps suggesting endogenous nutrient reserves are universally used for clutch formation or incubation to some degree. If indeed Blue-winged Teal and other waterfowl universally use capital for breeding, research and conservation efforts should shift from evaluating whether an income breeding strategy is used and focus on when and where necessary capital is acquired prior to clutch formation.
Zusammenfassung
Ist „income breeding“ ein angemessenes Modell für Wasservögel?
Brutvögel setzen eine Reihe von Strategien für Erwerb und Zuweisung von Nahrung ein, um die Bedürfnisse bei Eiablage und Brut zu befriedigen. Am einen Ende des Spektrums verwenden die „capital breeders“ gespeicherte Nährstoffe, die sie vor Beginn der Eiablage und des Brütens aufgenommen haben, um während des Brütens ihren Stoffwechsel aufrechtzuerhalten; am entgegengesetzten Ende des Spektrums beziehen die „income breeders“ ihre Nährstoffe ausschließlich aus exogenen Quellen aus der Umgebung des Nistplatzes. Blauflügelenten (Anas discors) sind das ideale Modell, den Einsatz der „income“ Strategie bei Wassergeflügel zu testen, aufgrund ihrer geringen Körpergröße, dem Brutareal in gemäßigtem Klima und der zeitlichen Anpassung der Fortpflanzung relativ zu Schwankungen in der Nahrungsverfügbarkeit in den Bruthabitaten. Wir fingen ziehende Blauflügelenten vor dem Brüten (n = 110) im wärmsten Frühling seit über 100 Jahren am südlichsten Rand des Verbreitungsgebiets der Art, was ideale Bedingungen ergab, um auf das Vorhandensein einer „income“ Strategie bei ziehenden Wasservögeln zu testen. Regressionsanalysen zeigten, dass Weibchen Protein- und Fettreserven früh in der Entwicklung des Follikels anlegten, und sie schienen zumindest einen Teil der Reserven gleichzeitig mit Beginn der Eiablage zu mobilisieren. Anlage und anschließende Mobilisierung von Nährstoffreserven widersprachen einer „income“ Strategie und legten nahe, dass brütende Blauflügelenten auf zuvor angelegte Vorräte („capital“) zurückgriffen. Unsere Ergebnisse unterstützen bisherige Erkenntnisse über die allgemeine Verbreitung des Aufbaus endogener Nährstoffreserven bei Wasservögeln vor Brutbeginn, und weisen möglicherweise darauf hin, dass endogene Nährstoffreserven universell zu gewissen Teilen bei Eiablage und Brüten zum Einsatz kommen. Wenn Blauflügelenten und andere Wasservögel tatsächlich Vorräte („capital“) universell fürs Brüten einsetzen, sollte sich der Focus von Forschung und Artenschutz davon abwenden, zu untersuchen, ob eine „income breeding“ Strategie eingesetzt wird, und sich der Frage zuwenden, wann und wo die nötigen Vorräte („capital“) vor der Eiablage angelegt werden.
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Acknowledgments
Our research was supported through grants from the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, the Department of Natural Resource Management at South Dakota State University, the Kenneth F. Higgins Waterfowl Legacy Research Endowment, and the US Geological Survey through the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center and South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. EnvrionMetal, Inc., made in-kind contributions to the research. R. Murano, P. Mammenga, and M. Grovijahn assisted with the collections and logistics of the field research. J. Rorah and A. Homola assisted with laboratory work. J. DeVink, R. Alisauskas, and one anonymous reviewer provided insightful comments that improved the scope and content of the manuscript. All experimental procedures described herein were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at South Dakota State University (permit 12-013A) and authorized under a US Fish and Wildlife Service scientific collecting permit (permit MB068976-0). Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government.
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Communicated by C. G. Guglielmo.
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Janke, A.K., Anteau, M.J., Markl, N. et al. Is income breeding an appropriate construct for waterfowl?. J Ornithol 156, 755–762 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-015-1200-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-015-1200-y