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The influence of parental age and weather on testosterone concentration and offspring survival in broods of tawny owl Strix aluco

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Abstract

Previous research has suggested that parental condition may affect offspring mortality patterns by affecting offspring testosterone levels. Accordingly, we hypothesized that there is a relationship between offspring testosterone concentration and survival during the early nestling period, and that both are influenced by parent age/experience and by prey availability. We tested our hypothesis on tawny owls Strix aluco in their first and third known breeding seasons, when they bred either in adverse or mild weather conditions, in Duna-Ipoly National Park, Hungary. Plasma testosterone concentrations of the nestlings were analyzed and related to parental condition, hatching order and nestling mortality. Inexperienced parents breeding in all weather conditions and experienced parents breeding in adverse conditions were both in poor condition compared to experienced parents breeding in mild conditions. Parents in poor condition produced broods with large between-sibling differences in testosterone concentrations and their later-hatched nestlings (which had low testosterone levels) died during the early nestling period, whereas parents in good condition produced broods with lower variation in offspring testosterone concentrations and all offspring survived the early nestling period. We discuss environmental influences on the amount of testosterone deposited in eggs, and also how maternal testosterone might induce those mechanisms producing testosterone in the nestlings.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to Dr. Webster and anonymous referees for their constructive comments and suggestions. We appreciate the improvements in English usage made by Robert A. James through the Association of Field Ornithologists’ program of editorial assistance. This work was supported by the Department of Zoology, Eszterházy Károly College of Education, Eger, and Hungarian National Foundation for Scientific Research (project number: T 37388). We also are grateful to the Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, New York, for its financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eszterházy Károly College of Education, Department of Zoology, Leányka u. 6., 3300 , Eger, Hungary

    Lajos Sasvári

  2. Department of Reproductive Biology, Szent István University, 2103 , Gödöllő, Hungary

    Péter Péczely

  3. Management of Duna-Ipoly National Park, Hűvösvölgyi út 52, 1021 , Budapest, Hungary

    Zoltán Hegyi

Authors
  1. Lajos Sasvári
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  2. Péter Péczely
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  3. Zoltán Hegyi
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Correspondence to Lajos Sasvári.

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Communicated by M. Webster, T. Czeschlik

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Sasvári, L., Péczely, P. & Hegyi, Z. The influence of parental age and weather on testosterone concentration and offspring survival in broods of tawny owl Strix aluco . Behav Ecol Sociobiol 56, 306–313 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-004-0788-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-004-0788-3

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