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Supplemental food affects egg size but not hatching asynchrony in rollers

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Abstract

Maternal effects can function as a mechanism of transgenerational plasticity by which the environment experienced by parents is translated into the offspring phenotype and fitness. In birds, parents may affect the competitive ability of their offspring, and hence their fitness, by modifying their hatching pattern and/or egg size. However, little is known about how mothers can modify offspring phenotypes and their fitness in response to a sudden change in environmental conditions during egg-laying. Here, we studied the effect of supplemental food during egg-laying on hatching asynchrony and egg size in the Eurasian roller (Coracias garrulus), a species with marked hatching asynchrony. We also explored the effects of maternal investment on offspring fitness. Food supplementation did not affect hatching asynchrony. However, females in food-supplemented nests laid eggs that increased in size with laying order except for an ultimate small egg. Meanwhile, size of eggs laid by females in control nests did not change with laying order. Supplemental food positively affected hatchability of the egg laid just before the last one and negatively affected hatchability of the last laid egg, which seemed to be a side effect of egg size. Consequently, food-supplemented nests produced fewer fledglings and had higher probabilities of suffering brood reduction than control nests. We conclude that egg size in rollers is a plastic trait, sensitive to short-term changes in food conditions. Furthermore, our results show that maternal investment in egg size may potentially affect offspring fitness.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Manolo Soler for his help finding mealworms. This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science/FEDER (CGL2008-00718).

Ethical standards

The experiment presented in this manuscript complies with the current laws of Spain, where the study was performed. The authorisation for carrying out the experiment was granted by Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, CSIC, Carretera de Sacramento S/N, E-04120, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain

    D. Parejo, J. M. Avilés & J. Rodríguez

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  1. D. Parejo
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  2. J. M. Avilés
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  3. J. Rodríguez
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Correspondence to D. Parejo.

Additional information

Communicated by J. A. Graves

Ethical standards

The experiment presented in this manuscript complies with the current laws of Spain, where the study was performed. The authorisation for carrying out the experiment was granted by Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Spain.

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Parejo, D., Avilés, J.M. & Rodríguez, J. Supplemental food affects egg size but not hatching asynchrony in rollers. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 66, 1097–1105 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-012-1360-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-012-1360-1

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