Abstract
Generalist avian brood parasites commonly serve as a model system to test for plasticity in offspring growth and behavior under various host environmental and parental regimes. While past research has provided compelling evidence that developmental rates differ among hosts, the fitness consequences of such variation remain unclear. In hosts, carryover effects from the nesting to the post-fledging stage are critical in driving differential post-fledging survival within and among species, as well as the evolution of songbird life histories. Consequently, offspring of brood parasites may be subject to the same carryover effects and life history constraints observed in host species. Applying a pre- to post-fledging carryover effect framework to avian brood parasites may therefore provide novel insights into parasite life histories as well as parasite-host interactions. We assessed the potential influence of host carryover effects on the development and survival of juvenile cowbirds using empirical data from 10 realized host species in east-central Illinois, USA. We found that life history variation among juvenile cowbirds reflects variation in tradeoffs between mortality risk and nestling period length as well as pre- to post-fledging carryover effects found across host species. Cowbirds from host nests with higher mortality rates had shorter nestling periods, fledged with less developed wings, and exhibited higher rates of post-fledging mortality. Cowbird mass at fledging also predicted post-fledging survival, but was not associated with other life history traits. Our results provide novel links between juvenile growth, development, and mortality that help to explain differential survival in parasitic young across host species.
Significance statement
Offspring of avian brood parasites develop at different rates based on the host environment in which they are raised, but the fitness consequences of such plasticity are poorly understood. Parasitic offspring may be subject to carryover effects from the nesting to the post-fledging stages and other life history constraints operating in host systems. We assessed the potential influence of host carryover effects on the development and survival of juvenile brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) using empirical data from 10 realized host species. Reflecting pre- to post-fledging carryover effects found across host species, cowbirds from host nests with higher mortality rates had shorter nestling periods, fledged with less developed wings, and exhibited higher rates of post-fledging mortality. Our results provide novel links between juvenile growth, development, and mortality that help to explain differential survival in parasitic young across host species.
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Data availability
Data for this article are available at the Illinois Databank: https://doi.org/10.13012/B2IDB-1999427_V1, https://doi.org/10.13012/B2IDB-6218430_V1, and https://doi.org/10.13012/B2IDB-4619552_V1.
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Acknowledgements
This work would not be possible without the dedicated efforts of Alex Di Giovanni, Nicole Suckow, Kara Winter, Abby Riggs, Nisarg Shah, Mia Larrieu, Michael Miller, Evalynn Trumbo, and Ryan Leeson. We are grateful to Kennekuk Cove County Park for access to our study site and help in the field and to the Middlefork Audubon Society for access to nest boxes. We also thank Manuel Soler and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments, which greatly improved this manuscript.
Funding
This research was funded through Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (project W-154-R), and research grants from the Illinois Ornithological Society, Association of Field Ornithologists, Wilson Ornithological Society, American Ornithological Society, The North American Bluebird Society, and Inland Bird Banding Association. This work was also supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project ILLU-875–963.
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All applicable national and institutional guidelines for conducting our field study were followed. Ethical approval for the use of animals in our study and necessary permits were obtained from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (protocol no. 18221) and the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory (Master Bander Permit #23875, Todd Jones). Given the nature of the study, no additional ethics approval was required.
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Jones, T.M., Ward, M.P. Parasitic cowbird development up to fledging and subsequent post-fledging survival reflect life history variation found across host species. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 75, 133 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-021-03074-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-021-03074-5