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Egg size and offspring performance in the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis): a within-clutch approach

  • Population Ecology
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Abstract

Adaptive within-clutch allocation of resources by laying females is an important focus of evolutionary studies. However, the critical assumption of these studies, namely that within-clutch egg-size deviations affect offspring performance, has been properly tested only rarely. In this study, we investigated effects of within-clutch deviations in egg size on nestling survival, weight, fledgling condition, structural size and offspring recruitment to the breeding population in the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis). Besides egg-size effects, we also followed effects of hatching asynchrony, laying sequence, offspring sex and paternity. There was no influence of egg size on nestling survival, tarsus length, condition or recruitment. Initially significant effect on nestling mass disappeared as nestlings approached fledging. Thus, there seems to be limited potential for a laying female to exploit within-clutch egg-size variation adaptively in the collared flycatcher, which agrees with the majority of earlier studies on other bird species. Instead, we suggest that within-clutch egg-size variation originates from the effects of proximate constraints on laying females. If true, adaptive explanations for within-clutch patterns in egg size should be invoked with caution.

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Acknowledgements

We thank E. Tkadlec, K. Weidinger and several anonymous referees for valuable comments on or discussion of the manuscript, and J. Stříteský for exceptional field co-operation. K. Weidinger kindly provided us with plastic eggs. We thank forest enterprise Čechy pod Kosířem for providing the nest-boxes and caravan needed for this work. M. K. thanks Kačenka for everyday support. This study was supported by a grant from the Czech Ministry of Education (MSM 153100012) and from GAČR (no. 206/03/0215). The study was approved and supervised by the Ethical Committee of Palacký University and complies with the current law of the Czech Republic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Museum of Natural History, nám. Republiky 5, 771 73, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    Miloš Krist

  2. Laboratory of Ornithology, Palacký University, tř. Svobody 26, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    Miloš Krist, Vladimír Remeš & Stanislav Bureš

  3. Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 11, 783 71, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    Lenka Uvírová & Petr Nádvorník

  4. Department of Zoology, Palacký University, tř. Svobody 26, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    Petr Nádvorník & Stanislav Bureš

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  1. Miloš Krist
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Correspondence to Miloš Krist.

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Krist, M., Remeš, V., Uvírová, L. et al. Egg size and offspring performance in the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis): a within-clutch approach. Oecologia 140, 52–60 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-004-1568-5

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