@article{21a6810d9e2c4f2bbf96ef3c8370e138,
title = "Developmental asynchrony and host species identity predict variability in nestling growth of an obligate brood parasite: A test of the growth-tuning hypothesis",
abstract = "Generalist obligate brood parasites are excellent models for studies of developmental plasticity, as they experience a range of social and environmental variation when raised by one of their many hosts. Parasitic Brown-headed Cow-birds (Molothrus ater (Boddaert, 1783)) exhibit host-specific growth rates, yet Cowbird growth rates are not predicted by hosts incubation or brooding periods. We tested the novel growth-tuning hypothesis which predicts that total asynchrony between Cowbirds and hosts nesting periods results in faster parasitic growth in nests where host young fledge earlier than Cowbirds. We tested this prediction using previously published and newly added nestling mass data across diverse host species. Total nesting period asynchrony (summed across incubation and brooding stages) predicted Cowbird growth; 8-day-old Cowbirds were heavier in host nests with relatively shorter nesting periods. We further explored the drivers of variation in growth using mass measurements of Cowbirds in Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia (A. Wilson, 1810)) and Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766)) nests. Our top models included host species (Cowbirds grew faster in Sparrow nests), numbers of nestmates (slowest when raised alone), and sex (males grew faster). These results con-firm that multiple social and environmental factors predict directional patterns of developmental plasticity in avian generalist brood parasites.",
keywords = "Agelaius phoeniceus, Brood parasitism, Brown-headed Cowbird, Development, Growth, Melospiza melodia, Molothrus ater, Offspring, Red-winged Blackbird, Song Sparrow",
author = "Winnicki, {S. K.} and Strausberger, {B. M.} and Antonson, {N. D.} and Burhans, {D. E.} and J. Lock and Kilpatrick, {A. M.} and Hauber, {M. E.}",
note = "Funding Information: For access to funding and facilities, we thank the Morton Arboretum and The Field Museum, Chicago (to B.M.S.), and the University of Auckland and the Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics at the Smithsonian Institute (to J.L.). S.K.W. was supported by an Illinois Distinguished Fellowship. N.D.A. received a GAANN fellowship from the University of Illinois. M.E.H. was funded by the Harley Jones Van Cleave Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a National Geographic Society{\textquoteright}s Explorer Award (NGS-60453R-19), and the USA National Science Foundation (IOS No. 1953226). Additional support for M.E.H. was provided by the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg, Germany. For discussions, we are grateful to J.P. Hoover, R.M. Kilner, M.M. Louder, M.W. Schelsky, D.T. Tuero, and many other colleagues with data on Cowbird growth patterns. Funding Information: For access to funding and facilities, we thank the Morton Arboretum and The Field Museum, Chicago (to B.M.S.), and the University of Auckland and the Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics at the Smithsonian Institute (to J.L.). S.K.W. was supported by an Illinois Distinguished Fellowship. N.D.A. received a GAANN fellowship from the University of Illinois. M.E.H. was funded by the Harley Jones Van Cleave Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a National Geographic Societys Explorer Award (NGS-60453R-19), and the USA National Science Foundation (IOS No. 1953226). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, Canadian Science Publishing. All rights reserved.",
year = "2021",
doi = "10.1139/cjz-2020-0147",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "99",
pages = "213--220",
journal = "Canadian journal of zoology",
issn = "0008-4301",
publisher = "National Research Council of Canada",
number = "3",
}