TY - JOUR
T1 - Embryonic heart rate is higher in species that experience greater nest predation risk during incubation
AU - Di Giovanni, Alexander J.
AU - Jones, Todd M.
AU - Benson, Thomas J.
AU - Ward, Michael P.
N1 - We are grateful for the help and support in collecting data from Nicole Suckow, Mia Larrieu, Audrey Su, Cassidy Waldrep, Greta Lauer, Dustin Rush, Evalynn Trumbo, and Michael Avara. We thank Jeffrey Brawn and Mark Hauber for their comments on previous versions of the manuscript. We would also like to thank Kennekuk Cove County Park for access to our study sites and the Middlefork Audubon Society for access to nest boxes. We deeply appreciate the funding sources for this research which was generously provided by Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Federal Aid project W\u2010154\u2010R). Additional research grants include the Van Tyne Award from the American Ornithological Society, a Wilson Ornithological Society Research Grant, and the Kendeigh Grant from the Champaign County Audubon Society, without which this project would not have been possible due to the COVID\u201019 pandemic.
We are grateful for the help and support in collecting data from Nicole Suckow, Mia Larrieu, Audrey Su, Cassidy Waldrep, Greta Lauer, Dustin Rush, Evalynn Trumbo, and Michael Avara. We thank Jeffrey Brawn and Mark Hauber for their comments on previous versions of the manuscript. We would also like to thank Kennekuk Cove County Park for access to our study sites and the Middlefork Audubon Society for access to nest boxes. We deeply appreciate the funding sources for this research which was generously provided by Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Federal Aid project W-154-R). Additional research grants include the Van Tyne Award from the American Ornithological Society, a Wilson Ornithological Society Research Grant, and the Kendeigh Grant from the Champaign County Audubon Society, without which this project would not have been possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
PY - 2024/6
Y1 - 2024/6
N2 - Avian eggs develop outside of the female body, and therefore embryonic development is subject to multiple internal (physiological) and external (ecological) factors. Embryonic developmental rate has important consequences for survival. Within species, embryos that develop too quickly often experience deformities, disorders, or mortality, while embryos that develop slowly risk inviability and increase the time they are exposed to various sources of mortality in the nest. These contrasting forces may lead to interspecific variation in developmental rates. We investigated potential factors affecting embryonic heart rate (EHR), a proxy of development, across 14 passerine species in the field. More specifically, we investigated if nest predation risk, clutch size, seasonality, and egg volume influenced EHR. From previous research, we expected, and found, that EHR was positively associated with embryonic age and egg temperature. Species with greater nest predation risk had higher EHR, shorter incubation periods, and lower nest temperature variance. EHR increased as the season progressed and with egg volume, while EHR declined with clutch size. Bird species exhibit varying strategies to increase nestling and fledgling survival in response to predation risk, and these results suggest that variation in embryonic development may be related to species-specific differences in nest predation risk.
AB - Avian eggs develop outside of the female body, and therefore embryonic development is subject to multiple internal (physiological) and external (ecological) factors. Embryonic developmental rate has important consequences for survival. Within species, embryos that develop too quickly often experience deformities, disorders, or mortality, while embryos that develop slowly risk inviability and increase the time they are exposed to various sources of mortality in the nest. These contrasting forces may lead to interspecific variation in developmental rates. We investigated potential factors affecting embryonic heart rate (EHR), a proxy of development, across 14 passerine species in the field. More specifically, we investigated if nest predation risk, clutch size, seasonality, and egg volume influenced EHR. From previous research, we expected, and found, that EHR was positively associated with embryonic age and egg temperature. Species with greater nest predation risk had higher EHR, shorter incubation periods, and lower nest temperature variance. EHR increased as the season progressed and with egg volume, while EHR declined with clutch size. Bird species exhibit varying strategies to increase nestling and fledgling survival in response to predation risk, and these results suggest that variation in embryonic development may be related to species-specific differences in nest predation risk.
KW - developmental rate
KW - embryonic development
KW - embryonic heart rate
KW - incubation behavior
KW - nest predation risk
KW - reproductive success
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85195152044&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85195152044&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/ece3.11460
DO - 10.1002/ece3.11460
M3 - Article
C2 - 38826173
AN - SCOPUS:85195152044
SN - 2045-7758
VL - 14
JO - Ecology and Evolution
JF - Ecology and Evolution
IS - 6
M1 - e11460
ER -