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The costs of reproduction in the collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis

Abstract

There has been considerable interest in testing Lack's1 hypothesis that the most frequent clutch size should be the one which yields the highest number of viable offspring. Many tests, however, have shown that the clutch size that produces the most fledglings is actually larger than the most frequent size2,3. This discrepancy has been accounted for by suggesting that high fecundity may result in a reduction in fledgling survival1, juvenile survival4, adult survival5,6, subsequent fecundity7 or the fecundity of the offspring8 or, alternatively, that there is a relationship between parent quality or territory quality and brood size9. We evaluate three different methods of determining these costs and conclude that experimental manipulations provide the only reliable means of determining the costs. The collared flycatcher, Ficedula albicollis, on the island of Gotland forms an isolated population with a remarkably high site fidelity of both adults and young such that the lifetime reproductive success can be assessed with an accuracy rarely possible under natural conditions. Experimental modifications of the actual clutch size showed that the main costs of an enlarged clutch were that the juveniles were less likely to survive, that the subsequent fecundity of the parents was reduced and the offspring had a lower fecundity. Adult survival was unaffected by clutch size.

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Gustafsson, L., Sutherland, W. The costs of reproduction in the collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis. Nature 335, 813–815 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/335813a0

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