Submission Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Climate change affects the reproductive success of migratory species as they are limited by time and appropriate weather conditions during the breeding season. This research asked whether variation in individual quality, in addition to timing, explains some of the variation in production of a second brood. Female house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) that nest early often have high quality territory, may be in better condition, and have an increased probability of having a second brood. Because of this, it is unclear whether the production of a second brood is solely due to the constraints of time or also due to female quality. To test this question, we cross-fostered eggs between early, high quality females and later, low quality females. This leads to high quality females raising hatchlings later in the season than intended. We are able to examine the effect of quality while keeping the effect of time equal when comparing to control nests through this manipulation. If delayed, high quality females have a greater probability of producing a second brood compared to the controls, quality may affect the production of a second brood in addition to timing. An association of quality and the production of a second brood could suggest that the population is constrained to evolutionary change over time when responding to climate change. As climate change may extend favorable conditions during the breeding season, the population may benefit from this change if time is the only factor affecting the production of a second brood.
Included in
Identifying the effect of individual quality on the production of a second brood in House wrens (Troglodytes aedon)
Climate change affects the reproductive success of migratory species as they are limited by time and appropriate weather conditions during the breeding season. This research asked whether variation in individual quality, in addition to timing, explains some of the variation in production of a second brood. Female house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) that nest early often have high quality territory, may be in better condition, and have an increased probability of having a second brood. Because of this, it is unclear whether the production of a second brood is solely due to the constraints of time or also due to female quality. To test this question, we cross-fostered eggs between early, high quality females and later, low quality females. This leads to high quality females raising hatchlings later in the season than intended. We are able to examine the effect of quality while keeping the effect of time equal when comparing to control nests through this manipulation. If delayed, high quality females have a greater probability of producing a second brood compared to the controls, quality may affect the production of a second brood in addition to timing. An association of quality and the production of a second brood could suggest that the population is constrained to evolutionary change over time when responding to climate change. As climate change may extend favorable conditions during the breeding season, the population may benefit from this change if time is the only factor affecting the production of a second brood.
