Nest predation risk explains variation in avian clutch size

Kristen G Dillon, Courtney J Conway and John SkelhornHandling Editor

Behavioral Ecology, 2018, vol. 29, issue 2, 301-311

Abstract: The risk that an animal’s offspring are eaten by predators is thought to strongly influence an animal’s decisions regarding reproductive effort. We found that birds breeding in locations with a high risk of nest predation laid fewer eggs than their conspecifics nesting in areas with a lower risk of nest predation. Montane birds nesting at higher elevations lay fewer eggs than at lower elevations because of the higher risk of nest predation at higher elevations.

Keywords: elevational gradient; evolutionary constraints; offspring mortality; life-history evolution; phenotypic plasticity; predation risk manipulation; reproductive investment; resource availability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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