J. #NAME? Monnat
J.E. Hines
E. Cam
2003
<p><span>1. The </span>long<span>-</span>term<span> </span>fitness<span> </span>consequences<span> of </span>conditions<span> during development are receiving growing attention: they are at the interface between ecological and evolutionary processes. We addressed the influence of the length of the rearing period and 'rank' on </span>fitness<span> components </span>in<span> a </span>long<span>-lived seabird species with deferred breeding: the </span>kittiwake<span> (Rissa tridactyla). Rank, which depends on hatching order, was used as a surrogate for dominance status </span>in<span> the brood. Rank could be viewed as a random factor affecting individuals regardless of their possible 'intrinsic quality' at birth. The length of the rearing period was used as a surrogate for parental effort. It reflects the interaction between numerous factors such as environmental </span>conditions<span>, parental quality, reproductive decisions and effort, and also offspring decisions and intrinsic quality at birth. 2. There was evidence of an influence of the length of the rearing period on local survival before recruitment. Individuals with shorter rearing periods had lower local survival during the first winter (e.g. the relationship was positive). They may incur higher mortality. </span>In<span> rank 1 prebreeders, this relationship was negative </span>in<span> older age-classes. Longer rearing periods and better </span>condition<span> at independence may be associated with stronger migrating ability, and prebreeders that have not yet made settlement decisions may emigrate permanently to distant locations. Such a complex pattern may reflect age-related changes </span>in<span> the relative contribution of mortality and permanent emigration to local survival. 3. The length of the rearing period had </span>long<span>-</span>term<span> </span>consequences<span> on reproductive performance. The relationship was positive but the rate of increase decreased slightly at higher values of the covariate. 4. There was an unambiguously negative influence of rank on survival before recruitment and recruitment probability, but not on demographic parameters specific to the reproductive stage. Juniors recruited later than elder siblings. The disadvantage of juniors may be expressed mainly </span>in<span> terms of higher mortality and disappearance from the population before recruitment.</span></p>
application/pdf
10.1046/j.1365-2656.2003.00708.x
en
British Ecological Society
Long-term fitness consequences of early conditions in the kittiwake
article