The amount of food resources available to upper-level consumers can show marked variations in time and space, potentially resulting in food limitation. The availability of food resources during reproduction is a key factor modulating variation in reproductive success and life-history tradeoffs, including patterns of resource allocation to reproduction versus self-maintenance, ultimately impacting on population dynamics. Food provisioning experiments constitute a popular approach to assess the importance of food limitation for vertebrate reproduction. In this study of a mesopredatory avian species, the lesser kestrel Falco naumanni, we provided extra food to breeding individuals from egg laying to early nestling rearing. Extra food did not significantly affect adult body condition or oxidative status. However, it increased the allocation of resources to flight feathers moult and induced females to lay heavier eggs. Concomitantly, it alleviated the costs of laying heavier eggs for females in poor body condition, and reduced their chances of nest desertion (implying complete reproductive failure). Extra food provisioning improved early nestling growth (body mass and feather development). Moreover, extra food significantly reduced the negative effects of ectoparasites on nestling body mass, while fostering forearm (a flight apparatus trait) growth among highly parasitized nestlings. Our results indicate that lesser kestrels invested the extra food mainly to improve current reproduction, suggesting that population growth in this species can be limited by food availability during the breeding season. In addition, extra food provisioning reduced the costs of the moult–breeding overlap and affected early growth tradeoffs by mitigating detrimental ectoparasite effects on growth and enhancing development of the flight apparatus with high levels of parasitism. Importantly, our findings suggest that maternal condition is a major trait modulating the benefits of extra food to reproduction, whereby such benefits mostly accrue to low-quality females with poor body condition.

Benefits of extra food to reproduction depend on maternal condition / S. Podofillini, J.G. Cecere, M. Griggio, M. Corti, E.L. De Capua, M. Parolini, N. Saino, L. Serra, D. Rubolini. - In: OIKOS. - ISSN 0030-1299. - 128:7(2019 Jul), pp. 943-959.

Benefits of extra food to reproduction depend on maternal condition

S. Podofillini;M. Corti;M. Parolini;N. Saino;D. Rubolini
2019

Abstract

The amount of food resources available to upper-level consumers can show marked variations in time and space, potentially resulting in food limitation. The availability of food resources during reproduction is a key factor modulating variation in reproductive success and life-history tradeoffs, including patterns of resource allocation to reproduction versus self-maintenance, ultimately impacting on population dynamics. Food provisioning experiments constitute a popular approach to assess the importance of food limitation for vertebrate reproduction. In this study of a mesopredatory avian species, the lesser kestrel Falco naumanni, we provided extra food to breeding individuals from egg laying to early nestling rearing. Extra food did not significantly affect adult body condition or oxidative status. However, it increased the allocation of resources to flight feathers moult and induced females to lay heavier eggs. Concomitantly, it alleviated the costs of laying heavier eggs for females in poor body condition, and reduced their chances of nest desertion (implying complete reproductive failure). Extra food provisioning improved early nestling growth (body mass and feather development). Moreover, extra food significantly reduced the negative effects of ectoparasites on nestling body mass, while fostering forearm (a flight apparatus trait) growth among highly parasitized nestlings. Our results indicate that lesser kestrels invested the extra food mainly to improve current reproduction, suggesting that population growth in this species can be limited by food availability during the breeding season. In addition, extra food provisioning reduced the costs of the moult–breeding overlap and affected early growth tradeoffs by mitigating detrimental ectoparasite effects on growth and enhancing development of the flight apparatus with high levels of parasitism. Importantly, our findings suggest that maternal condition is a major trait modulating the benefits of extra food to reproduction, whereby such benefits mostly accrue to low-quality females with poor body condition.
body condition; egg size; food limitation; food provisioning; income breeding; moult–breeding overlap; offspring; oxidative status; sex allocation
Settore BIO/07 - Ecologia
lug-2019
Article (author)
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
oik.06067.pdf

accesso riservato

Tipologia: Publisher's version/PDF
Dimensione 399.1 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
399.1 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia
Podofillini et al 2019 Oikos.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Post-print, accepted manuscript ecc. (versione accettata dall'editore)
Dimensione 722.5 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
722.5 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
Pubblicazioni consigliate

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/700521
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 19
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 19
social impact