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Are age-related variations in breeding performance greatest when food availability is limited?
journal contribution
posted on 2017-12-06, 00:00 authored by Ashley BunceAshley Bunce, S Ward, FI NormanAge-related improvements in reproductive performance in seabirds have been well documented, and may be explained by improvements in foraging efficiency or increased experience and reproductive effort with age. The interactive effects of parental age and food supply on reproductive performance, however, remain poorly understood. A widespread mass mortality of pilchards Sardinops sagax in southern Australian waters in 1998 provided a unique opportunity to investigate the effects of a sudden reduction in the availability of a major prey species on Australasian gannets Morus serrator, an important local marine predator. Age-related differences in the breeding performance of gannets were evident in 1 year of reduced pilchard availability; when food was not limited, both young and experienced parents were equally capable of rearing chicks and had similar levels of breeding success. These data clearly demonstrate the interactive effects of parental age and food supply on breeding performance and suggest that such differences only become apparent when conditions become more stressful.
History
Volume
266Issue
2Start Page
163End Page
169eISSN
1469-7998ISSN
0952-8369Location
United KingdomPublisher
WileyPublisher DOI
Full Text URL
Language
en-ausPeer Reviewed
- Yes
Open Access
- No
External Author Affiliations
Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research; Deakin University; University of Melbourne;Era Eligible
- Yes