Age and performance at fledging are a cause and consequence of juvenile mortality between life stages

Thomas E. Martin; Bret Tobalske; Margaret M. Riordan; Samuel B. Case; Kenneth P. Dial

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aar1988

Age and performance at fledging are a cause and consequence of juvenile mortality between life stages

Thomas E. Martin
, Bret Tobalske
, Margaret M. Riordan
, Samuel B. Case
, Kenneth P. Dial

Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

90 Scopus citations

Abstract

Should they stay or should they leave? The age at which young transition between life stages, such as living in a nest versus leaving it, differs among species and the reasons why are unclear. We show that offspring of songbird species that leave the nest at a younger age have less developed wings that cause poorer flight performance and greater mortality after fledging. Experimentally delayed fledging verified that older age and better developed wings provide benefits of reduced juvenile mortality. Young are differentially constrained in the age that they can stay in the nest and enjoy these fitness benefits because of differences among species in opposing predation costs while in the nest. This tension between mortality in versus outside of the nest influences offspring traits and performance and creates an unrecognized conflict between parents and offspring that determines the optimal age to fledge.

Original language	English
Article number	eaar1988
Journal	Science advances
Volume	4
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aar1988
State	Published - Jun 20 2018

Funding

We thank E. Greene, A. Mitchell, J. Mouton, J.C. Oteyza, and N. Wright for helpful comments. This work was supported by the NSF (DEB-1241041, CMMI-1234737, IOS-1349178, IOS-1656120,and DEB-1651283) and was conducted under auspices of University of Montana Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee #059-10TMMCWRU. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Funder number
CMMI-1234737, 1656120, 1651283, DEB-1241041, IOS-1656120, DEB-1651283, IOS-1349178

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10.1126/sciadv.aar1988

Cite this

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title = "Age and performance at fledging are a cause and consequence of juvenile mortality between life stages",

abstract = "Should they stay or should they leave? The age at which young transition between life stages, such as living in a nest versus leaving it, differs among species and the reasons why are unclear. We show that offspring of songbird species that leave the nest at a younger age have less developed wings that cause poorer flight performance and greater mortality after fledging. Experimentally delayed fledging verified that older age and better developed wings provide benefits of reduced juvenile mortality. Young are differentially constrained in the age that they can stay in the nest and enjoy these fitness benefits because of differences among species in opposing predation costs while in the nest. This tension between mortality in versus outside of the nest influences offspring traits and performance and creates an unrecognized conflict between parents and offspring that determines the optimal age to fledge.",

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AU - Tobalske, Bret

AU - Riordan, Margaret M.

AU - Case, Samuel B.

AU - Dial, Kenneth P.

PY - 2018/6/20

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AB - Should they stay or should they leave? The age at which young transition between life stages, such as living in a nest versus leaving it, differs among species and the reasons why are unclear. We show that offspring of songbird species that leave the nest at a younger age have less developed wings that cause poorer flight performance and greater mortality after fledging. Experimentally delayed fledging verified that older age and better developed wings provide benefits of reduced juvenile mortality. Young are differentially constrained in the age that they can stay in the nest and enjoy these fitness benefits because of differences among species in opposing predation costs while in the nest. This tension between mortality in versus outside of the nest influences offspring traits and performance and creates an unrecognized conflict between parents and offspring that determines the optimal age to fledge.

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Age and performance at fledging are a cause and consequence of juvenile mortality between life stages

Abstract

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