Henrik Smith
Professor
Parental age and reproduction in the marsh tit
Author
Summary, in English
In the Marsh Tit Parus palustris, breeding performance improved with the age of both the male and the female parent-older birds produced larger clutches earlier in the season. The effect of male age, however, was mainly due to a positive association with the age of the female. When the effect of laying date was accounted for, there was no additional effect of female age on clutch-size. However, pairs with previous breeding experience laid larger clutches than newly formed pairs of the same age. There was some evidence that young females that laid late in the season were less likely to survive to breed again, leading to an age effect on reproductive performance. There was no evidence that individual birds laid earlier or produced larger clutches when they became older.
Department/s
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC)
- Biodiversity
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science
Publishing year
1993
Language
English
Pages
196-201
Publication/Series
Ibis
Volume
135
Links
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
Topic
- Zoology
- Ecology
Status
Published
Research group
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0019-1019