Assessing the effects of environmental variables on nestling growth using non-linear mixed effect models

Abstract

rienced by a runt is lost in survival analysis because this individual has survived and is deemed to have "passed" the brood rearing test. Growth analysis can provide further insight by showing how well an individual developed. Not only does this increase the sensitivity of our observations during the brood rearing period, but because nestling condition and fledging mass are correlated to future fitness components such as survival