Ecology and allometry predict the evolution of avian developmental durations

Abstract

The duration of the developmental period represents a fundamental axis of life-history variation, yet broad insights regarding the drivers of this diversity are currently lacking. Here, we test mechanistic and ecological explanations for the evolution of developmental duration using embryological data and information on incubation and fledging for 3096 avian species. Developmental phases associated primarily with growth are the longest and most variable, consistent with a role for allometric constraint in determining the duration of development. In addition, developmental durations retain a strong imprint of deep evolutionary history and body size differences among species explain less variation than previously thought. Finally, we reveal ecological correlates of developmental durations, including variables associated with the relative safety of the developmental environment and pressures of breeding phenology. Overall, our results provide broad-scale insight into the relative importance of mechanistic, ecological and evolutionary constraints in shaping the diversification of this key life-history trait.

Intraspecific variation in incubation behaviours along a latitudinal gradient is driven by nest microclimate and selection on neonate quality

“…Incubation period duration could also be subject to phylogenetic (Deeming et al, 2006) and allometric constraints imposed by body size or egg size (Case, 1978; Ricklefs & Starck, 1998). However, incubation period duration varies greatly among species (from at least 10 to 78 days; Boersma, 1982; Martin et al., 2007) and neither nest predation risk nor allometry explains the majority of that variation (Conway & Martin, 2000b; Cooney et al., 2020; Martin, 1996; Martin et al., 2007). Many species exhibit surprisingly drawn‐out incubation periods (Boersma, 1982; Martin, 1996; Ricklefs, 1984) despite the directional selective pressures to minimize them.…”

“…Incubation period also varies within individual species (Ardia et al., 2006; Martin et al., 2018), and intraspecific variation is likely driven by the same selective processes responsible for variation among species. The selective pressures responsible for this surprisingly high variation in incubation period duration remain a topic of debate (Cooney et al., 2020; Martin et al., 2018; Ricklefs et al., 2017).…”

Partial or complete? The evolution of post‐juvenile moult strategies in passerine birds

“…(d) Length of the nestling period (in days, N = 860 species), collated from the Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW; del Hoyo et al, 2018) and Cooney et al. (2020). (e) Habitat openness ( N = 1,311 species).…”

Who takes care of the kids at when? Sex differences in avian parental care

“…(e) Daily predation rate of nest (log10 transformed, N = 225 species) was obtained from Matysioková & Remeš (2018) [40]. (f) Clutch size (log10 transformed, N = 733 species) and (g) length of the nestling developmental period (in days, log10 transformed, N = 591 species) were collated from Cooney et al (2020) [41]. (h) Research effort (N = 840 species), quantified as the number of independent entries per species in the Zoological Record database [42], was incorporated to account for data quality.…”