Natal territory size, group size, and body mass affect lifetime fitness in the cooperatively breeding Florida Scrub-Jay

Mumme, Ronald L.; Bowman, Reed; Pruett, M. Shane; Fitzpatrick, John W.

doi:10.1642/auk-14-258.1

Cited by 51 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…We tested for inbreeding depression on several fitness-related traits: hatching success, nestling weight, juvenile survival to key life-history stages, breeder lifespan, and lifetime reproductive success (LRS, measured as the number of fledglings produced over a breeder's lifetime). Nestling weight was the strongest predictor of survival from nestling to later life stages and of survival from fledgling to independence (Table S2), which is consistent with previous findings [16]. After controlling for potential confounding factors, pairwise IBD of the parents, a proxy for expected inbreeding of the offspring, was strongly correlated with hatch failure (Figure 3A).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

Genomic Consequences of Population Decline in the Endangered Florida Scrub-Jay

et al. 2016

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Summary Understanding the population genetic consequences of declining population size is important for conserving the many species worldwide facing severe decline [1]. Thorough empirical studies on the impacts of population reduction at a genome-wide scale in the wild are scarce because they demand huge field and laboratory investments [1, 2]. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of gene flow in introducing genetic variation to small populations [3], but few have documented both genetic and fitness consequences of decreased immigration through time in a natural population [4-6]. Here we assess temporal variation in gene flow, inbreeding, and fitness using longitudinal genomic, demographic, and phenotypic data from a long-studied population of federally Threatened Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens; hereafter FSJ). We exhaustively sampled and genotyped the study population over two decades, providing one of the most detailed longitudinal investigations of genetics in a wild animal population to date. Immigrants were less heterozygous than residents but still introduced genetic variation into our study population. Owing to regional population declines, immigration into the study population declined from 1995-2013, resulting in increased levels of inbreeding and reduced fitness via inbreeding depression, even as the population remained demographically stable. Our results show that, contrary to conventional wisdom, small peripheral populations that already have undergone a genetic bottleneck may play a vital role in preserving genetic diversity of larger and seemingly stable populations. These findings underscore the importance of investing in the persistence of small populations and maintaining population connectivity in conservation of fragmented species.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

Genomic Consequences of Population Decline in the Endangered Florida Scrub-Jay

et al. 2016

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“…The few studies that quantified helper effects on postfledging survival yielded mixed results (Table S1). However, these studies strongly varied in timing over which postfledging survival was quantified, from 2 weeks (e.g., Mumme et al., ) to 1 year (e.g., Covas et al., ). As selection pressures can vary temporally, presence of helpers may enhance fledging survival soon after fledging but not later on (e.g., Mumme et al., ), for example, due to local competition between helpers and fledglings (Covas et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, these studies strongly varied in timing over which postfledging survival was quantified, from 2 weeks (e.g., Mumme et al., ) to 1 year (e.g., Covas et al., ). As selection pressures can vary temporally, presence of helpers may enhance fledging survival soon after fledging but not later on (e.g., Mumme et al., ), for example, due to local competition between helpers and fledglings (Covas et al., ). For example, the number of juvenile Brown jays ( Cyanocorax morio ) surviving to 30 days after fledging was strongly correlated with group size, while the number of offspring still alive after 1 year showed only a weak relationship (Williams & Hale, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cooperative breeding shapes post‐fledging survival in an Afrotropical forest bird

Loock

Strubbe

Neve

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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For avian group living to be evolutionary stable, multiple fitness benefits are expected. Yet, the difficulty of tracking fledglings, and thus estimating their survival rates, limits our knowledge on how such benefits may manifest postfledging. We radio‐tagged breeding females of the Afrotropical cooperatively breeding Placid greenbul (Phyllastrephus placidus) during nesting. Tracking these females after fledging permitted us to locate juvenile birds, their parents, and any helpers present and to build individual fledgling resighting datasets without incurring mortality costs or causing premature fledging due to handling or transmitter effects. A Bayesian framework was used to infer age‐specific mortality rates in relation to group size, fledging date, maternal condition, and nestling condition. Postfledging survival was positively related to group size, with fledglings raised in groups with four helpers showing nearly 30% higher survival until independence compared with pair‐only offspring, independent of fledging date, maternal condition or nestling condition. Our results demonstrate the importance of studying the early dependency period just after fledging when assessing presumed benefits of cooperative breeding. While studying small, mobile organisms after they leave the nest remains highly challenging, we argue that the telemetric approach proposed here may be a broadly applicable method to obtain unbiased estimates of postfledging survival.

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“…Asterisks denote significance values against a correlation coefficient of zero: *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. similar scenario in nestling and fledgling mass of this species. Although Mumme et al (2015) found that nestling and fledgling mass are both important predictors of whether or not an individual breeds, suggesting a correlation should exist between plumage and probability of breeding, they do not predict LRS, indicating that while early development predicts who ultimately breeds, variation in LRS among breeders is explained by environmental effects (Mumme et al 2015). Our results do not support the hypothesis that the observed juvenile SD is under sexual selection, and we think sexual selection is unlikely to act on juvenile traits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selection and inheritance of sexually dimorphic juvenile plumage coloration

Tringali

Bowman

Husby

2015

Ecology and Evolution

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Sexually dimorphic plumage coloration is widespread in birds and is generally thought to be a result of sexual selection for more ornamented males. Although many studies find an association between coloration and fitness related traits, few of these simultaneously examine selection and inheritance. Theory predicts that sex‐linked genetic variation can facilitate the evolution of dimorphism, and some empirical work supports this, but we still know very little about the extent of sex linkage of sexually dimorphic traits. We used a longitudinal study on juvenile Florida scrub‐jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) to estimate strength of selection and autosomal and Z‐linked heritability of mean brightness, UV chroma, and hue. Although plumage coloration signals dominance in juveniles, there was no indication that plumage coloration was related to whether or not an individual bred or its lifetime reproductive success. While mean brightness and UV chroma are moderately heritable, hue is not. There was no evidence for sex‐linked inheritance of any trait with most of the variation explained by maternal effects. The genetic correlation between the sexes was high and not significantly different from unity. These results indicate that evolution of sexual dimorphism in this species is constrained by low sex‐linked heritability and high intersexual genetic correlation.

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Natal territory size, group size, and body mass affect lifetime fitness in the cooperatively breeding Florida Scrub-Jay

Cited by 51 publications

References 40 publications

Genomic Consequences of Population Decline in the Endangered Florida Scrub-Jay

Genomic Consequences of Population Decline in the Endangered Florida Scrub-Jay

Cooperative breeding shapes post‐fledging survival in an Afrotropical forest bird

Selection and inheritance of sexually dimorphic juvenile plumage coloration

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