Resource allocation effects on the timing of reproduction in an avian habitat specialist

Abstract

Variation in nutrient allocation can influence the timing of breeding and ultimately reproductive output. Time and space constraints might exist, however, if fewer food resources are available to meet the costs of reproduction early during the reproductive season. Here, for the first time, we test whether nutrient‐allocation strategies for reproduction in a shrub‐dependent avian species differ with timing of breeding in different ecoregions: a high‐elevation landscape, containing spatially complex vegetation (Rocky Mountains) vs. a low‐elevation, more homogenous landscape (Great Plains). We analyzed data collected from radio‐telemetry and stable isotopes to assess the degree to which endogenous (body) reserves are used for reproduction and whether variation in allocation strategies was associated with time of year, ecoregion, habitat quality (including sagebrush type and plant greenness), or maternal characteristics. Using a Bayesian statistical framework, we found that females relied on a similar amount of endogenous reserves for reproduction in first nesting and renesting attempts. Additionally, endogenous contributions declined more rapidly throughout the nesting season in the Rocky Mountains than in the Great Plains. Individuals in high‐ and intermediate‐elevation sagebrush types in the Rocky Mountains used similar amounts of endogenous reserves, whereas females nesting in low‐elevation sagebrush used less. Females nesting at intermediate elevations, which experience the greatest flush of new green vegetation during the nesting season, switched their reliance from endogenous‐to‐exogenous sources for reproduction as green vegetation became available during spring. Our study highlights adaptations of a nutrient‐allocation strategy across areas with varying levels of resources in time and space in a habitat specialist bird. Nutrient allocation by individuals residing in high‐elevation areas favors a strategy that mainly uses nutrients gained from wintering habitats, whereas individuals residing in low‐elevation areas mainly use exogenous sources for reproduction.

Climate and non‐native herbivores influence reproductive investment by Greater Sage‐grouse

“…Recent findings show that endogenous nutrients stored before breeding govern the investment by female sage‐grouse in reproduction (Cutting et al, 2021), so reductions in nutritional quality of sagebrush, the principal food of sage‐grouse during winter (Remington & Braun, 1985; Thacker et al, 2012), could reduce nesting propensity the next spring. Our finding that females in better body condition initiated both first and second nests at higher rates is also consistent with this hypothesis.…”

“…Sagebrush in winter has not been thought to be a limiting resource for sage‐grouse because of high overwinter survival (Blomberg, Gibson, et al, 2013; Connelly et al, 2011). Recent work, showing variation across habitats in the use of endogenous nutrients to produce eggs, suggests a role for winter foods (i.e., sagebrush) in regulating reproductive effort (Cutting et al, 2021). Browsing has long been known to stimulate the production of chemical defenses in plants (Bryant et al, 1991; Coley et al, 1985), which also occurs in sagebrush (Karban, 2007; Ojha et al, 2022).…”