A consistent long-lasting pattern of spatial variation in egg size and shape in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus)

Frontiers in Zoology

Piotr Zieliński¹  Adam Kaliński²  Joanna Skwarska²  Michał Glądalski²  Jarosław Wawrzyniak²  Jerzy Bańbura²  Marcin Markowski²  Mirosława Bańbura³ 

[1] Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź;Department of Experimental Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź;Natural History Museum, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź;

关键词: Egg shape;    Egg volume;    Life history;    Passerine;    Spatial variation;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12983-018-0279-4

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background Interspecies variation in avian egg shape and size is understandable in terms of adaptation, allometry and phylogeny. Within-species variation in egg properties influences offspring fitness and can be explained by differences in allocation of resources into reproductive components of life history in mulidimensionally variable environments. Egg size is inherently traded-off with clutch size, which may also be true of egg shape in some cases. We investigated long-term variation in egg shape and size between two geographically close populations of blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus in relation to clutch size and habitat differences. Results The main finding is that there exists a persistent long-lasting pattern of spatial variation of egg size and shape between the two study populations of blue tits, 10 km apart, controlling for clutch size. Eggs in the urban park site were on average larger in volume and less spherical in shape than eggs in the forest site over 12 years of this study. Egg sizes were negatively associated with clutch sizes. Egg shape was not correlated with clutch size. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the pattern of variation in egg size and shape results from different trophic richness of the breeding habitats of the study populations, demanding different allocation of resources and, especially, from the contrasting difference in the availability of calcium.

【 授权许可】

Unknown