THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN SIBILICIDAL BROOD REDUCTION OF 2 BOOBY SPECIES

Authors
Citation
Dj. Anderson, THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN SIBILICIDAL BROOD REDUCTION OF 2 BOOBY SPECIES, The Auk, 112(4), 1995, pp. 860-869
Citations number
52
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Ornithology
Journal title
ISSN journal
0004-8038
Volume
112
Issue
4
Year of publication
1995
Pages
860 - 869
Database
ISI
SICI code
0004-8038(1995)112:4<860:TROPIS>2.0.ZU;2-7
Abstract
Parental regulation of the probability and timing of avian brood reduc tion is expected to exist and evolve because natural selection should favor parents that match brood size to food availability most efficien tly. Since food availability varies among species, interspecific varia tion in this regulation is expected. Comparative study of species with different brood reduction systems is one way to test the hypothesis t hat these mechanisms evolve as adaptations. Previous work on obligatel y siblicidal Masked Boobies (Sula dactylatra) and facultatively siblic idal Blue-footed Boobies (S. nebouxii) has shown that their different hatching asynchronies cannot fully explain the qualitative difference in their brood reduction systems. In this study, I report interspecifi c differences in nest shape that appear to contribute to early siblici de in Masked Boobies, but that suppress early siblicide in Blue-footed Boobies. Blue-footed Booby nest shape is closely regulated by parents . Differences in egg sizes of nest mates do not appear to contribute t o the difference in social systems.