Abstract
Reproductive synchrony is a widespread phenomenon that is predicted to be adaptive for prey with specialist predators but not for those with generalist ones. I tested this prediction in three polar seabird species characterized by different levels of predator specialization. In the Antarctic petrel, for which the only predator was highly specialized, hatching dates were highly synchronous and chicks that hatched close to the mean hatching date had a higher survival. In black‐legged kittiwakes and Brünnich's guillemots, whose predators were generalists, breeding was less synchronous and there was no fitness advantage in hatching close to the mean. This study emphasizes the potential importance of the relative timing of reproduction for individual fitness and supports the hypothesis that the adaptive value of breeding synchrony depends on the predator functional response.
Highlights
Reproductive synchrony is a widespread phenomenon in both the plant and the animal kingdom, and several hypotheses have been proposed to explain its adaptive advantages (Ims, 1990a)
Testing this model in the wild is difficult, which is why the role of predator functional response has largely been overlooked in assessing the adaptive value of synchro‐ nous breeding
I tested the Ims model and the prediction that breeding close to the hatching peak should be of higher adaptive value in the Antarctic petrel, compared to the black‐legged kittiwake and Brünnich's guillemot
Summary
Reproductive synchrony is a widespread phenomenon in both the plant and the animal kingdom, and several hypotheses have been proposed to explain its adaptive advantages (Ims, 1990a). The presence of a large number of offspring at the same time may decrease the pred‐ ators’ ability to capture prey (predator confusion) and may swamp the predator population (Hatchwell, 1991; Ims, 1990a) This predator swamping hypothesis has often been proposed as the ultimate expla‐ nation for synchronous breeding in systems like colonial birds (e.g., Burr et al, 2016; Descamps, Forbes, Gilchrist, Love, & Bêty, 2011; Findlay & Cooke, 1982; Gochfeld, 1980; Hatchwell, 1991; Lepage, Gauthier, & Menu, 2000; Williams, 1975). Ims (1990b) demonstrated with the use of simulations that synchro‐ nous reproduction should be favored when facing predation from specialist predators, while asynchrony should be favored when the predators are generalists, especially when prey switching occurs at relatively high offspring densities Testing this model in the wild is difficult, which is why the role of predator functional response has largely been overlooked in assessing the adaptive value of synchro‐ nous breeding. I tested the Ims model and the prediction that breeding close to the hatching peak should be of higher adaptive value (i.e., result‐ ing in higher reproduction success) in the Antarctic petrel, compared to the black‐legged kittiwake and Brünnich's guillemot
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