Abstract
For oviparous species such as birds, conditions experienced while in the egg can have long‐lasting effects on the individual. The impact of subtle changes in incubation temperature on nestling development, however, remains poorly understood, especially for open‐cup nesting species with altricial young. To investigate how incubation temperature affects nestling development and survival in such species, we artificially incubated American robin (Turdus migratorius) eggs at 36.1°C (“Low” treatment) and 37.8°C (“High” treatment). Chicks were fostered to same‐age nests upon hatching, and we measured mass, tarsus, and wing length of experimental nestlings and one randomly selected, naturally incubated (“Natural”), foster nest‐mate on days 7 and 10 posthatch. We found significant effects of incubation temperature on incubation duration, growth, and survival, in which experimentally incubated nestlings had shorter incubation periods (10.22, 11.50, and 11.95 days for High, Low, and Natural eggs, respectively), and nestlings from the Low treatment were smaller and had reduced survival compared to High and Natural nestlings. These results highlight the importance of incubation conditions during embryonic development for incubation duration, somatic development, and survival. Moreover, these findings indicate that differences in incubation temperature within the natural range of variation can have important carryover effects on growth and survival in species with altricial young.
Highlights
Environmental conditions during development can impact both short-and long-term phenotypic expressions (Weaver, 2009)
| 3272 predicted that (1) incubation duration would vary inversely with incubation temperature, (2) nestlings incubated at experimentally controlled, suboptimal temperatures would be smaller and exhibit reduced survival compared to naturally incubated individuals, and (3) individuals incubated at “High” temperature conditions would not differ in survival or development from those incubated naturally
Our results demonstrate that differences in incubation temperature within the natural range of variation can have large-scale effects on growth and survival in robin nestlings
Summary
Environmental conditions during development can impact both short-and long-term phenotypic expressions (Weaver, 2009). Open-cup nesting species producing altricial young may be more sensitive to changes in incubation temperatures as compared to precocial and/or cavity-nesting species, which may profoundly impact growth, development, and survival. To better understand how variation in incubation conditions impacts the length of the incubation period, hatching success, nestling development, and survival of an open-cup nesting species with altricial young, we artificially incubated eggs of the American robin (Turdus migratorius: hereafter referred as robin(s); Figure 1) at 36.1°C (“Low” treatment) and 37.8°C (“High”), and compared those to naturally incubation (“Natural”) eggs.”. | 3272 predicted that (1) incubation duration would vary inversely with incubation temperature, (2) nestlings incubated at experimentally controlled (see below for details on temperature selections), suboptimal temperatures would be smaller and exhibit reduced survival compared to naturally incubated individuals, and (3) individuals incubated at “High” temperature conditions would not differ in survival or development from those incubated naturally
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