Size matters: competition between male and female great tit offspring

The Journal of Animal Ecology
K R Oddie

Abstract

1. Studies of sex allocation in birds have traditionally centred on Fisher's (1930) theory of equal parental investment in male and female offspring. They concentrate particularly on sexually dimorphic species, where costs of rearing offspring are assumed to vary between male and female young because of body size differences. 2. Higher mortality of the larger sex (males), particularly in poorer conditions, is expected to result in female-biased sex ratios in the great tit, Parus major. Several studies have found the contrary, reporting male-biased fledging and recruiting sex ratios when conditions are poor. One reason why this may be the case is that males can gain more food resources than their sisters because of the competitive advantage afforded by their larger size. They may thus suffer less mortality in the nest or fledge in better condition, thereby enhancing their survival prospects. 3. This study investigates the importance of size in competitive interactions between nestlings of different sexes. A cross-fostering design was employed to create broods of mixed size through swapping half a brood of 2-day-old 'small' and half a brood of 4-day-old 'large' nestlings. Nestling morphometrics and mortality were measured during ...Continue Reading

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