Environmental conditions during breeding modify the strength of mass-dependent carry-over effects in a migratory bird.

ABSTRACT: In many animals, processes occurring in one season carry over to influence reproductive success and survival in future seasons. The strength of such carry-over effects is unlikely to be uniform across years, yet our understanding of the processes that are capable of modifying their strength remains limited. Here we show that female light-bellied Brent geese with higher body mass prior to spring migration successfully reared more offspring during breeding, but only in years where environmental conditions during breeding were favourable. In years of bad weather during breeding, all birds suffered reduced reproductive output irrespective of pre-migration mass. Our results suggest that the magnitude of reproductive benefits gained by maximising body stores to fuel breeding fluctuates markedly

SUBMITTER: Harrison XA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3797109 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature