Egg size investment in superb fairy-wrens: helper effects are modulated by climate.

ABSTRACT: Natural populations might exhibit resilience to changing climatic conditions if they already show adaptive flexibility in their reproductive strategies. In cooperative breeders, theory predicts that mothers with helpers should provide less care when environmental conditions are favourable, but maintain high investment when conditions are challenging. Here, we test for evidence of climate-mediated flexibility in maternal investment in the cooperatively breeding superb fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus We focus on egg size because in this species egg size influences offspring size, and females reduce egg investment when there are helpers at the nest. We report that females lay larger eggs during dry, hot conditions. However, the effect of temperature is modulated by the presence of helpers: the ave

SUBMITTER: Langmore NE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5136590 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature