Presentation Details
| Female-female aggression benefits nestlings during the incubation stage in Northern House Wrens Cara A.Krieg. The University of Scranton, Scranton, PA, USA |
Abstract
Aggressive intrasexual competition influences reproductive success in both sexes. Costs and benefits across reproductive stages will ultimately shape how this behavior evolves, but these are poorly understood for many female animals. Female Northern House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) who are more aggressive towards female intruders have heavier offspring. However, the mechanism behind this pattern is unclear. To determine if this effect occurs prior to egg laying, during incubation, or after nestlings hatch, I swapped eggs between nests as they were laid and swapped nestlings again after they hatched. For nests where the genetic, incubating, and social mother were all different, only the incubating female’s aggression score related to nestling size. Nestlings incubated by more aggressive females were larger at multiple points during development. Results from nests swapped only as eggs or nestlings suggest that this beneficial incubation effect may be offset by neutral relationships or costs incurred during other stages. Contrasts with other species highlight the importance of species ecology, life history, and mechanism to understanding how female-female aggression evolves.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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