Imperial College London
Alternate

DrJuliaSchroeder

Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Life Sciences (Silwood Park)

Senior Lecturer
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 9086julia.schroeder

 
 
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Location

 

2.13MunroSilwood Park

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Eberhart-Hertel:2020:10.1101/2020.08.07.240150,
author = {Eberhart-Hertel, LJ and Falcão, Rodrigues L and Krietsch, J and Eberhart-Hertel, AG and Cruz-López, M and Vázquez-Rojas, KA and González-Medina, E and Schroeder, J and Küpper, C},
doi = {10.1101/2020.08.07.240150},
title = {Egg size variation in the context of polyandry: a case study using long-term field data from snowy plovers},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.07.240150},
year = {2020}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - <jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Gamete size variation<jats:italic>between</jats:italic>the sexes is central to the concept of sex roles, however, to what extent gamete size variation<jats:italic>within</jats:italic>the sexes relates to sex role variation remains unclear. Comparative and theoretical studies suggest that, when clutch size is invariable, polyandry is linked to a reduction of egg size, while increased female-female competition for mates favors early breeding when females cannot monopolize multiple males. To understand whether and how breeding phenology, egg size, and mating behavior are related at the individual level, we studied the reproductive histories of 424 snowy plover females observed in the wild over a 15-year period. Egg size, but not polyandry, were highly repeatable for individual females. Consistent with theoretical predictions, we found that polyandrous females were the earliest breeders and that early clutches contained smaller eggs than clutches initiated later. Neither egg size nor mating behavior showed clear signs of an age-related deterioration, on the contrary, prior experience acquired either through age or local recruitment enabled females to nest early. Taken together, these results suggest that gamete size variation is not linked to mating behavior at the individual level, and, consequently, the adaptive potential of such variation appears to be limited.</jats:p><jats:sec><jats:title>Teaser Text</jats:title><jats:p>Comparative avian analyses have linked female polyandry and sex-role reversal to the production of smaller eggs: the notion being that smaller eggs allow polyandrous females to lay multiple sequential clutches quickly. Our research, however, has found that the notion is more complex at the individual level. We found that females who started breeding early in the season were more likely to be polyandrous and produce smaller eggs. Experienc
AU  - Eberhart-Hertel,LJ
AU  - Falcão,Rodrigues L
AU  - Krietsch,J
AU  - Eberhart-Hertel,AG
AU  - Cruz-López,M
AU  - Vázquez-Rojas,KA
AU  - González-Medina,E
AU  - Schroeder,J
AU  - Küpper,C
DO  - 10.1101/2020.08.07.240150
PY  - 2020///
TI  - Egg size variation in the context of polyandry: a case study using long-term field data from snowy plovers
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.07.240150
ER  -
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