Intermittent breeding as a cost of site fidelity |
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Authors: | Leo W Bruinzeel |
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Institution: | (1) Zoological Laboratory, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 14, 9750 AA Haren, The Netherlands;(2) Avian Demography Unit, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa |
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Abstract: | Intermittent breeding (skipping a breeding season) can be the result of an adaptive decision by a focal individual, trading
current reproductive success in favour of future reproductive success (residual reproductive value hypothesis). In contrast,
an individual can also be forced by conspecifics to abandon the familiar breeding site and refrain from breeding due to lack
of suitable alternative breeding sites or mates (competition hypothesis). I studied intermittent breeding in the territorial
and site-faithful Eurasian oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, using a dataset covering 20 years. Intermittent breeding (in total 86 cases) occurred among breeders that formerly bred
in high- as well as low-quality territories. The main factor associated with intermittent breeding in high-quality sites was
death of a mate, while in low quality sites divorce was the most prominent factor. In 93% of the cases birds were forced to
cease breeding due to pressure from conspecifics consistent with the competition hypothesis. There was no association between
intermittent breeding and promotion to a territory of better quality. Instead, oystercatchers returned to breeding habitat
of similar quality and at a very close distance (median distance 128 m) from the previous breeding location. Breeding absences
lasted on average 2.4 years, with a maximum of 9 years, and the quality of the territory obtained after the absence varied
with the duration of it. Birds who re-bred in a high-quality territory acquired this on average faster than those that re-bred
in a low-quality territory, indicating that birds in high-quality sites are better competitors. |
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Keywords: | Haematopus ostralegus Oystercatcher Habitat quality Site faithfulness Life history |
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