Is there a trade-off between egg weight and clutch size in wild Lesser Snow Geese (Anser c. caerulescens)?

摘要: Previous studies of arctic nesting geese suggest that laying is limited by the size a female’s body reserves and larger eggs contain more nutrients. These observations imply life-history trade-off between egg clutch which may give rise to negative genetic correlation two characters. We estimated weight using measurements from mothers their daughters in wild population Lesser Snow Geese Anser caerulescens caerulescens. Between 6.5 80 % variance attributable differences individuals, heritability about 60 %. In contrast, lo-20 15 The coefficient ranges 0.09 0.32 does not differ significantly zero. discuss possible reasons for lack expected correlation.