Sex-specific costs of hatching last: an experimental study on herring gulls (Larus argentatus)

摘要: An organism’s pattern of development can have important long-term fitness effects. In species where the sexes differ in size or other phenotypic traits, they may also different optimal developmental rates. This influences both parental sex allocation strategies and susceptibility to early conditions. However, differences rate vulnerability environment during embryonic period are not well understood. birds, sibling competition hatching asynchrony select for accelerated last offspring order reduce their competitive disadvantage after hatching. They advance response vocal stimuli by older siblings. It is, however, unclear whether this flexibility rates is specific. study, we experimentally manipulated between-embryo contact tested affected pre-natal post-hatching performance male female from last-laid eggs herring gull. Post-hatching was measured non-competitive situations. Among young incubated isolation, males hatched faster than females, but fledged similar, relatively good condition. with normal contact, time did between sexes, poorer condition regardless were reared singly a brood. These results suggest that ability mitigate costs asynchrony.