The adaptive significance of stealing in a marine bird and its relationship to parental quality

Shealer, D.A.; Spendelow, J.A.; Hatfield, J.S.; Nisbet, I.C.T.

Abstract:

Kleptoparasitism (food theft) is a tactic used opportunistically by many foraging birds, but little is known about its fitness benefits. Here we show that habitual kleptoparasitism by individual parent roseate terns (Sterna dougallii) is associated with consistently superior reproductive performance relative to nonkleptoparasitic (‘honest‘) parents, as measured by growth and survival to fledging among their offspring. In broods of two, both chicks of kleptoparasitic parents exhibited superior growth performance during the middle and later stages of the rearing period, relative to chicks of honest parents. This difference was especially pronounced in second-hatched chicks, whose survival is highly variable among years and dependent on food availability. Over a 10-year period, average productivity (number of chicks fledged per pair) was significantly higher among kleptoparasites than among honest parents, with a larger relative difference during years of food shortage. Our study indicates that kleptoparasitism in roseate terns is an important component of parental quality and provides the first evidence that food stealing is associated with enhanced fitness in a facultatively kleptoparasitic seabird.

Genre:

Article

ProdID:

5224406

Citation Author:

Shealer, D.A.; Spendelow, J.A.; Hatfield, J.S.; Nisbet, I.C.T.

Citation Contributing Office:

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Citation Datum:

Citation Day:

Citation Edition:

Citation Editor:

Citation End Page:

376

Citation Issue:

Citation Keywords:

Citation Language:

English

Citation Larger Work Title:

Behavioral Ecology

Citation LatN:

Citation LatS:

Citation LonE:

Citation LonW:

Citation Month:

Citation No Pagination:

Citation Number Of Pages:

Citation Online Only Flag:

Citation Phsyical Description:

371-376

Citation Projection:

Citation Public Comments:

6288_Shealer.pdf

Citation Publisher:

Citation Series:

Citation Series Code:

Citation Series Number:

Citation Search Results Text:

The adaptive significance of stealing in a marine bird and its relationship to parental quality; 2005; Article; Journal; Behavioral Ecology; Shealer, D.A.; Spendelow, J.A.; Hatfield, J.S.; Nisbet, I.C.T.