Scholarly Work

No evidence of trade-offs between aggression and parental provisioning in male Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia)

Public Deposited

Differences in behaviors such as aggression and boldness can significantly influence fitness in many bird species by impacting factors such as territory quality, resource acquisition, and parental provisioning rates. This study aims to investigate the influence of individual variation in male aggressive behavior on reproductive success in a population of Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia). Song Sparrows show significant individual variation in territorial aggression, but the implications of this variation are unclear. By measuring responses to conspecific playback experiments simulating territorial intrusion, individual provisioning rates, and offspring growth rates, we can investigate if there is a relationship between male aggression and reproductive success. This study found no relationship between male aggression and offspring growth rate. We also found no relationship between aggression and provisioning rate, and thus, no evidence of a trade-off between male aggression and parental care. Provisioning rates of males and females were found to be consistent across days, suggesting provisioning rate may be an individually distinctive trait. Provisioning rates were also significantly similar within pairs, suggesting that assortative mating or convergence of parental behaviors may be occurring. These findings highlight the need for large-scale, multi-year studies to clarify the relationship between aggression and reproductive success, and to understand the mechanisms and significance of pair similarity in parental care in Song Sparrows.

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