Search

Abstract The size and growth patterns of nestling birds are key determinants of their survival up to fledging and long‐term fitness. However, because traits such as feathers, skeleton and body mass can follow different developmental trajectories, our understanding of the impact of adverse weather on development requires insights into trait‐specific sensitive developmental windows. We analysed data from nestling Alpine swifts in Switzerland measured throughout growth up to the age of 50 days (i.e. fledging between 50 and 70 days), for wing length and body mass (2693 nestlings in 25 years) and sternum length (2447 nestlings in 22 years). We show that the sensitive developmental windows for wing and sternum length corresponded to the periods of trait‐specific peak growth, which span almost the whole developmental period for wings and the first half for the sternum. Adverse weather conditions during these periods slowed down growth and reduced size. Although nestling body mass at 50 days showed the greatest inter‐individual variation, this was explained by weather in the two days before measurement rather than during peak growth. Interestingly, the relationship between temperature and body mass was not linear, and the initial sharp increase in body mass associated with the increase in temperature was followed by a moderate drop on hot days, likely linked to heat stress. Nestlings experiencing adverse weather conditions during wing growth had lower survival rates up to fledging and fledged at later ages, presumably to compensate for slower wing growth. Overall, our results suggest that measures of feather growth and, to some extent, skeletal growth best capture the consequences of adverse weather conditions throughout the whole development of offspring, while body mass better reflects the short, instantaneous effects of weather conditions on their body reserves (i.e. energy depletion vs. storage in unfavourable vs. favourable conditions).

Abstract With global climates changing rapidly, animals must adapt to new environmental conditions with altered weather and phenology. The key to adapting to these new conditions is adjusting the timing of reproduction to maximize fitness. Using a long‐term dataset on a wild population of yellow‐bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), we investigated how the timing of reproduction changed with changing spring conditions over the past 50 years. Marmots are hibernators with a 4‐month active season. It is thus crucial to reproduce early enough in the season to have time to prepare for hibernation, but not too early, as snow cover prevents access to food. Importantly, climate change in this area has, on average, increased spring temperatures by 5°C and decreased spring snowpack by 50 cm over the past 50 years. We evaluated how female marmots adjust the timing of their reproduction in response to changing conditions and estimated the importance of both microevolution and plasticity in the variation in this timing. We showed that, within a year, the timing of reproduction is not as tightly linked to the date a female emerges from hibernation as previously thought. We reported a positive effect of spring snowpack but not of spring temperature on the timing of reproduction. We found inter‐individual variation in the timing of reproduction, including low heritability, but not in its response to changing spring conditions. There was directional selection for earlier reproduction since it increased the number and proportion of pups surviving their first winter. Taken together, the timing of marmot reproduction might evolve via natural selection; however, plastic changes will also be extremely important. Further, future studies on marmots should not operate under the assumption that females reproduce immediately following their emergence.

Over the past three decades, root organ cultures (ROCs) have been the gold standard method for studying arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) under in vitro conditions, and ROCs derived from various plant species have been used as hosts for AM monoxenic cultures. While there is compelling evidence that host identity can significantly modify AMF fitness, there is currently no standardized methodology to assess the performance of ROCs in the propagation of their fungal symbionts. We describe RocTest, a robust methodological approach that models the propagation of AMF in symbiosis with ROCs. The development of extraradical fungal structures and the pattern of sporulation are modeled using cumulative link mixed models and linear mixed models. We demonstrate functionality of RocTest by evaluating the performance of three species of ROCs (Daucus carota, Medicago truncatula, Nicotiana benthamiana) in the propagation of three species of AMF (Rhizophagus clarus, Rhizophagus irregularis, Glomus sp.). RocTest produces a simple graphical output to assess the performance of ROCs and shows that fungal propagation depends on the three-way interaction between ROC, AMF, and time. RocTest makes it possible to identify the best combination of host/AMF for fungal development and spore production, making it an important asset for germplasm collections and AMF research.

Abstract Body mass is often viewed as a proxy of past access to resources and of future survival and reproductive success. Links between body mass and survival or reproduction are, however, likely to differ between age classes and sexes. Remarkably, this is rarely taken into account in selection analyses. Selection on body mass is likely to be the primary target accounting for juvenile survival until reproduction but may weaken after recruitment. Males and females also often differ in how they use resources for reproduction and survival. Using a long‐term study on body mass and annual survival in yellow‐bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), we show that body mass was under stabilizing viability selection in the first years of life, before recruitment, which changed to positive directional selection as age increased and animals matured. We found no evidence that viability selection across age classes on body mass differed between sexes. By investigating the link between running speed and body mass, we show that the capacity to escape predators was not consistent across age classes and followed a quadratic relationship at young ages only. Overall, our results indicate that mature age classes exhibit traditional patterns of positive viability selection on body mass, as expected in a hibernating mammal, but that mass in the first years of life is subjected to stabilizing selection which may come from additional predation pressures that negate the benefits of the largest body masses. Our study highlights the importance to disentangle selection pressures on traits across critical age (or life) classes.

Seasonal and ontogenetic variations in depth use by benthic species are often concomitant with changes in their spatial distribution. This has implications for the efficacy of spatial conservation measures such as marine protected areas (MPAs). The critically endangered flapper skate (Dipturus intermedius) is the designation feature of an MPA in Scotland. This species is generally associated with deeper waters >100 m; however, little is known about its seasonal or ontogenetic variation in habitat use. This study used archival depth data from 25 immature and mature flapper skate tagged in the MPA over multiple years. Time series ranged from 3 to 772 (mean = 246) days. Generalised additive mixed models and highest density intervals were used to identify home (95%) and core (50%) highest density depth regions (HDDRs) to quantify depth use in relation to time of year and body size. Skate used a total depth range of 1–312 m, but home HDDRs typically occurred between 20 and 225 m. Core HDDRs displayed significant seasonal and ontogenetic variations. Summer core HDDRs (100–150 m) suggest high occupancy of the deep trenches in the region by skate of most size classes. There was an inverse relationship between body size and depth use and a seasonal trend of skate moving into shallow water over winter months. These results suggest that flapper skate are not solely associated with deep water, as skate, especially large females, are frequently found in shallow waters (25–75 m). The current management, which protects the entire depth range, is appropriate for the protection of flapper skate through much of its life history. This research demonstrates why collecting data across seasonal scales and multiple ontogenetic stages is needed to assess the effectiveness of spatial management.

Abstract Senescence is a highly variable process that comprises both age‐dependent and state‐dependent components and can be greatly affected by environmental conditions. However, few studies have quantified the magnitude of age‐dependent and state‐dependent senescence in key life‐history traits across individuals inhabiting different spatially structured and seasonal environments. We used longitudinal data from wild female yellow‐bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), living in two adjacent environments that differ in elevation and associated phenology, to quantify how age and individual state, measured as “time to death,” affect body mass senescence in different environments. Further, we quantified how patterns of senescence differed between two biologically distinct seasons, spring, and late summer. Body mass senescence had an age‐dependent component, expressed as a decrease in mass in old age. Overall, estimated age‐dependent senescence was greater in females living in the more favorable lower elevation environment, than in the harsher higher elevation environment, and greater in late summer than in spring. Body mass senescence also had a state‐dependent component, captured by effects of time to death, but only in the more favorable lower elevation environment. In spring, body mass gradually decreased from 2 years before death, whereas in late summer, state‐dependent effects were expressed as a terminal decrease in body mass in the last year of life. Contrary to expectations, we found that senescence was more likely to be observed under more favorable environmental conditions, rather than under harsher conditions. By further demonstrating that senescence patterns differ among seasons, our results imply that within‐year temporal environmental variation must be considered alongside spatial environmental variation in order to characterize and understand the pattern and magnitude of senescence in wild populations.

Logging and conversion of tropical forests in Southeast Asia have resulted in the expansion of landscapes containing a mosaic of habitats that may vary in their ability to sustain local biodiversity. However, the complexity of these landscapes makes it difficult to assess abundance and distribution of some species using ground-based surveys alone. Here, we deployed a combination of ground-transects and aerial surveys to determine drivers of the critically endangered Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus morio) distribution across a large multiple-use landscape in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Ground-transects and aerial surveys using drones were conducted for orangutan nests and hemi-epiphytic strangler fig trees (Ficus spp.) (an important food resource) in 48 survey areas across 76 km2, within a study landscape of 261 km2. Orangutan nest count data were fitted to models accounting for variation in land use, above-ground carbon density (ACD, a surrogate for forest quality), strangler fig density, and elevation (between 117 and 675 m). Orangutan nest counts were significantly higher in all land uses possessing natural forest cover, regardless of degradation status, than in monoculture plantations. Within these natural forests, nest counts increased with higher ACD and strangler fig density, but not with elevation. In logged forest (ACD 14–150 Mg ha−1), strangler fig density had a significant, positive relationship with orangutan nest counts, but this relationship disappeared in a forest with higher carbon content (ACD 150–209 Mg ha−1). Based on an area-to-area comparison, orangutan nest counts from ground transects were higher than from counts derived from aerial surveys, but this did not constitute a statistically significant difference. Although the difference in nest counts was not significantly different, this analysis indicates that both methods under-sample the total number of nests present within a given area. Aerial surveys are, therefore, a useful method for assessing the orangutan habitat use over large areas. However, the under-estimation of nest counts by both methods suggests that a small number of ground surveys should be retained in future surveys using this technique, particularly in areas with dense understory vegetation. This study shows that even highly degraded forests may be a suitable orangutan habitat as long as strangler fig trees remain intact after areas of forest are logged. Enrichment planting of strangler figs may, therefore, be a valuable tool for orangutan conservation in these landscapes.

In mammals, prenatal exposure to sex steroid hormones may have profound effects on later behavior and fitness and have been reported under both laboratory and field conditions. Anogenital distance is a non-invasive measure of prenatal exposure to sex steroid hormones. While we know that intra-uterine position and litter sex ratio influence anogenital distance, there are other, heretofore unstudied, factors that could influence anogenital distance, including maternal effects. We capitalized on a long-term study of wild yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) to study the importance of maternal effects on explaining variation in anogenital distance and found significant effects. The strength of these effects varied annually. Taken together, our data highlights the strong variability due to environmental effects, and illustrates the importance of additive genetic and maternal genetic effects on neonatal anogenital distance. We suspect that, as others apply recently popularised quantitative genetic techniques to study free-living populations, such effects will be identified in other systems.