Egg losses and nest desertion in Greater Rheas Rhea americana

Avian nest desertion should occur when the cost of attending the nest results in a reduction of parental fitness. In Greater Rheas Rhea americana, the male incubates the eggs so that the decision to desert the nest is made exclusively by him. Because of constraints, the timing of desertion may affec...

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Autores principales: Fernández, G.J., Reboreda, J.C.
Formato: JOUR
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Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00191019_v142_n1_p29_Fernandez
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spelling todo:paper_00191019_v142_n1_p29_Fernandez2023-10-03T14:16:24Z Egg losses and nest desertion in Greater Rheas Rhea americana Fernández, G.J. Reboreda, J.C. nest desertion nesting reproductive strategy Rhea americana Avian nest desertion should occur when the cost of attending the nest results in a reduction of parental fitness. In Greater Rheas Rhea americana, the male incubates the eggs so that the decision to desert the nest is made exclusively by him. Because of constraints, the timing of desertion may affect the possibility of renesting. We estimated nest desertion rates through the breeding season and at different stages of the nesting cycle (laying and early, mid- and late incubation). We also analysed the effect of egg losses at different stages of the nesting cycle on the probability of deserting the nest. Nest desertion rates decline throughout the breeding season. The probability of deserting the nest was higher during the laying stage and decreased through incubation. For all stages, egg losses were higher in nests that were deserted than in nests that were still active at the end of the corresponding stage. Egg losses were less likely to elicit nest desertion as incubation advanced. Egg losses in experimental (unattended) nests were not random. We postulate that egg losses during the first stages of the nesting cycle would be a good predictor of future egg losses and risk of nest failure. As females remain associated with the male during egg-laying and because incubation in rheas is an energetically costly activity that may affect renesting attempts, early nest desertion could increase a male's ability to remate and renest. JOUR info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00191019_v142_n1_p29_Fernandez
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-134
collection Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA)
topic nest desertion
nesting
reproductive strategy
Rhea americana
spellingShingle nest desertion
nesting
reproductive strategy
Rhea americana
Fernández, G.J.
Reboreda, J.C.
Egg losses and nest desertion in Greater Rheas Rhea americana
topic_facet nest desertion
nesting
reproductive strategy
Rhea americana
description Avian nest desertion should occur when the cost of attending the nest results in a reduction of parental fitness. In Greater Rheas Rhea americana, the male incubates the eggs so that the decision to desert the nest is made exclusively by him. Because of constraints, the timing of desertion may affect the possibility of renesting. We estimated nest desertion rates through the breeding season and at different stages of the nesting cycle (laying and early, mid- and late incubation). We also analysed the effect of egg losses at different stages of the nesting cycle on the probability of deserting the nest. Nest desertion rates decline throughout the breeding season. The probability of deserting the nest was higher during the laying stage and decreased through incubation. For all stages, egg losses were higher in nests that were deserted than in nests that were still active at the end of the corresponding stage. Egg losses were less likely to elicit nest desertion as incubation advanced. Egg losses in experimental (unattended) nests were not random. We postulate that egg losses during the first stages of the nesting cycle would be a good predictor of future egg losses and risk of nest failure. As females remain associated with the male during egg-laying and because incubation in rheas is an energetically costly activity that may affect renesting attempts, early nest desertion could increase a male's ability to remate and renest.
format JOUR
author Fernández, G.J.
Reboreda, J.C.
author_facet Fernández, G.J.
Reboreda, J.C.
author_sort Fernández, G.J.
title Egg losses and nest desertion in Greater Rheas Rhea americana
title_short Egg losses and nest desertion in Greater Rheas Rhea americana
title_full Egg losses and nest desertion in Greater Rheas Rhea americana
title_fullStr Egg losses and nest desertion in Greater Rheas Rhea americana
title_full_unstemmed Egg losses and nest desertion in Greater Rheas Rhea americana
title_sort egg losses and nest desertion in greater rheas rhea americana
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00191019_v142_n1_p29_Fernandez
work_keys_str_mv AT fernandezgj egglossesandnestdesertioningreaterrheasrheaamericana
AT reboredajc egglossesandnestdesertioningreaterrheasrheaamericana
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