UCL Discovery Stage
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery Stage

Do mothers bias offspring sex ratios in carotenoid-rich environments?

MacLeod, KJ; Brekke, P; Tong, W; Ewen, JG; Thorogood, R; (2017) Do mothers bias offspring sex ratios in carotenoid-rich environments? Behavioral Ecology , 28 (1) pp. 131-137. 10.1093/beheco/arw141. Green open access

[thumbnail of MacLeod_etal_BehEcol_2016.pdf]
Preview
Text
MacLeod_etal_BehEcol_2016.pdf

Download (823kB) | Preview

Abstract

If environmental or maternal factors favour the fitness of one sex over the other, theory predicts that mothers should produce more offspring of the sex most likely to benefit from prevailing conditions. For species where males depend on carotenoid-based colourful ornaments to secure territory or attract mates, carotenoid availability in the environment could be one such component: mothers experiencing high availability of carotenoids should produce more sons. Here, we test this hypothesis by providing carotenoids to a wild population of a sexually dimorphic passerine, the hihi (stitchbird: Notiomystis cincta). Access to carotenoids during early life influences the colour of male hihi plumage, which improves territory acquisition as adults. Therefore, carotenoid availability when young may influence male fitness. However, we found no evidence of sex ratio bias in treated or untreated groups, either before or after hatching. First-laid eggs, where carotenoid concentrations are usually highest, were also unbiased. For hihi, access to carotenoids during egg-laying does not appear to encourage mothers to alter sex ratios of offspring. Alternatively, the fitness of daughters may also benefit from increased carotenoids during development. Disentangling these alternatives requires further work.

Type: Article
Title: Do mothers bias offspring sex ratios in carotenoid-rich environments?
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw141
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arw141
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Notiomystis cincta, carotenoids, sex ratio, supplementary feeding
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Genetics, Evolution and Environment
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1508370
Downloads since deposit
12,464Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item