Premium
Life span and reproductive cost explain interspecific variation in the optimal onset of reproduction
Author(s) -
Mourocq Emeline,
Bize Pierre,
Bouwhuis Sandra,
Bradley Russell,
Charmantier Anne,
de la Cruz Carlos,
Drobniak Szymon M.,
Espie Richard H. M.,
Herényi Márton,
Hötker Hermann,
Krüger Oliver,
Marzluff John,
Møller Anders P.,
Nakagawa Shinichi,
Phillips Richard A.,
Radford Andrew N.,
Roulin Alexandre,
Török János,
Valencia Juliana,
van de Pol Martijn,
Warkentin Ian G.,
Winney Isabel S.,
Wood Andrew G.,
Griesser Michael
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.84
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1558-5646
pISSN - 0014-3820
DOI - 10.1111/evo.12853
Subject(s) - biology , reproduction , interspecific competition , life history , life span , sexual maturity , reproductive success , life history theory , zoology , longevity , ecology , maturity (psychological) , demography , evolutionary biology , psychology , population , developmental psychology , genetics , sociology
Fitness can be profoundly influenced by the age at first reproduction (AFR), but to date the AFR–fitness relationship only has been investigated intraspecifically. Here, we investigated the relationship between AFR and average lifetime reproductive success (LRS) across 34 bird species. We assessed differences in the deviation of the Optimal AFR (i.e., the species‐specific AFR associated with the highest LRS) from the age at sexual maturity, considering potential effects of life history as well as social and ecological factors. Most individuals adopted the species‐specific Optimal AFR and both the mean and Optimal AFR of species correlated positively with life span. Interspecific deviations of the Optimal AFR were associated with indices reflecting a change in LRS or survival as a function of AFR: a delayed AFR was beneficial in species where early AFR was associated with a decrease in subsequent survival or reproductive output. Overall, our results suggest that a delayed onset of reproduction beyond maturity is an optimal strategy explained by a long life span and costs of early reproduction. By providing the first empirical confirmations of key predictions of life‐history theory across species, this study contributes to a better understanding of life‐history evolution.