Yolk mass variation in White-rumped Swallows (Tachycineta leucorrhoa)

BARRIONUEVO, MELINA; BULIT, FLORENCIA; MASSONI, VIVIANA

WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY

WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL SOC

Lugar: Chicago; Año: 2014 vol. 126 p. 86 - 93

1559-4491

Egg mass production is costly, but hatching from heavier eggs could be beneficial for the nestling?s phenotype and fitness. Egg mass could be influenced by proximate causes, like food abundance, female condition, environmental conditions, and/or by ultimate causes, females could deposit resources differentially within a clutch to increase the biological fitness of some eggs. Yolk mass, although poorly studied, is the source of nutrients for the embryo, so its mass should be more influential for the nestlings than total egg mass. We used a technique that allowed us to measure yolk size without destroying the eggs. We studied yolk mass in 212 eggs of White-rumped Swallows (Tachycineta leucorrhoa) and found that yolk mass was influenced by laying order, last laid eggs having heavier yolks than first ones, and the pattern was consistent with egg mass variation. Food abundance also affected yolk mass: when insect availability was high the yolks were heavier. We conclude that last laid eggs embryos had more resources to develop and, excluding food abundance, neither environmental conditions nor female?s condition affected yolk mass. We encourage to study yolk mass given that different variables affected their mass and total egg mass.