The Worldwide Variation in Avian Clutch Size across Species and Space. Jetz, W., Sekercioglu, C. H., & Bohning-Gaese, K. PLoS Biology, 6(12):e303, 2008.
The Worldwide Variation in Avian Clutch Size across Species and Space [link]Paper  abstract   bibtex   
Traits such as clutch size vary markedly across species and environmental gradients but have usually been investigated from either a comparative or a geographic perspective, respectively. We analyzed the global variation in clutch size across 5,290 bird species, excluding brood parasites and pelagic species. We integrated intrinsic (morphological, behavioural), extrinsic (environmental), and phylogenetic effects in a combined model that predicts up to 68% of the interspecific variation in clutch size. We then applied the same species-level model to predict mean clutch size across 2,521 assemblages worldwide and found that it explains the observed eco-geographic pattern very well. Clutches are consistently largest in cavity nesters and in species occupying seasonal environments, highlighting the importance of offspring and adult mortality that is jointly expressed in intrinsic and extrinsic correlates. The findings offer a conceptual bridge between macroecology and comparative biology and provide a global and integrative understanding of the eco-geographic and cross-species variation in a core life-history trait.
@ARTICLE{Jetz2008,
  author = {Jetz, Walter and Sekercioglu, Cagan H. and Bohning-Gaese, Katrin},
  title = {The Worldwide Variation in Avian Clutch Size across Species and Space},
  journal = {PLoS Biology},
  year = {2008},
  volume = {6},
  pages = {e303},
  number = {12},
  abstract = {Traits such as clutch size vary markedly across species and environmental
	gradients but have usually been investigated from either a comparative
	or a geographic perspective, respectively. We analyzed the global
	variation in clutch size across 5,290 bird species, excluding brood
	parasites and pelagic species. We integrated intrinsic (morphological,
	behavioural), extrinsic (environmental), and phylogenetic effects
	in a combined model that predicts up to 68% of the interspecific
	variation in clutch size. We then applied the same species-level
	model to predict mean clutch size across 2,521 assemblages worldwide
	and found that it explains the observed eco-geographic pattern very
	well. Clutches are consistently largest in cavity nesters and in
	species occupying seasonal environments, highlighting the importance
	of offspring and adult mortality that is jointly expressed in intrinsic
	and extrinsic correlates. The findings offer a conceptual bridge
	between macroecology and comparative biology and provide a global
	and integrative understanding of the eco-geographic and cross-species
	variation in a core life-history trait.},
  date = {December 01, 2008},
  file = {:Walteretal2008.pdf:PDF},
  owner = {Tiago},
  subdatabase = {other},
  timestamp = {2009.01.16},
  url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.0060303}
}

Downloads: 0