Contrasting drivers of reproductive ageing in albatrosses

Hannah Froy*, Sue Lewis, Daniel H. Nussey, Andrew Wood, Richard A. Phillips

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Age-related variation in reproductive performance is ubiquitous in wild vertebrate populations and has important consequences for population and evolutionary dynamics. The ageing trajectory is shaped by both within-individual processes, such as improvement and senescence, and the among-individual effects of selective appearance and disappearance. To date, few studies have compared the role of these different drivers among species or populations. In this study, we use nearly 40 years of longitudinal monitoring data to contrast the within- and among-individual processes contributing to the reproductive ageing patterns in three albatross species (two biennial and one annual breeder) and test whether these can be explained by differences in life histories. Early-life performance in all species increased with age and was predominantly influenced by within-individual improvements. However, reproductive senescence was detected in only two of the species. In the species exhibiting senescent declines, we also detected a terminal improvement in breeding success. This is suggestive of a trade-off between reproduction and survival, which was supported by evidence of selective disappearance of good breeders. We demonstrate that comparisons of closely related species which differ in specific aspects of their life history can shed light on the ecological and evolutionary forces shaping variation in ageing patterns.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1022-1032
JournalJournal of Animal Ecology
Volume86
Issue number5
Early online date12 Jun 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Jul 2017

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Bird Island South Georgia
  • Black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris
  • Grey-headed albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma
  • Life-history trade-off
  • Selective disappearance
  • Senescence
  • Terminal effect
  • Wandering albatross Diomedea exulans

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Contrasting drivers of reproductive ageing in albatrosses'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this