![]() ![]() In this study, we aim to broaden our understanding of the relationship between temperature and reproductive timing by experimentally testing for direct effects of realistic temperature differences on the timing of both initiation and termination of reproduction in the house finch. (2009) found that great tits ( Parus major) adjusted the timing of the onset of egg laying in response to a 4☌ temperature difference. (2005) found that a 4☌ temperature difference influenced gonadal recrudescence in male song sparrows ( Melospiza melodia morphna) from a mountain population, but not a coastal population. Surprisingly, very few studies have experimentally tested whether birds adjust reproductive physiology or timing in direct response to realistic temperature differences similar to those observed in the field two exceptions are studies by Perfito et al. Given that a number of species are known to adjust reproductive physiology in response to food cues ( Bauchinger et al., 2009 Davies and Deviche, 2014 Dawson, 2018 Hahn, 1995 Hau et al., 2000 Ligon, 1974 Watts and Hahn, 2012), the latter hypothesis is a very reasonable alternative. Temperature-related shifts in reproductive timing could occur as a direct response to temperature or as a response to a temperature-sensitive intermediate factor, such as the phenology of plants or animal food items. Furthermore, despite the widespread correlations between temperature and the timing of breeding, the mechanism(s) by which temperature influences reproductive timing remain poorly understood. However, previous studies of the relationship between temperature and reproductive timing in birds have focused heavily on species that breed in Europe and on those that breed using insect-based diets. Our results suggest that elevated temperatures in the range tested here do not directly impact physiological preparations for reproduction in male house finches, but may constrain the timing of the breeding–molt transition in this species.Ĭhanges in the timing of breeding over the past century have now been documented in numerous bird species and, in many species, changes in timing have been linked to concomitant changes in temperature (reviewed in Dunn and Winkler, 2010). ![]() However, elevated temperature did advance the breeding–molt transition. We found no adjustments in the timing of reproductive preparations of males in direct response to temperature. We conducted experiments with captive male house finches in which temperature was elevated within realistic ranges and the effects on the timing of preparations for reproduction, as well as on the termination of reproduction and the onset of prebasic feather molt, were examined. In this study, we investigated the direct effects of temperature on reproductive timing in house finches ( Haemorhous mexicanus), which have a range and breeding diet not well represented in previous studies of temperature and reproductive timing. However, whether temperature directly influences reproductive timing or whether its effects are mediated by an intermediate environmental cue, such as plant phenology, remains poorly understood. 23 June 2021.Temperature-correlated shifts in reproductive timing are now well documented in numerous bird species.
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