For organisms with complex life cycles, variation among individuals in traits associated with survival in one life-history stage can strongly affect the performance in subsequent stages with important repercussions on population dynamics. To identify which individual attributes are the most influential in determining patterns of survival in a cohort of reef fish, we compared the characteristics...

Sexual size dimorphism of adults proximately results from a combination of sexually dimorphic growth patterns and selection on growing individuals. Yet, most studies of the evolution of dimorphism have focused on correlates of only adult morphologies. Here we examined the ontogeny of sexual size dimorphism in an isolated population of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). Sexes differed in gr...

The explanation for extra-pair mating in female birds remains poorly understood and contentious [1-7]. Several leading hypotheses propose that females benefit indirectly by enhancing the genetic quality of their offspring, through good genes or genetic compatibility effects [1, 8, 9]. Supporting this idea, recent studies have identified a range of fitness-related traits for which extra-pair off...

1. Although post-hatching parental care is uncommon in reptiles, reproducing females may none the less contribute to the nutritional state of their offspring by depositing more yolk into the egg than is needed for embryogenesis. This ‘extra’ yolk (i.e. residual yolk) is drawn into the offspring’s body prior to hatching and is widely assumed to serve as an energy resource for early life activiti...

Daily increment validation in fish otolith is fundamental to studies on fish otolith microstructure, age determination and life history traits, and thus is critical for species conservation and fishery management. However, it has never been done for Schizothoracine fish, which is the dominant component of fish fauna in the Tibetan Plateau. This study validated the daily increment formation of G...

Contemporary sea-level rise will inundate coastal habitats with seawater more frequently, disrupting the life cycles of terrestrial fauna well before permanent habitat loss occurs. Sea turtles are reliant on low-lying coastal habitats worldwide for nesting, where eggs buried in the sand remain vulnerable to inundation until hatching. We show that saltwater inundation directly lowers the viabili...

Traits under strong directional or stabilizing selection can nonetheless vary considerably if the selective forces impinging on them vary in strength or direction. Although such variation is commonly manifested between unrelated individuals, some of the largest differences occur between siblings because of differences in their developmental experience. This is exemplified by the broods of altri...

Avian eggs contain substantial amounts of maternal androgens. The concentrations of these yolk androgens are affected by the maternal environment, such as the level of social competition, parasite exposure or food conditions. Since yolk androgens have been shown to affect a wide array of offspring traits, they may adjust the chicks to the expected post-hatching environment, but experimental evi...

Four Thai synthetic chicken lines (Kaen Thong, Khai Mook Esarn, Soi Nin, and Soi Pet) originated from Thai native and exotic commercial chickens were evaluated for their growth and carcass traits with the purpose of developing a Thai broiler breeding program. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) gene is known to play an important role in growth, proliferation and differentiation. Consequently, ...