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dr hab. Mariusz Cichoń
cichon@eko.uj.edu.pl |
Dep. of Population Ecology Inst. of Environmental Sciences Jagiellonian University Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków Poland tel. + 48 12 664 52 01 fax + 48 12 664 69 12 |
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Cichoń M.
AUK
2001; 118 (2): 550-552
Abstract:
This paper address the question whether the mass constancy during incubation and following mass loss after hatching is actually related to breeding stage. Experimental females were forced to prolong their incubation and their body mass was compared with unmanipulated control females a week after expected hatching. Experimental females did not show any significant mass loss during prolonged incubation while control females which successfully hatched their eggs, dropped their mass significantly. The results show that body mass in Collared Flycatcher females is associated with the reproductive stage, and may reflect an adaptive strategy. It is suggested that high and stable incubation mass can be a fasting endurance in case of adverse weather conditions when females are expected to stay in the nest instead of foraging.
d e s i g n e d b y P a w e ł K a p u s t a