Meeting Abstract
84.4 Friday, Jan. 7 Targeted dietary supplementation in free-living Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens): use of a novel “SmartFeeder” design SMALL, TW*; BRIDGE, E; SCHOECH, SJ; University of Memphis; University of Oklahoma; University of Memphis twsmall@memphis.edu
Food supplemented Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) advance the timing of reproduction and have offspring that are recruited into the breeding population at higher rates than offspring from non-supplemented birds. It is unclear if increased offspring success is due to increased nutrition or if differences in parental care, such as provisioning rates and nest attendance, cause a form of “parental programming” that alters the supplemented offsprings’ phenotype. To test the different types of influences supplemental food can have on the timing of reproduction and offspring success, we are using a novel “SmartFeeder” design that utilizes RFID technology to selectively target treatment to specific individuals within a population of jays. During the 2010 breeding season, male breeders on twelve territories were given access to supplemental food while female breeders and non-breeding helpers were excluded from supplemental food. We conducted provisioning watches at supplemented and non-supplemented territories and we did intensive nest monitoring on all territories to determine the timing of hatching, nestling growth rate, and fledging date. Blood samples were also collected to determine baseline corticosterone levels in all nestlings and stress series were run on all individuals that fledged in 2010. To date, we have found no differences in the timing of reproduction, parental behavior, or chick success between groups with supplemented and non-supplemented groups. Males may contribute less to nestling phenotype and success than other members of the family group (breeding females and/or helpers). These results may also be a result of 2010 being a highly successful breeding year for all of the jays, thus supplementation may have had little effect.
