Reproductive fitness is associated with female chronotype in a songbird

Womack, R. J., Capilla-Lasheras, P. , McGlade, C. L. O., Dominoni, D. M. and Helm, B. (2023) Reproductive fitness is associated with female chronotype in a songbird. Animal Behaviour, 205, pp. 65-78. (doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.08.018)

Abstract

Research on biological rhythms has revealed widespread variation in diel timing within populations. Repeatable individual chronotypes have been linked to performance in humans but, in free-living species, benefits of chronotype are poorly understood. To address this gap, we investigated fitness correlates of incubation patterns in female songbirds (great tit, Parus major) at urban and forest sites. We confirm repeatable chronotypes (r ≥ 0.31) and show novel links between chronotype and reproductive success. In both habitats, females that started activity earlier in the day raised more fledglings. We also observed that forest females started their day at a similar time throughout the breeding season, whereas urban females tied their onset of activity closely to sunrise. Our study points to possible mechanisms that underlie chronotype variation and provides sought-after evidence for its relevance to fitness.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: R.J.W. received funding from a BBSRC-DTP studentship. D.M.D. and P.C-L. are funded by a NERC grant (grant no. NE/S005773/1).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Capilla Lasheras, Dr Pablo and Helm, Dr Barbara and Womack, Robyn
• Authors: Womack, R. J., Capilla-Lasheras, P., McGlade, C. L. O., Dominoni, D. M., and Helm, B.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences
• Journal Name: Animal Behaviour
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0003-3472
• ISSN (Online): 1095-8282
• Published Online: 22 September 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Author(s)
• First Published: First published in Animal Behaviour 205:65-78
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
303242		Unravelling the impact of artificial light at night on circadian disruption, immunity, and infection risk	Davide Dominoni	Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)	NE/S005773/1	Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine