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Buffered development: resilience after aggressive subordination in infancy
Hugh Drummond1, Roxana Torres, V V Krishnan
1Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 70-275, México DF 4510, México. hugh@servidor.unam.mx
The American Naturalist
|July 15, 2003
Summary
Aggressive dominance in blue-footed booby chicks does not improve future reproductive success. Subordinate chicks, despite initial disadvantages, may develop resilience, showing comparable or even improved long-term outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Ornithology
Background:
- Sibling interactions, including dominance and subordination, are common in vertebrate broods.
- The long-term consequences of early-life dominance hierarchies on reproductive success are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of aggressive dominance and subordination on the development and long-term reproductive success of blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) fledglings.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 1,167 fledglings from two-chick broods of blue-footed boobies.
- Tracking of dominance status, fledging success, recruitment, and reproductive output over 10 years.
Main Results:
- Dominant fledglings did not show higher recruitment rates or improved reproductive success compared to subordinates.
- Subordinate fledglings experienced less prejudice from late hatching and established clutches earlier.
- Subordinate recruits had larger broods in the first 5 years, but overall reproductive success up to age 5 was similar for both groups.
Conclusions:
- Exercising dominance in infancy does not confer future advantages and may incur long-term costs.
- Experiencing subordination may have neutral or even beneficial effects, potentially enhancing adult resilience and reproductive outcomes.
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