Temporal predictability in food availability: effects upon the reproductive axis in Scrub-Jays

Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) in a suburban environment with year-round access to multiple sources of abundant, human-source foods consistently breed earlier each year and have lower baseline levels of circulating corticosterone (CORT) than jays in a nearby wildland setting. These findings suggest that food supplies influence CORT levels, which in turn may partially determine the timing of reproduction. However, wildland birds with access to high-quality supplemental foods did not advance breeding or lower CORT levels to the degree observed in the suburbs. Therefore, rather than quality or quantity of food consumed, the perception of a reliable and predictable food supply may be an important factor in determining laying dates. If a predictable food supply accelerates the reproductive process, it follows that food provided on an unpredictable schedule may slow reproduction. We subjected captive Western Scrub-Jays (A. californica) to a 30-day photoperiod transition from short- to long-days and tested whether birds with access to food on an unpredictable schedule exhibited delayed or reduced production of reproductive hormones compared with birds given food on a predictable schedule. Baseline CORT concentrations increased slightly during the experiment, but did not differ between treatment groups. Birds with unpredictable food had slightly lower testosterone levels relative to controls, but there was no effect on estradiol or luteinizing hormone. Our findings offer weak support for the hypothesis that an unpredictable food supply will delay the onset of reproduction; however, the artificial lab environment may limit the application of these findings to free-living populations.