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Published on: June 16, 2023
Is avian mortality preprogrammed?
1Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Fakultät fur Biologie, Arbeitsgruppe für Verhaltensforschung, Postfach 10 2148,4630 Bochum 1, FRG.
Abstract:
The recent development of life history theory has led to an upsurge of interest in species-specific mortality patterns. Some recent findings on the geographic variation of avian mortality may help to bring more sharply into focus some fundamental issues of ageing (senescence). To say that a bird 'ages' is tantamount to saying that its likelihood of dying increases with age. To what extent are species life spans preprogrammed, to what extent are they the chance product of environmental hazards, and how do these factors interact with each other?
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