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<p>Phenological plasticity involves the ability of organisms to adjust the timing of life history events such as reproduction in response to different environmental conditions. Global climate change can alter the temporal distribution of critical resources and result in variation in the optimal timing of reproduction. While populations may respond to these rapid changes with the microevolution of (non-plastic) phenological traits, in longer-lived organisms, the ability of an individual to plastically shift its reproductive timing may be essential for reproductive success. Using 11 years of data on mountain chickadees (<i>Poecile gambeli</i>) from two montane elevations in the northern Sierra Nevada, we tested for individual repeatability in breeding timing and clutch size and tested for selection on phenological plasticity in response to climatic variation. We calculated individual reaction norms, including individuals’ slopes and intercepts, in response to spring temperatures and overwinter snow accumulation for individuals that bred three or more years. In addition, we investigated the relationships between reaction norm elements and proxies for reproductive fitness such as lifetime breeding success (sum of brood sizes), and average relative clutch size, brood size, and nestling mass. We found that breeding phenology and clutch size were significantly repeatable within individuals. We detected negative relationships between the intercepts of reaction norms and fitness proxies, suggesting that selection favors earlier breeding in this system. However, we found no strong evidence for any clear fitness benefits of phenological plasticity in response to climatic variation.</p>

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Individual repeatability and plasticity of reproductive phenology in a resident montane bird

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月18日

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  • Lauren E. Whitenack,
  • Benjamin R. Sonnenberg,
  • Carrie L. Branch,
  • Angela M. Pitera,
  • Joseph F. Welklin,
  • Virginia K. Heinen,
  • Vladimir V. Pravosudov

摘要

Phenological plasticity involves the ability of organisms to adjust the timing of life history events such as reproduction in response to different environmental conditions. Global climate change can alter the temporal distribution of critical resources and result in variation in the optimal timing of reproduction. While populations may respond to these rapid changes with the microevolution of (non-plastic) phenological traits, in longer-lived organisms, the ability of an individual to plastically shift its reproductive timing may be essential for reproductive success. Using 11 years of data on mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli) from two montane elevations in the northern Sierra Nevada, we tested for individual repeatability in breeding timing and clutch size and tested for selection on phenological plasticity in response to climatic variation. We calculated individual reaction norms, including individuals’ slopes and intercepts, in response to spring temperatures and overwinter snow accumulation for individuals that bred three or more years. In addition, we investigated the relationships between reaction norm elements and proxies for reproductive fitness such as lifetime breeding success (sum of brood sizes), and average relative clutch size, brood size, and nestling mass. We found that breeding phenology and clutch size were significantly repeatable within individuals. We detected negative relationships between the intercepts of reaction norms and fitness proxies, suggesting that selection favors earlier breeding in this system. However, we found no strong evidence for any clear fitness benefits of phenological plasticity in response to climatic variation.