Journal article

Publication year: 2011

Pages: 605-607

Journal: Biology Letters

Volume number: 7

Issue number: 4

ISSN: 1744-9561

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2010.1134

Publisher: The Royal Society

Abstract: 
Whether androgen deposition in eggs is physiologically costly for female birds has remained a crucial but unsolved question, despite a broad use of this assumption in functional studies. We tested whether females depositing high androgen concentrations experienced higher mass losses than females depositing low androgen concentrations. Analysing female body mass change during egg formation in rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome), we observed no energetic cost to androgen deposition. Nevertheless, lighter females laid eggs with higher yolk androgen concentrations. This relationship existed only for the second-laid egg (B-egg), but not for the first-laid egg (A-egg). Since the B-egg is usually the first to hatch and the only one to produce a fledging chick, we hypothesize that differential yolk androgen deposition may be an adaptive strategy for females to affect brood reduction.

Harvard Citation style: Poisbleau, M., Carslake, D., Demongin, L., Eens, M., Chastel, O. and Quillfeldt, P. (2011) Yolk androgen deposition without an energetic cost for female rockhopper penguins : a compensatory strategy to accelerate brood reduction?, Biology Letters, 7(4), pp. 605-607. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2010.1134

APA Citation style: Poisbleau, M., Carslake, D., Demongin, L., Eens, M., Chastel, O., & Quillfeldt, P. (2011). Yolk androgen deposition without an energetic cost for female rockhopper penguins : a compensatory strategy to accelerate brood reduction?. Biology Letters. 7(4), 605-607. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2010.1134