Ecology and allometry predict the evolution of avian developmental durations

Cooney, Christopher R.; Sheard, Catherine; Clark, Andrew D.; Healy, Susan D.; Liker, András; Street, Sally E.; Troisi, Camille A.; Thomas, Gavin H.; Székely, Tamás; Hemmings, Nicola; Wright, Alison E.

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16257-x

Ecology and allometry predict the evolution of avian developmental durations

Cooney, Christopher R.; Sheard, Catherine; Clark, Andrew D.; Healy, Susan D.; Liker, András; Street, Sally E.; Troisi, Camille A.; Thomas, Gavin H.; Székely, Tamás; Hemmings, Nicola; Wright, Alison E.

Authors

Christopher R. Cooney

Catherine Sheard

Andrew D. Clark

Susan D. Healy

András Liker

Dr Sally Street sally.e.street@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor

Camille A. Troisi

Gavin H. Thomas

Tamás Székely

Nicola Hemmings

Alison E. Wright

Abstract

The duration of the developmental period represents a fundamental axis of life-history variation, yet broad insights regarding the drivers of this diversity are currently lacking. Here, we test mechanistic and ecological explanations for the evolution of developmental duration using embryological data and information on incubation and fledging for 3096 avian species. Developmental phases associated primarily with growth are the longest and most variable, consistent with a role for allometric constraint in determining the duration of development. In addition, developmental durations retain a strong imprint of deep evolutionary history and body size differences among species explain less variation than previously thought. Finally, we reveal ecological correlates of developmental durations, including variables associated with the relative safety of the developmental environment and pressures of breeding phenology. Overall, our results provide broad-scale insight into the relative importance of mechanistic, ecological and evolutionary constraints in shaping the diversification of this key life-history trait.

Citation

Cooney, C. R., Sheard, C., Clark, A. D., Healy, S. D., Liker, A., Street, S. E., …Wright, A. E. (2020). Ecology and allometry predict the evolution of avian developmental durations. Nature Communications, 11(1), Article 2383. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16257-x

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Apr 23, 2020
Online Publication Date	May 14, 2020
Publication Date	2020
Deposit Date	May 27, 2020
Publicly Available Date	May 27, 2020
Journal	Nature Communications
Publisher	Nature Research
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	11
Issue	1
Article Number	2383
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16257-x
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1301404

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