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Lifetime reproductive success in relation to morphology in the house sparrow Passer domesticus

  1. Henrik Jensen1,2,*,
  2. Bernt-Erik SÆther1,
  3. Thor Harald Ringsby1,
  4. Jarle Tufto3,
  5. Simon C. Griffith2,4,
  6. Hans Ellegren2

Article first published online: 16 JUN 2004

DOI: 10.1111/j.0021-8790.2004.00837.x

Issue

Journal of Animal Ecology

Journal of Animal Ecology

Volume 73, Issue 4, pages 599–611, July 2004

Additional Information

How to Cite

Jensen, H., SÆther, B.-E., Ringsby, T. H., Tufto, J., Griffith, S. C. and Ellegren, H. (2004), Lifetime reproductive success in relation to morphology in the house sparrow Passer domesticus. Journal of Animal Ecology, 73: 599–611. doi: 10.1111/j.0021-8790.2004.00837.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Biology, Realfagbygget, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway;

  2. 2

    Department of Evolutionary Biology, EBC, Uppsala University, Nordbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden;

  3. 3

    Department of Mathematical Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway

  4. 4

    Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK

* Henrik Jensen, Department of Biology, Realfagbygget, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway. Tel: + 47 73596949; Fax: + 47 73591309; E-mail: henrik.jensen@bio.ntnu.no

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 16 JUN 2004
  2. Article first published online: 16 JUN 2004
  3. Received 19 May 2003; accepted 23 August 2003

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Keywords:

  • fitness;
  • lifespan;
  • morphology;
  • Passer domesticus;
  • reproductive success

Summary

  • 1
    In this study we relate variation in lifetime reproductive success (LRS) of male and female house sparrows Passer domesticus to morphological characteristics.
  • 2
    Our analyses demonstrated no sex-specific difference in the distribution of LRS. The variance in LRS was influenced mainly by variation in individual annual reproductive success, and to a lesser extent by variation in individual lifespan.
  • 3
    Phenotypic traits explained a significant proportion of the variation in LRS in males, but not in females. The effect of male morphology on LRS operated mainly through an effect on the number of recruiting daughters.
  • 4
    The size of the patch of black feathers on the chest of males (badge size) and male bill length were both positively associated with LRS. Lifespan and bill length were positively related and reproductive success increased with badge size. In females, number of recruiting daughters was positively related to bill length, body mass and body condition index due to the positive effect of these traits on annual production of daughters.
  • 5
    These results indicate that identifying factors causing the large individual variation in LRS, which is likely to be closely related to fitness, will be important to understand microevolutionary processes in this metapopulation, and hence their demographic feedbacks.
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