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Flexibility of exercise capacity during nestling feeding in blue tits

Engert, Elana Rae LU orcid ; Nord, Andreas LU orcid ; Andreasson, Fredrik LU and Nilsson, Jan-Åke LU (2025) In Journal of Experimental Biology
Abstract
Nestling feeding in altricial birds is a physiologically demanding phase of the annual cycle. Accordingly, parental effort in breeding songbirds has been suggested to be limited by the maximum capacity to perform sustained aerobic work. However, the maximum capacity for exercise and plasticity thereof is understudied in free-living, breeding songbirds. We tested two predictions related to the plasticity of exercise capacity in breeding blue tits with increasing workload due to an increasing demand for nestling feeding as nestlings grow older and with experimentally increased brood size. We measured the maximum exercise-induced metabolic rate and endurance of parents both early on and at the peak of nestling feeding, and found that exercise... (More)
Nestling feeding in altricial birds is a physiologically demanding phase of the annual cycle. Accordingly, parental effort in breeding songbirds has been suggested to be limited by the maximum capacity to perform sustained aerobic work. However, the maximum capacity for exercise and plasticity thereof is understudied in free-living, breeding songbirds. We tested two predictions related to the plasticity of exercise capacity in breeding blue tits with increasing workload due to an increasing demand for nestling feeding as nestlings grow older and with experimentally increased brood size. We measured the maximum exercise-induced metabolic rate and endurance of parents both early on and at the peak of nestling feeding, and found that exercise capacity increases with nestling age. Parents of enlarged broods had higher exercise capacity than those with unmanipulated broods, but this was only true for young birds. We suggest that the exercise capacity of breeding birds is a plastic trait and depends on the amount of exercise that has been performed in the preceding days. However, the potential for an increase in exercise capacity is likely to be affected by parental age and experience, behavior, resource availability, in addition to nestling age and brood size. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
in press
subject
in
Journal of Experimental Biology
publisher
The Company of Biologists Ltd
external identifiers
  • pmid:41133313
ISSN
1477-9145
DOI
10.1242/jeb.251043
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
044fc262-f120-46ab-b76d-8fa48788221b
date added to LUP
2025-12-12 11:50:18
date last changed
2025-12-16 13:29:10
@article{044fc262-f120-46ab-b76d-8fa48788221b,
  abstract     = {{Nestling feeding in altricial birds is a physiologically demanding phase of the annual cycle. Accordingly, parental effort in breeding songbirds has been suggested to be limited by the maximum capacity to perform sustained aerobic work. However, the maximum capacity for exercise and plasticity thereof is understudied in free-living, breeding songbirds. We tested two predictions related to the plasticity of exercise capacity in breeding blue tits with increasing workload due to an increasing demand for nestling feeding as nestlings grow older and with experimentally increased brood size. We measured the maximum exercise-induced metabolic rate and endurance of parents both early on and at the peak of nestling feeding, and found that exercise capacity increases with nestling age. Parents of enlarged broods had higher exercise capacity than those with unmanipulated broods, but this was only true for young birds. We suggest that the exercise capacity of breeding birds is a plastic trait and depends on the amount of exercise that has been performed in the preceding days. However, the potential for an increase in exercise capacity is likely to be affected by parental age and experience, behavior, resource availability, in addition to nestling age and brood size.}},
  author       = {{Engert, Elana Rae and Nord, Andreas and Andreasson, Fredrik and Nilsson, Jan-Åke}},
  issn         = {{1477-9145}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  publisher    = {{The Company of Biologists Ltd}},
  series       = {{Journal of Experimental Biology}},
  title        = {{Flexibility of exercise capacity during nestling feeding in blue tits}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.251043}},
  doi          = {{10.1242/jeb.251043}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}