Parents affect offspring fitness by propagule size and quality, selection of oviposition site,
quality of incubation, feeding of dependent young, and their defence against predators and …

Predation on dependent offspring (ie, offspring that depend on parents for care) forms a
critical source of natural selection that may shape a diversity of life history traits. Selection …

Broad geographic patterns in egg and clutch mass are poorly described, and potential
causes of variation remain largely unexamined. We describe interspecific variation in avian …

Variation in egg size and composition can have important consequences for the quality of
offspring. We investigated the factors influencing the yolk mass and egg mass of tree …

A huge amount of research attention has focused on the evolution of life histories, but most
research focuses on dominant individuals that acquire a disproportionate level of …

Embryonic development rates are reflected by the length of incubation period in birds, and
these vary substantially among species within and among geographical regions. The …

Theory predicts that temporal variability plays an important role in the evolution of life
histories, but empirical studies evaluating this prediction are rare. In constant environments …

Variable maternal provisioning may evolve when there is variation in the quality of offspring
environments. The frog Crinia georgiana has high variability in egg size both within and …

Extrapair fertilizations (EPFs) have been found in most socially monogamous passerine
species. EPFs are generally beneficial for males because they increase the number of sired …

Females in most bird species engage in extra-pair copulations. Although this behaviour is
widespread, benefits for females of doing so are less understood. The most widely accepted …