Begging behavior as an honest signal of need and parent– offspring association during the postfledging dependency period

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dc.contributor.authorDavis, Kayla L.en
dc.contributor.authorKarpanty, Sarah M.en
dc.contributor.authorSpendelow, Jeffrey A.en
dc.contributor.authorCohen, Jonathan B.en
dc.contributor.authorAlthouse, Melissa A.en
dc.contributor.authorParsons, Katharine C.en
dc.contributor.authorLuttazi, Cristin F.en
dc.contributor.departmentFish and Wildlife Conservationen
dc.date.accessioned2019-07-24T17:18:52Zen
dc.date.available2019-07-24T17:18:52Zen
dc.date.issued2019-04-30en
dc.description.abstractHonest signaling mechanisms can function to appropriate care to hungry offspring and avoid misdirected care of unrelated offspring. Begging, the behavior by which offspring solicit food and parental care, may be an honest signaling mechanism for need, as well as association of parents and offspring. Roseate terns (Sterna dougallii) exhibit prolonged parental care during the postbreeding staging period, offering an ideal system in which to study begging as an honest signaling mechanism. We conducted focal sampling during two premigratory staging seasons (2014 and 2015) at Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts, USA to determine whether postfledging tern begging behavior was an honest signal for need and parent–offspring association. Based on honest signaling theory, we expected begging behavior to be highest during times of high perceived need, and we expected to see a decrease in begging behavior as young terns became increasingly independent of the care‐giving parent. Also, we predicted that young terns would be more likely to beg at parents than nonparents. We found that young roseate terns begged at their parents more often than nonparents; however, they did not always beg at parents. Model predictions of begging probability showed a linear relationship between begging and time of day and date of season, such that begging increased with time of day and decreased with date of season, respectively. Our results provide evidence for honest parent–offspring interactions and are inconsistent with parent–offspring conflict theory but suggest that begging may play a complex role in postfledging parent–offspring interactions.en
dc.description.sponsorshipSoutheastern Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit Task Agreement, Grant/Award Number: P14AC00835en
dc.format.extent12 pagesen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5279en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/91945en
dc.identifier.volume0en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherWileyen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subjectbeggingen
dc.subjecthonest signalingen
dc.subjectparent–offspring conflicten
dc.subjectpostfledging parental careen
dc.subjectroseate ternen
dc.subjectSterna dougalliien
dc.titleBegging behavior as an honest signal of need and parent– offspring association during the postfledging dependency perioden
dc.title.serialEcology and Evolutionen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten

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