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Postnatal Growth Rates Covary Weakly With Embryonic Development Rates And Do Not Explain Adult Mortality Probability Among Songbirds On Four Continents, Thomas E. Martin, Oteyza C. Oteyza, Adam E. Mitchell, Ahva L. Potticary, Penn Lloyd

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

Growth and development rates may result from genetic programming of intrinsic processes that yield correlated rates between life stages. These intrinsic rates are thought to affect adult mortality probability and longevity. However, if proximate extrinsic factors (e.g., temperature, food) influence development rates differently between stages and yield low covariance between stages, then development rates may not explain adult morality probability. We examined these issues based on study of 90 songbird species on four continents to capture the diverse life-history strategies observed across geographic space. The length of the embryonic period explained little variation (ca. 13%) in nestling periods and growth …