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Investment In Territorial Defence Relates To Recent Reproductive Success In Common Loons (Gavia Immer), Jeremy A. Spool, Lauren V. Riters, Walter H. Piper

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

As the value of a limited resource such as a territory increases, animals should invest more in the defence of that resource. Because reproductive success often depends on the quality of a breeding territory, reproductive success or failure may alter the perceived value of territory and affect an animal's investment in territorial defence. We used common loons (Gavia immer) to test the hypothesis that animals with recent breeding success would show stronger territorial defence than those with no recent breeding success. Surprisingly, successful loons responded less, not more, to a simulated intrusion. However, birds with success in the …