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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Long Shadow Of Senescence: Age Impacts Survival And Territory Defense In Loons, Walter H. Piper, Kristin M. Brunk, Joel A. Flory, Michael W. Meyer
The Long Shadow Of Senescence: Age Impacts Survival And Territory Defense In Loons, Walter H. Piper, Kristin M. Brunk, Joel A. Flory, Michael W. Meyer
Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research
Senescence, increased mortality that occurs among animals of advanced age, impacts behavior and ecology in many avian species. We investigated actuarial, reproductive, and behavioral senescence using capture, marking, and resighting data from a 26-year study of common loons (Gavia immer). Territorial residents of both sexes exhibited high annual survival (0.94) until their mid 20s, at which point survival fell to 0.76 and 0.77 in males and females, respectively. Sexual symmetry in actuarial senescence is somewhat surprising in this species, because males make a substantially greater investment in territory defense and chick-rearing and because males engage in lethal contests for territory …