Does testosterone mediate the trade-off between nestling begging and growth in the canary (Serinus canaria)?
Nestling birds solicit food from their parents with vigorous begging displays, involving posturing, jostling and calling. In some species, such as canaries, begging is especially costly because it causes a trade off against nestling growth. Fitness costs of begging like this are predicted by evolutionary theory because they function to resolve conflicts of interest within […]
Signals in family conflicts
Although the role of animal signals in the resolution of family conflicts has been thoroughly studied, it has been typically analysed in isolated two-player interactions. For instance, parents are usually considered as the sole receivers of offspring begging signals or mates the receivers of sexual displays. However, this view does not wholly encompass the dynamic […]
The influence of siblings on begging behaviour
Elaborate solicitation displays are a common feature of interactions between care-givers and offspring. These displays are interpreted as the phenotypic expression of the conflict of interests between parents and offspring over parental investment. Offspring typically have siblings and thus do not exist in isolation. Therefore, they may adjust their begging in response to their siblings’ […]