Details of Award

NERC Reference : NER/B/S/2003/00880

Context-dependent sex allocation in blue tits.

Principal Investigator:: Professor BC Sheldon, University of Oxford, Zoology
Co-Investigator:: Dr L Rowe, University of Oxford, Biology
Grant held at:: University of Oxford, Zoology

Abstract:: How much effort a parent invests in offspring depends on the return it receives from that offspring, i.e. how likely that offspring is to survive to maturity and how many offspring it is likely to produce. If the return from an offspring depends on its sex then parents should invest different amounts in the two sexes. There are two ways a parents can do this, they can alter the number of male and female offspring they produce or they can vary the amount of parental care they provide to the two sexes. Research has focused on the amount of parental care parents provide to different sexed offspring and has found parents to invest differentially in offspring. Results from our own research have shown that parents invest differently in different sexed offspring and the sex they preferentially invest in depends on environmental conditions i.e. how hard the parents are working. We propose to investigate this relationship further by altering how hard parents are working by increasing or decreasing the number of chicks they rear, at the same time we will alter the ratio of male:female chicks in the brood. This will allow us to measure how much effort parents are willing to invest in different sexed offspring under different workloads. We will also be able to identify if male and female parents adopt the same investment strategy.

Authorised funds only

This grant award has a total value of £28,759

Total - T&S	Total - Staff	Total - Other Costs	Total - Indirect Costs
£485	£17,996	£2,000	£8,278

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