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  • Competitive Family Dynamics in a Breeding Population of Black-faced Cormorants (Phalacrocorax fuscescens) at Outer Harbour, South Australia

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    Riordan_2015_02Thesis.pdf (2.355Mb)
    Author(s)
    Riordan, Julie Ann
    Primary Supervisor
    Jones, Darryl
    Other Supervisors
    Clegg, Sonya
    Year published
    2015
    Metadata
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    Abstract
    This study aimed to investigate the competitive family dynamics of breeding Black-faced Cormorants (Phalacrocorax fuscescens) at Outer Harbour, South Australia. Mating and parental care behaviours are complex yet fundamental to family dynamics. Family interactions are highly influenced by access to resources and the degree of relatedness between individuals. Competition between family members is expected to increase when access to resources is limited. Individuals within a family have different degrees of relatedness and thus compete for resources because they do not necessarily share the same reproductive interests. Resource ...
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    This study aimed to investigate the competitive family dynamics of breeding Black-faced Cormorants (Phalacrocorax fuscescens) at Outer Harbour, South Australia. Mating and parental care behaviours are complex yet fundamental to family dynamics. Family interactions are highly influenced by access to resources and the degree of relatedness between individuals. Competition between family members is expected to increase when access to resources is limited. Individuals within a family have different degrees of relatedness and thus compete for resources because they do not necessarily share the same reproductive interests. Resource limitation and relatedness are thus sources of intra-familial conflict that was a focus in my study. All family members are affected by resource shortages. Adults insure against reproducing in an uncertain world by laying optimistic clutches. Adults may then play favourites and trim the size of the brood if access to resources decreases. Hatching asynchrony facilitates this brood reduction because adults provide first-hatched core nestlings with physical and developmental advantages over later-hatched marginal nestlings. Core nestlings compete with marginal nestlings by begging and/or using overt aggression to dominate adult food supply, generally resulting in weaker marginal nestlings dying from starvation or siblicide. Marginal nestlings thus bear the brunt of resource shortages.
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    Thesis Type
    Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
    Degree Program
    Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
    School
    Griffith School of Environment
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/1874
    Copyright Statement
    The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
    Item Access Status
    Public
    Subject
    Black-faced Cormorants (Phalacrocorax fuscescens)
    Black-faced Cormorants breeding
    Black-faced Cormorants ecology
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366949
    Collection
    • Theses - Higher Degree by Research

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