{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/110426"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/110426","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Age-specific mortality, pre- to post-fledging carryover effects, and the timing of fledging in altricial songbirds","abstract":"Evidence accumulated over recent decades has implicated age-specific mortality as a critical factor shaping life histories, particularly with respect to the mortality of dependent offspring. Altricial songbirds provide a practical system to examine associations among variation in life histories and offspring mortality as nest and post-fledging account for the vast majority of offspring mortalities. My research examined associations between juvenile mortality and traits (morphological and behavioral) across the nesting and post-fledging period in a community of songbirds to provide greater insight into how age-specific mortality shapes avian ecology and life history evolution. Specifically, my research sought to (1) test for potential pre- to post-fledging carryover effects under a morphology-performance-fitness paradigm; (2) evaluate nesting and post-fledging survival rates to provide a greater understanding as to when and why juvenile songbirds leave the nest; and (3) determine if carryover effects occur in brood parasitic cowbirds. I found evidence for pre- to post-fledging carryover effects of wing development in all species I examined, with individuals with less developed wings exhibiting poorer flight ability and experiencing higher rates of mortality after fledging. I also found that carryover effects operating at the species level ultimately help shape patterns of life-history variation among species; species with higher rates of nest predation had shorter nestling periods, fledged young with less developed wings, and exhibited higher rates of mortality. Additionally, these carryover effects translated to and have the potential to inform host quality and selection in the brood parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). Lastly, my comparisons of nesting and post-fledging survival suggest that parent-offspring conflict mediates the timing of fledging across songbird species. Ultimately, my results demonstrate the importance of age-specific mortality in driving life-history variation among songbirds.","abstract_html":"Evidence accumulated over recent decades has implicated age-specific mortality as a critical factor shaping life histories, particularly with respect to the mortality of dependent offspring. Altricial songbirds provide a practical system to examine associations among variation in life histories and offspring mortality as nest and post-fledging account for the vast majority of offspring mortalities. My research examined associations between juvenile mortality and traits (morphological and behavioral) across the nesting and post-fledging period in a community of songbirds to provide greater insight into how age-specific mortality shapes avian ecology and life history evolution. Specifically, my research sought to (1) test for potential pre- to post-fledging carryover effects under a morphology-performance-fitness paradigm; (2) evaluate nesting and post-fledging survival rates to provide a greater understanding as to when and why juvenile songbirds leave the nest; and (3) determine if carryover effects occur in brood parasitic cowbirds. I found evidence for pre- to post-fledging carryover effects of wing development in all species I examined, with individuals with less developed wings exhibiting poorer flight ability and experiencing higher rates of mortality after fledging. I also found that carryover effects operating at the species level ultimately help shape patterns of life-history variation among species; species with higher rates of nest predation had shorter nestling periods, fledged young with less developed wings, and exhibited higher rates of mortality. Additionally, these carryover effects translated to and have the potential to inform host quality and selection in the brood parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). Lastly, my comparisons of nesting and post-fledging survival suggest that parent-offspring conflict mediates the timing of fledging across songbird species. Ultimately, my results demonstrate the importance of age-specific mortality in driving life-history variation among songbirds.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Jones, Todd Michael"],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Natural Res & Env Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Ward, Michael P","Brawn, Jeffrey D","Benson, Thomas J","Hauber, Mark E"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-09-17T01:10:38Z","date_published":"2021-09-17T01:10:38Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:50Z","subjects":["post-fledging","songbirds","carryover effects","parent-offspring conflict","brood parasites","cowbirds","fledging","wing development"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["© 2021 Todd Michael Jones"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/2142/110426","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Ward, Michael P","Brawn, Jeffrey D","Benson, Thomas J","Hauber, Mark E"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Jones, Todd Michael"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2021-09-17T01:10:38Z","2021-03-26","2021-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Natural Res & Env Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["post-fledging","songbirds","carryover effects","parent-offspring conflict","brood parasites","cowbirds","fledging","wing development"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© 2021 Todd Michael Jones"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/110426"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Evidence accumulated over recent decades has implicated age-specific mortality as a critical factor shaping life histories, particularly with respect to the mortality of dependent offspring. Altricial songbirds provide a practical system to examine associations among variation in life histories and offspring mortality as nest and post-fledging account for the vast majority of offspring mortalities. My research examined associations between juvenile mortality and traits (morphological and behavioral) across the nesting and post-fledging period in a community of songbirds to provide greater insight into how age-specific mortality shapes avian ecology and life history evolution. Specifically, my research sought to (1) test for potential pre- to post-fledging carryover effects under a morphology-performance-fitness paradigm; (2) evaluate nesting and post-fledging survival rates to provide a greater understanding as to when and why juvenile songbirds leave the nest; and (3) determine if carryover effects occur in brood parasitic cowbirds. I found evidence for pre- to post-fledging carryover effects of wing development in all species I examined, with individuals with less developed wings exhibiting poorer flight ability and experiencing higher rates of mortality after fledging. I also found that carryover effects operating at the species level ultimately help shape patterns of life-history variation among species; species with higher rates of nest predation had shorter nestling periods, fledged young with less developed wings, and exhibited higher rates of mortality. Additionally, these carryover effects translated to and have the potential to inform host quality and selection in the brood parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). Lastly, my comparisons of nesting and post-fledging survival suggest that parent-offspring conflict mediates the timing of fledging across songbird species. Ultimately, my results demonstrate the importance of age-specific mortality in driving life-history variation among songbirds.","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2021-09-16 without embargo terms","The student, Todd Jones, accepted the attached license on 2021-03-25 at 15:59.","The student, Todd Jones, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2021-03-25 at 16:12.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2021-03-26 at 14:46.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16211 on 2021-09-16 at 16:40:19","Made available in DSpace on 2021-09-17T01:10:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 JONES-DISSERTATION-2021.pdf: 3328494 bytes, checksum: a505ab43a62aad6e463989f3ba524f18 (MD5) LICENSE.txt: 4207 bytes, checksum: a6810b46f8cc608e0dd6630cfea99e5d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021-03-26"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Age-specific mortality, pre- to post-fledging carryover effects, and the timing of fledging in altricial songbirds"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Ward, Michael P","Brawn, Jeffrey D","Benson, Thomas J","Hauber, Mark E"],"dc:creator":["Jones, Todd Michael"],"dc:date":["2021-09-17T01:10:38Z","2021-03-26","2021-05"],"dc:description":["Evidence accumulated over recent decades has implicated age-specific mortality as a critical factor shaping life histories, particularly with respect to the mortality of dependent offspring. Altricial songbirds provide a practical system to examine associations among variation in life histories and offspring mortality as nest and post-fledging account for the vast majority of offspring mortalities. My research examined associations between juvenile mortality and traits (morphological and behavioral) across the nesting and post-fledging period in a community of songbirds to provide greater insight into how age-specific mortality shapes avian ecology and life history evolution. Specifically, my research sought to (1) test for potential pre- to post-fledging carryover effects under a morphology-performance-fitness paradigm; (2) evaluate nesting and post-fledging survival rates to provide a greater understanding as to when and why juvenile songbirds leave the nest; and (3) determine if carryover effects occur in brood parasitic cowbirds. I found evidence for pre- to post-fledging carryover effects of wing development in all species I examined, with individuals with less developed wings exhibiting poorer flight ability and experiencing higher rates of mortality after fledging. I also found that carryover effects operating at the species level ultimately help shape patterns of life-history variation among species; species with higher rates of nest predation had shorter nestling periods, fledged young with less developed wings, and exhibited higher rates of mortality. Additionally, these carryover effects translated to and have the potential to inform host quality and selection in the brood parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). Lastly, my comparisons of nesting and post-fledging survival suggest that parent-offspring conflict mediates the timing of fledging across songbird species. Ultimately, my results demonstrate the importance of age-specific mortality in driving life-history variation among songbirds.","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2021-09-16 without embargo terms","The student, Todd Jones, accepted the attached license on 2021-03-25 at 15:59.","The student, Todd Jones, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2021-03-25 at 16:12.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2021-03-26 at 14:46.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16211 on 2021-09-16 at 16:40:19","Made available in DSpace on 2021-09-17T01:10:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 JONES-DISSERTATION-2021.pdf: 3328494 bytes, checksum: a505ab43a62aad6e463989f3ba524f18 (MD5) LICENSE.txt: 4207 bytes, checksum: a6810b46f8cc608e0dd6630cfea99e5d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021-03-26"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/110426"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["© 2021 Todd Michael Jones"],"dc:subject":["post-fledging","songbirds","carryover effects","parent-offspring conflict","brood parasites","cowbirds","fledging","wing development"],"dc:title":["Age-specific mortality, pre- to post-fledging carryover effects, and the timing of fledging in altricial songbirds"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Natural Res & Env Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:50Z"}