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Dryad

No difference in reproductive investment or success across urban and rural breeding pairs in an urban-adapted songbird

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Sep 27, 2024 version files 44.20 KB

Abstract

Species classified as ‘urban-adapters’ are often assumed to thrive in cities because they are commonly found across the urbanization gradient. However, urban-living populations of many urban-adapted species have been found to have lower reproductive success relative to their rural counterparts. The European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a common urban-adapted species found across most of the globe; while starlings have lowered reproductive success in urban areas in their native range, less is known about how urbanization impacts reproduction in their invasive ranges. We tested for differences in reproductive investment and success across urban and rural starling populations in Georgia, which is part of their North American invasive range. We found few differences in reproductive output for urban versus rural starlings—clutch size, egg mass, egg volume, incubation behavior, provisioning rates, brooding behavior and nestling wing chord were all similar across starling populations from more urban and more rural study sites. While urban birds produced a higher number of hatchlings and rural birds produced young in higher body condition, neither of these factors influenced reproductive success because the number of fledglings produced were similar for urban and rural breeding starlings. Overall, European starlings in their invasive range performed similarly well in more urban versus more rural habitats. Future work should explore whether urbanization affects other components of fitness in starlings (e.g., adult survival).