Patterns of Growth in Birds. V. A Comparative Study of Development in the Starling, Common Tern, and Japanese Quail
Year: 1979
Type: article
Abstract: This study compares developmental changes in the behavior, morphology, and body composition of three species of birds with different types of development: Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) (altricial), Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) (semi-precocial), and Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) (precocial).The Starling grows four times and the tern, two and one-half times more rapidly than the quail.Although the adult weights of the three species are similar, the tern neonate is about twice as large (12.8% adult weight) as Starling (6.7%) and quail (5.8%) hatchlings.Both the tern and quail move about and regulate their body temperatures at hatching.The quail chick begins to fly when it is half-grown, the Starling and tern when they are nearly fullgrown.At hatching, the tern and quail have larger proportions of nonlipid dry matter and less water in their bodies than does the Starling, indicating greater maturity.The body proportions of neonates are similar, except that the integument and legs of the Starling are smaller than those of the tern and quail.During development, proportion of pectoral muscles and, to a lesser extent, wings, increases in all three species, proportion of legs in the tern decreases and, proportion of head in the quail and, to a lesser extent, the Starling and the tern decreases.Development of homeothermy in the Starling is accompanied by the development of plumage and maturation of the leg muscles to provide a source of heat.In most tissues, increasing function is accompanied by decreasing water content and decreasing growth rate.The functional maturity of the leg appears to set the overall pace of development of the chick.In the tern, rapid body growth is consistent with slow leg growth because the relative size of the legs decreases continually during development.Adult terns have small legs compared both to other adult birds and to newly hatched chicks.Large egg size in the tern results in large hatching size and further reduces the postnatal growth increment of the legs, thereby reducing the postnatal development period.The results of this study support the hypothesis that rate of increase in body weight is inversely related to degree of functional maturity.Several refinements of this general pattern are also evident: (1) the growth rate of the organism is limited by the most slowly growing component, (2) the relative proportions of body components must remain within limits determined by their function during the development period, and (3) post-hatching growth rate may be increased under certain circumstances by increasing embryonic growth of organs that are functionally mature at hatching.
DOI: 10.1093/auk/96.1.10
Author: Robert E. Ricklefs
Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3144246742