The Prudent Parent: Energetic Adjustments in Avian Breeding Authors: Drent, R. H., and Daan, S. Source: Ardea, 55(1–2): 225-252 Published By: Netherlands Ornithologists' Union URL: https://doi.org/10.5253/arde.v68.p225 BioOne Complete is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Complete website, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne's Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/terms-of-use. Usage of BioOne Complete content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. The Prudent Parent: Energetic Adjustments in Avian Breeding R. H. Drent & S. Daan Zoological Laboratory, University of Groningen, Haren, The Netherlands The paper discusses the energetic adjustments in avian breeding, focusing on the dilemma of the prudent parent. It explores how breeding decisions are influenced by environmental conditions, parental condition, and food availability. The authors argue that breeding strategies are not fixed but depend on a complex interplay between local environmental conditions and the state of the parent. They emphasize the importance of individual variation in breeding success and the role of energy balance in determining reproductive outcomes. The paper also examines the relationship between laying date, clutch size, and food supply, highlighting the impact of food availability on reproductive performance. It discusses the physiological and energetic implications of variation in growth rate, the role of parental effort in determining optimal working capacity, and the importance of energy balance in reproductive success. The authors conclude that breeding strategies are shaped by a combination of ultimate and proximate factors, with energy balance playing a crucial role in determining reproductive outcomes. They emphasize the need for field experiments to evaluate the adaptive significance of breeding patterns and to understand the complex interplay between environmental conditions and parental condition in shaping avian breeding strategies.The Prudent Parent: Energetic Adjustments in Avian Breeding Authors: Drent, R. H., and Daan, S. Source: Ardea, 55(1–2): 225-252 Published By: Netherlands Ornithologists' Union URL: https://doi.org/10.5253/arde.v68.p225 BioOne Complete is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Complete website, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne's Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/terms-of-use. Usage of BioOne Complete content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. The Prudent Parent: Energetic Adjustments in Avian Breeding R. H. Drent & S. Daan Zoological Laboratory, University of Groningen, Haren, The Netherlands The paper discusses the energetic adjustments in avian breeding, focusing on the dilemma of the prudent parent. It explores how breeding decisions are influenced by environmental conditions, parental condition, and food availability. The authors argue that breeding strategies are not fixed but depend on a complex interplay between local environmental conditions and the state of the parent. They emphasize the importance of individual variation in breeding success and the role of energy balance in determining reproductive outcomes. The paper also examines the relationship between laying date, clutch size, and food supply, highlighting the impact of food availability on reproductive performance. It discusses the physiological and energetic implications of variation in growth rate, the role of parental effort in determining optimal working capacity, and the importance of energy balance in reproductive success. The authors conclude that breeding strategies are shaped by a combination of ultimate and proximate factors, with energy balance playing a crucial role in determining reproductive outcomes. They emphasize the need for field experiments to evaluate the adaptive significance of breeding patterns and to understand the complex interplay between environmental conditions and parental condition in shaping avian breeding strategies.