Function of Early Incubation: Tests of Social and Environmental Constraints

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9407349 Beissinger Abstract Offspring represent parental investment in the future. In evolutionary terms, this means that parents should generally behave in ways that maximize the number of offspring they raise. Certain aspects of this fundamental biological question can be particularly well-studied in birds because birds control the development of their young by when and how they incubate eggs. Dr. Beissinger will test several hypotheses about the adaptive nature of parental behavior through a series of field experiments which will examine different adaptive functions of incubation behavior. The results will be integrated into a hierarchical model of reproduction and will help to develop our understanding of the biology of reproduction. In addition, because many close relatives of the species Dr. Beissinger works with are endangered, this research will have implications for conservation biology.