Researchers show increased risk of predators can evoke adaptive response in birds

Monday, March 28, 2011 - 08:01 in Biology & Nature

(PhysOrg.com) -- Evolutionary ecologists Michael Coslovsky and Heinz Richner of the University of Bern in Switzerland, have published a study in Functional Ecology where they show that when a female bird is exposed to more stress from predators, such as hawks, when ovulating, they tend to produce offspring that are smaller, which isn't a surprise as stressed offspring in many species wind up smaller than average; the surprise is that the smaller offspring also grew their wings both faster and longer than what would be considered normal for their species.

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