Data from: Do environmental conditions experienced in early life affect recruitment age and performance at first breeding in common goldeneye females?

Environmental conditions experienced early in life may have long-term impacts on life history traits and reproductive performance. We investigated whether ambient temperature experienced during the first two to four weeks of life and weather severity during the first two winters affected recruitment age and relative timing of breeding in the year of recruitment in female common goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula). Our sample consisted of 141 female recruits hatched in a study population in central Finland between 1985 and 2013 and captured later as breeders. About 56% of the recruited females bred for the first time when 2 years old (range 2-6 years). Individuals facing colder ambient temperatures during the first two to four weeks posthatch or more severe winter conditions during the first two winters did not recruit at an older age. Nor did maternal characteristics, relative hatch date or nest site availability affect recruitment age. For females that recruited at 2 years old, the date of first breeding was usually late relative to the population mean that year (mean difference 6.9 days, range -7 to 21 days). Our results suggest developmental buffering enables female goldeneye ducklings to mitigate the impacts of adverse environmental conditions experienced during the first weeks of life, at least in terms of first breeding.

生命早期经历的环境条件，可能对生物体的生活史特征与繁殖表现产生长期影响。本研究以雌性鹊鸭（Bucephala clangula）为研究对象，探究其生命最初2至4周所处的环境温度，以及前两个冬季的天气严酷程度，是否会对其补充年龄（即首次加入繁殖种群的年龄）以及补充当年的繁殖相对时间产生影响。本研究的样本涵盖141只雌性补充个体，它们于1985年至2013年间在芬兰中部的一个研究种群中孵化，并在后续作为繁殖个体被捕获。约56%的补充雌性个体在2岁时首次繁殖，个体首次繁殖年龄跨度为2至6岁。那些在孵化后最初2至4周经历较低环境温度，或是在前两个冬季遭遇更严酷天气的个体，其补充年龄并未出现延迟。母体特征、雏鸟相对孵化日期以及巢址可获得性，同样未对补充年龄产生影响。对于在2岁时达到补充状态的雌性个体而言，其首次繁殖日期通常晚于当年种群平均繁殖日期，平均差值为6.9天，差值范围为-7至21天。本研究结果表明，发育缓冲机制能够使雌性鹊鸭雏鸟缓解生命最初几周所经历的不良环境条件带来的影响——至少在首次繁殖这一维度上是如此。