Abstract
Studies by Perrins (1965; 1970) have suggested that in several bird species there is a strong selection pressure favouring early breeding, that is as early as the feeding conditions for the female in the period of egg formation permit. This conclusion is confirmed by the recent finding that the provision of additional food in the pre-laying period can advance egg laying in the Great tit Parus major (Källander, 1974).
The authors are on the staff of the Institute for Ecological Research, of which Kluyver was the first director (1954–67). Kluyver specialised in behavioural and population ecology of passerines, and initiated a long-term study on the population ecology of the Great tit. Since 1958 this study has been continued by van Balen, working with A. J. Cavé, J. A. L. Mertens (physiological aspects) and P. J. Drent (behavioural aspects). van Balen specialised in the population dynamics of the Great tit, while Cavé has made a study of the population ecology of the kestrel.
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Kluyver, H.N., van Balen, J.H., Cavé, A.J. (1977). The occurrence of time-saving mechanisms in the breeding biology of the Great tit, Parus major. In: Stonehouse, B., Perrins, C. (eds) Evolutionary Ecology. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-05226-4_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-05226-4_14
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