Poster Title
P-49 Mathematical Model of Gull Egg-laying Behavior: Tracking the Egg Order
Abstract
During years of high sea surface temperature, food resources for glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) are scarce. In response, male gulls cannibalize the eggs of neighbors. When this occurs, female gulls in dense areas of the colony adopt a tactic called egg-laying synchrony, in which they lay eggs synchronously on an every-other-day schedule. Field observations show that the first-laid egg of each clutch is the most likely to be cannibalized. Here we analyzed the equilibria, stability, and bifurcations of a discrete-time model of egg-laying behavior that tracks the order in which eggs were laid in the nest.
Location
Buller Hall Lobby
Start Date
3-8-2019 2:30 PM
P-49 Mathematical Model of Gull Egg-laying Behavior: Tracking the Egg Order
Buller Hall Lobby
During years of high sea surface temperature, food resources for glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) are scarce. In response, male gulls cannibalize the eggs of neighbors. When this occurs, female gulls in dense areas of the colony adopt a tactic called egg-laying synchrony, in which they lay eggs synchronously on an every-other-day schedule. Field observations show that the first-laid egg of each clutch is the most likely to be cannibalized. Here we analyzed the equilibria, stability, and bifurcations of a discrete-time model of egg-laying behavior that tracks the order in which eggs were laid in the nest.
Acknowledgments
Supervising Professor: Shandelle M. Henson