Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2010

Keywords

egg laying, Glaucous-winged Gull, Larus glaucescens, luteinizing hormone, mathematical model, ovulation, synchrony

Abstract

Spontaneous oscillator synchrony has been documented in a wide variety of electrical, mechanical, chemical, and biological systems, including the menstrual cycles of women and estrous cycles of Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus). In temperate regions, many colonial birds breed seasonally in a time window set by photoperiod; some studies have suggested that heightened social stimulation in denser colonies can lead to a tightened annual reproductive pulse. It has been unknown, however, whether the analog of menstrual synchrony occurs in birdsthat is, whether avian ovulation cycles can synchronize on a daily timescale within the annual breeding pulse. We report every-other-day clutch-initiation and egg-laying synchrony in a breeding colony of Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens) and show that the level of synchrony declined with decreasing colony density. We also pose a mathematical model based on the hypothesis that preovulatory luteinizing hormone surges synchronize through social stimulation. Model predictions are consistent with observations. Finally, we suggest a procedure for identifying synchronous egg laying in other colonies and species. © 2010 by The American Ornithologists' Union. All rights reserved.

Journal Title

Auk

Volume

127

Issue

3

First Page

571

Last Page

580

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1525/auk.2010.09202

First Department

Mathematics

Second Department

Biology

Acknowledgements

Retrieved February 15, 2021 from https://academic.oup.com/auk/article/127/3/571/5148529?login=true

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