Phenology, investment and success

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Table of contents

Chapter 1: General introduction
1.1 General framework
1.1.1 Reproductive investment
1.1.2 Parental care
1.1.3 Systems of parental care
1.1.4 Environmental variation
1.2 PhD aims
1.3 Study species
1.4 Study system
1.5 Thesis outline
Chapter Two: Extreme plasticity in breeding phenology across an altitudinal gradient: implications for understanding phenological mismatch
2.1 Abstract
2.2 Introduction
2.3 Methods
2.3.1 Study population and habitat
2.3.2 Phenology, investment and success
2.3.3 Statistical analysis
2.4 Results
2.4.1 Breeding phenology
2.4.2 Contributors to reproductive success: clutch size and hatching success
2.4.3 Reproductive Output
2.4.4 Nestling mass
2.5 Discussion
Chapter Three: Testing the use of budburst as a reliable cue to breeding phenology in a population of blue tits breeding along an altitudinal gradient
3.1 Abstract
3.2 Introduction
3.3 Methods
3.3.1 Statistical analysis
3.4 Results
3.4.1 Phenology of budburst and lay date
3.4.2 Timing parameters post-laying
3.4.3 Reproductive success
3.5 Discussion
Chapter Four: Inducing females to lay more eggs leads to increased per capita provisioning rates of nestlings in blue tits
4.1 Abstract
4.2 Introduction
4.3 Methods
4.3.1. Experimental design
4.3.2 Treatment effects pre-provisioning
4.3.3 Provisioning behaviour
4.3.4 Statistical analysis
4.4 Results
4.4.1 Treatment effects pre-provisioning
4.4.2 Provisioning behaviour
4.4.3 Nestling mass
4.5 Discussion
Chapter Five: Brood size manipulations across an altitudinal gradient shed new light on investment strategies in a bi-parental care system
5.1 Abstract
5.2 Introduction
5.3 Methods
5.3.1 Sex differences in provisioning natural brood sizes
5.3.2 Responses to brood size manipulations
5.3.3 Treatment effects on brood mass
5.4 Results
5.4.1 Sex differences in provisioning natural brood sizes
5.4.2 Responses to brood size manipulations
5.4.3 Treatment effects on brood mass
5.5 Discussion
Chapter Six: General discussion 
6.1 PhD findings
6.2 General conclusions
6.2.1 Altitudinal effects on parental investment
6.2.2 Sexual conflict
6.3 Global vision
Bibliography