Plasticity of Parental Care as an Adaptation for Rapid Environmental Change

Evolution, driven by genetic factors and complemented by phenotypic plasticity, is crucial for a species' longevity amidst environmental changes. Behavioral adaptability, particularly in parental care, plays a key role in evolutionary outcomes, posing challenges and opportunities for adaptation in the rapidly changing Anthropocene era, highlighting its significance in natural selection and the resulting course of evolutionary change. Our preliminary data on the facultatively biparental red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) over two breeding seasons showed that male provisioning correlated positively with the microhabitat context of the nest, such as placement height, vegetation height, and water depth. These results, along with previous knowledge of the system, suggest a high degree of behavioral plasticity in parental care, which may confer an adaptive advantage in fluctuating environmental conditions. Here, we will experimentally test the influence of altering an important nest attribute (placement height) on paternal care behaviors and decision-making across a gradient of environments subject to climate change. We will alter the height of a nest, across of range of habitats that predictably vary in predation risk to the offspring and assess the changes in male parental care. Furthermore, we will assess how these changes to the nest, and any potential changes to paternal care behavior, affect reproductive output. This study will help us understand how individuals react to the ongoing changes to their environment, and how selection may act on them.