First, females with depredated nests had smaller heads than expected by chance when predation rate (killed females/nest) was highest (вЂњchallenging conditionsвЂќ). The results were consistent with our hypotheses. This species is ideal for this purpose because of highly variable predation pressure and a distinct seasonal decline in reproductive success. To test these hypotheses, we examined the relationship between relative head volume, reproductive decisions, and fitness components in female common eiders ( Somateria mollissima) under variable predation risk and breeding phenologies.

We hypothesized that large brain size is 1) beneficial under challenging conditions and allows better matching of antipredator responses to the actual threat by predators and 2) associated with thorough risk assessment, which can be costly under benign conditions. However, these potential trade-offs remain virtually unexplored in natural populations.

Increased brain size has been associated with greater sensitivity to environmental context, but this flexibility is potentially costly as sampling the environment is time and energy consuming and may even increase the risk of predation.

Is lmms safe