DOI: 10.5061/dryad.c5s06
title: Data from: Life history as a constraint on plasticity: developmental timing is correlated with phenotypic variation in birds

description: Understanding why organisms vary in developmental plasticity has
 implications for predicting population responses to changing environments
 and the maintenance of intraspecific variation. The epiphenotype
 hypothesis posits that the timing of development can constrain
 plasticity—the earlier alternate phenotypes begin to develop, the greater
 the difference that can result amongst the final traits. This research
 extends this idea by considering how life history timing shapes the
 opportunity for the environment to influence trait development. We test
 the prediction that the earlier an individual begins to actively interact
 with and explore their environment, the greater the opportunity for
 plasticity and thus variation in foraging traits. This research focuses on
 life history variation across four groups of birds using museum specimens
 and measurements from the literature. We reasoned that greater phenotypic
 plasticity, through either environmental effects or
 genotype-by-environment interactions in development, would be manifest in
 larger trait ranges (bills and tarsi) within species. Among shorebirds and
 ducks, we found that species with relatively shorter incubation times
 tended to show greater phenotypic variation. Across warblers and sparrows,
 we found little support linking timing of flight and trait variation.
 Overall, our results also suggest a pattern between body size and trait
 variation, consistent with constraints on egg size that might result in
 larger species having more environmental influences on development. Taken
 together, our results provide some support for the hypothesis that
 variation in life histories affects how the environment shapes
 development, through either the expression of plasticity or the release of
 cryptic genetic variation.
description: Shorebird measurements,
 museum specimensThis excel file includes
 two tabs, one with all individual-level measurements and one with all
 species-level measurements. Individual-level data include wing length and
 bill length, depth and width measured on museum specimens. Bill traits
 were measured three times for each individual to control for measurement
 error. Species-level life history traits (mass, incubation length, age at
 first flight) were compiled from the literature. Please see
 "methods" for more detail on data collection and
 analysis.shorebird measurements for
 DRYAD.xlsWarbler measurements,
 museum specimensThis excel file includes
 two tabs, one with all individual-level measurements and one with all
 species-level measurements. Individual-level data include wing length and
 bill length, depth and width measured on museum specimens. Bill traits
 were measured three times for each individual to control for measurement
 error. Species-level life history traits (mass, incubation length, age at
 first flight) were compiled from the literature. Please see
 "methods" for more detail on data collection and
 analysis.warbler measurements for
 DRYAD.xlsSparrow and waterfowl
 data, compiled from literatureThis excel file includes
 one tab of species-level data. For each species, data on life history
 traits (mass, incubation length, time of first flight) were taken from the
 literature. Data on the phenotypic range of traits (bill length and tarsus
 length) within bird populations were taken from appendices of the
 "Birds of North America Life History" series. Please see the
 methods section for more information on data collection and
 analysis.sparrow shorebird data for
 DRYAD.xls