This award will support U.S.-U.K. cooperative research between Charles F. Thompson of Illinois State University and Christopher M. Perrins, Director of the Edward Grey Institute, Oxford University. The investigators will examine the relationship between body fat stores and survival in fledgling and juvenile European starlings. Their objective is to test the hypothesis that bird survival is positively correlated with fat storage capacity at the time of nest-leaving. Fat storage capacity is thought to be important for survival in many species of birds whose offspring leave the nest before they are capable of obtaining food for themselves. The investigators will employ European starlings, used extensively for ecological research at University Farm of Oxford University. Data on body composition will be collected and fat content will be determined using the TOBEC method, a new, safe measuring technique in avian biology. Dr. Thompson brings to this collaboration his extensive background on the house wren and his experience with the TOBEC method. This is complemented by the British group's background on the evolution of life history traits in birds. The Edward Grey Institute has been at the forefront of avian biology and ecology since the 1940s. This cooperative research effort will advance our knowledge about the relationship between variation in the condition of offspring in certain species of birds, their survival and ultimately the reproductive success of the parents.
