DIFFERENCES IN THE ONSET OF LAYING BETWEEN ISLAND AND MAINLAND MEDITERRANEAN BLUE TITS PARUS-CAERULEUS - PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY OR GENETIC-DIFFERENCES

Blue tits Parus caeruleus breeding in deciduous or in evergreen woodlands on the mainland of Europe start to lay 3-4 weeks earlier than Blue Tits on the island of Corsica breeding in evergreen woodlands. A similar difference in average laying date between the two Blue Tit populations has been found in a relatively small sample of captive birds held in outdoor aviaries on the mainland. To provide data on the habitat contrast in Corsica for comparison with that on the mainland, a new study area was started in one of the few deciduous woodlands on Corsica. In addition, new data on laying dates of captive Blue Tits were gathered to increase the sample size of independent pairs in aviaries. This study shows that the habitat effect (deciduous v evergreen woodland) on the average laying date of Blue Tits is relatively small in comparison with the geography effect (European mainland v Corsica). The laying date differences between mainland and insular Blue Tits persisted whatever the type of habitat (deciduous, evergreen or outdoor aviaries on the mainland). The data support the hypothesis that the observed differences in the onset of laying between the mainland and insular Blue Tits were mainly influenced by genetic effects and relatively little by non-genetic maternal effects of by genotype-environment interactions.