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When Older Males Sire More Offspring—Increased Attractiveness or Higher Fertility? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022; 76:61. [PMID: 35535127 PMCID: PMC9034975 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03170-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In birds with extrapair mating, older males usually have higher fertilization success than younger males. Two hypotheses can potentially explain this pattern: 1) females prefer older, and often more ornamented males, or 2) older males invest more in reproduction and fertility than younger males. Here we studied factors associated with age-related male fertilization success in a population of barn swallows Hirundo rustica in Canada. We document that male fertilization success increased gradually up to a minimum age of four-year old. The age effect was especially strong for the number of extrapair offspring obtained and the occurrence of a second brood. The higher fertilization success of older males was also associated with an early start of breeding in spring. The length of the elongated outermost tail feathers, a postulated male ornament preferred by females, also increased with age (in both sexes), but it was not a significant predictor of male fertilization success within age classes. Male fertility traits, especially testis size, but also sperm motility and sperm velocity, increased significantly across age groups. Our results suggest that the higher fertilization success by older males is due to their higher reproductive investments and that their longer tails are an adaptation to early arrival on the breeding grounds. Significance statement The barn swallow is a socially monogamous passerine with extensive extrapair mating. We found that males become more successful in siring both withinpair and extrapair offspring as they become older. Their increased fertilization success was associated with a higher reproductive effort as indicated by larger testes, more motile sperm, and an earlier start of breeding in spring. The length of the outer tail feathers increased with age in both sexes, but long tails did not enhance male fertilization success among males of the same age. Long tails are probably an adaptation to rapid migration and earlier arrival on the breeding grounds. Our findings suggest that the commonly observed age-related increase in male fertilization success in passerine birds is better explained by life history theory than by sexual selection theory. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00265-022-03170-0.
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52
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Li Z, Da X, Lu X. Complementary interactions between indirect and direct fitness in a cooperatively breeding bird. Curr Zool 2022; 69:76-81. [PMID: 36974150 PMCID: PMC10039178 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Altruism is difficult to explain evolutionarily and to understand it, there is a need to quantify the benefits and costs to altruists. Hamilton's theory of kin selection argues that altruism can persist if the costs to altruists are offset by indirect fitness payoffs from helping related recipients. Nevertheless, helping non-kin is also common and in such situations the costs must be compensated for by direct benefits. While previous researchers tended to evaluate the indirect and direct fitness in isolation, we expect that they have a complementary interaction where altruists are associated with recipients of different relatedness within a population. The prediction is tested with 12 years of data on lifetime reproductive success for a cooperatively breeding bird, Tibetan ground tits Pseudopodoces humilis. Helpers who helped distantly related recipients gained significantly lower indirect benefits than those who helped closely related recipients, but the opposite was true for direct fitness, thereby making these helpers have an equal inclusive fitness. Helping efforts were independent of helpers' relatedness to recipients, but those helping distantly related recipients were more likely to inherit the resident territory, which could be responsible for their high direct reproductive success. Our findings provide an explanatory model for the widespread coexistence of altruists and recipients with varying relatedness within a single population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhibing Li
- Institute for Advanced Studies,Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xinwei Da
- Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xin Lu
- Institute for Advanced Studies,Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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53
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Driver R, Ferretti V, Burton ES, McCoy MW, Duerr KC, Curry RL. Spatiotemporal variation in hatching success and nestling sex ratios track rapid movement of a songbird hybrid zone. Am Nat 2022; 200:264-274. [DOI: 10.1086/720207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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54
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Rosenthal GG, Ryan MJ. Sexual selection and the ascent of women: Mate choice research since Darwin. Science 2022; 375:eabi6308. [PMID: 35050648 DOI: 10.1126/science.abi6308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Darwin's theory of sexual selection fundamentally changed how we think about sex and evolution. The struggle over mating and fertilization is a powerful driver of diversification within and among species. Contemporaries dismissed Darwin's conjecture of a "taste for the beautiful" as favoring particular mates over others, but there is now overwhelming evidence for a primary role of both male and female mate choice in sexual selection. Darwin's misogyny precluded much analysis of the "taste"; an increasing focus on mate choice mechanisms before, during, and after mating reveals that these often evolve in response to selection pressures that have little to do with sexual selection on chosen traits. Where traits and preferences do coevolve, they can do so whether fitness effects on choosers are positive, neutral, or negative. The spectrum of selection on traits and preferences, and how traits and preferences respond to social effects, determine how sexual selection and mate choice influence broader-scale processes like reproductive isolation and population responses to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gil G Rosenthal
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas "Aguazarca," Calnali, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | - Michael J Ryan
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama
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Sperm Numbers as a Paternity Guard in a Wild Bird. Cells 2022; 11:cells11020231. [PMID: 35053349 PMCID: PMC8773506 DOI: 10.3390/cells11020231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Sperm competition is thought to impose strong selection on males to produce competitive ejaculates to outcompete rival males under competitive mating conditions. Our understanding of how different sperm traits influence fertilization success, however, remains limited, especially in wild populations. Recent literature highlights the importance of incorporating multiple ejaculate traits and pre-copulatory sexually selected traits in analyses aimed at understanding how selection acts on sperm traits. However, variation in a male’s ability to gain fertilization success may also depend upon a range of social and ecological factors that determine the opportunity for mating events both within and outside of the social pair-bond. Here, we test for an effect of sperm quantity and sperm size on male reproductive success in the red-back fairy-wren (Malurus melanocephalus) while simultaneously accounting for pre-copulatory sexual selection and potential socio-ecological correlates of male mating success. We found that sperm number (i.e., cloacal protuberance volume), but not sperm morphology, was associated with reproductive success in male red-backed fairy-wrens. Most notably, males with large numbers of sperm available for copulation achieved greater within-pair paternity success. Our results suggest that males use large sperm numbers as a defensive strategy to guard within-pair paternity success in a system where there is a high risk of sperm competition and female control of copulation. Finally, our work highlights the importance of accounting for socio-ecological factors that may influence male mating opportunities when examining the role of sperm traits in determining male reproductive success.
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56
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Riley JL, Noble DWA, Stow AJ, Bolton PE, While GM, Dennison S, Byrne RW, Whiting MJ. Socioecology of the Australian Tree Skink (Egernia striolata). Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.722455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is great diversity in social behavior across the animal kingdom. Understanding the factors responsible for this diversity can help inform theory about how sociality evolves and is maintained. The Australian Tree Skink (Egernia striolata) exhibits inter- and intra-population variability in sociality and is therefore a good system for informing models of social evolution. Here, we conducted a multi-year study of a Tree Skink population to describe intra-population variation in the social organization and mating system of this species. Skinks aggregated in small groups of 2–5 individuals, and these aggregations were typically associated with shared shelter sites (crevices and hollows within rocks and trees). Aggregations were typically made up of one or more adult females and, often, one male and/or juvenile(s). Social network and spatial overlap analyses showed that social associations were strongly biased toward kin. Tree skinks also exhibited high site fidelity regardless of age or sex. There were high levels of genetic monogamy observed with most females (87%) and males (68%) only breeding with a single partner. Our results indicate that Tree Skinks reside in small family groups and are monogamous, which corresponds with existing research across populations. Similar to previous work, our study area consisted of discrete habitat patches (i.e., rock outcrops, trees, or both), which likely limits offspring dispersal and promotes social tolerance between parents and their offspring. Our study clearly demonstrates that there is intra-population variability in Tree Skink social behavior, but it also provides evidence that there is a high degree of inter-population consistency in sociality across their geographic range. We also highlight promising possible avenues for future research, specifically discussing the importance of studying the nature and extent of Tree Skink parental care and quantifying the fitness outcomes of kin-based sociality in this species, which are topics that will further our understanding of the mechanisms underlying variation in vertebrate social behavior.
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57
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Sorci G, Lesobre L, Vuarin P, Levêque G, Saint Jalme M, Lacroix F, Hingrat Y. Enforced monoandry over generations induces a reduction of female investment into reproduction in a promiscuous bird. Evol Appl 2021; 14:2773-2783. [PMID: 34950228 PMCID: PMC8674888 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
While uncovering the costs and benefits of polyandry has attracted considerable attention, assessing the net effect of sexual selection on population fitness requires the experimental manipulation of female mating over generations, which is usually only achievable in laboratory populations of arthropods. However, knowing if sexual selection improves or impairs the expression of life-history traits is key for the management of captive populations of endangered species, which are mostly long-lived birds and mammals. It might therefore be questionable to extrapolate the results gathered on laboratory populations of insects to infer the net effect of sexual selection on populations of endangered species. Here, we used a longitudinal dataset that has been collected on a long-lived bird, the houbara bustard, kept in a conservation breeding program, to investigate the effect of enforced monoandry on female investment into reproduction. In captivity, female houbara bustards are artificially inseminated with sperm collected from a single male (enforced monoandry), or sequentially inseminated with semen of different males (polyandry), allowing postcopulatory sexual selection to operate. We identified female lines that were produced either by monoandrous or polyandrous inseminations over three generations, and we compared reproductive investment of females from the two mating system groups. We found that females in the polyandrous lines had higher investment into reproduction as they laid more eggs per season and produced heavier hatchlings. Higher reproductive investment into reproduction in the polyandrous lines did not result from inherited differences from females initially included in the two mating system groups. These results show that removal of sexual selection can alter reproductive investment after only few generations, potentially hindering population fitness and the success of conservation breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Sorci
- BiogéosciencesUMR 6282 CNRSUniversité de Bourgogne Franche‐ComtéDijonFrance
| | - Loïc Lesobre
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLCAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
| | - Pauline Vuarin
- BiogéosciencesUMR 6282 CNRSUniversité de Bourgogne Franche‐ComtéDijonFrance
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLCAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
- Present address:
Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive ‐ UMR CNRS 5558Université Claude Bernard Lyon 116 rue Raphaël Dubois69622Villeurbanne CedexFrance
| | | | - Michel Saint Jalme
- Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la ConservationUMR 7204 MNHN CNRS‐UPMCMuseum National d'Histoire NaturelleParisFrance
| | - Frédéric Lacroix
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLCAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
| | - Yves Hingrat
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLCAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
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58
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Odom KJ, Cain KE, Hall ML, Langmore NE, Mulder RA, Kleindorfer S, Karubian J, Brouwer L, Enbody ED, Jones JA, Dowling JL, Leitão AV, Greig EI, Evans C, Johnson AE, Meyers KK, Araya‐Salas M, Webster MS. Sex role similarity and sexual selection predict male and female song elaboration and dimorphism in fairy-wrens. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:17901-17919. [PMID: 35003646 PMCID: PMC8717346 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically, bird song complexity was thought to evolve primarily through sexual selection on males; yet, in many species, both sexes sing and selection pressure on both sexes may be broader. Previous research suggests competition for mates and resources during short, synchronous breeding seasons leads to more elaborate male songs at high, temperate latitudes. Furthermore, we expect male-female song structure and elaboration to be more similar at lower, tropical latitudes, where longer breeding seasons and year-round territoriality yield similar social selection pressures in both sexes. However, studies seldom take both types of selective pressures and sexes into account. We examined song in both sexes in 15 populations of nine-fairy-wren species (Maluridae), a Southern Hemisphere clade with female song. We compared song elaboration (in both sexes) and sexual song dimorphism to latitude and life-history variables tied to sexual and social selection pressures and sex roles. Our results suggest that song elaboration evolved in part due to sexual competition in males: male songs were longer than female songs in populations with low male survival and less male provisioning. Also, female songs evolved independently of male songs: female songs were slower paced than male songs, although only in less synchronously breeding populations. We also found male and female songs were more similar when parental care was more equal and when male survival was high, which provides strong evidence that sex role similarity correlates with male-female song similarity. Contrary to Northern Hemisphere latitudinal patterns, male and female songs were more similar at higher, temperate latitudes. These results suggest that selection on song can be sex specific, with male song elaboration favored in contexts with stronger sexual selection. At the same time, selection pressures associated with sex role similarity appear to favor sex role similarity in song structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karan J. Odom
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Maryland, College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Kristal E. Cain
- Research School of BiologyAustralian National UniversityCanberraACTAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
| | - Michelle L. Hall
- School of BioSciencesThe University of MelbourneMelbourneVic.Australia
- Bush Heritage AustraliaMelbourneVic.Australia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaPerthWAAustralia
- Max Planck Institute for OrnithologyVogelwarte RadolfzellGermany
| | - Naomi E. Langmore
- Research School of BiologyAustralian National UniversityCanberraACTAustralia
| | - Raoul A. Mulder
- School of BioSciencesThe University of MelbourneMelbourneVic.Australia
| | - Sonia Kleindorfer
- College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityAdelaideSAAustralia
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive BiologyKonrad Lorenz Research Center for Behaviour and CognitionUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Jordan Karubian
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTulane UniversityNew OrleansLouisianaUSA
| | - Lyanne Brouwer
- Research School of BiologyAustralian National UniversityCanberraACTAustralia
- Department of Animal Ecology & PhysiologyInstitute for Water and Wetland ResearchRadboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
- Department of Animal EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)WageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Erik D. Enbody
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTulane UniversityNew OrleansLouisianaUSA
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and MicrobiologyUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - John Anthony Jones
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTulane UniversityNew OrleansLouisianaUSA
| | | | - Ana V. Leitão
- School of BioSciencesThe University of MelbourneMelbourneVic.Australia
| | - Emma I. Greig
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Project Feeder WatchCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
| | - Christine Evans
- College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityAdelaideSAAustralia
| | - Allison E. Johnson
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Nebraska‐LincolnLincolnNebraskaUSA
| | | | - Marcelo Araya‐Salas
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
- Centro de Investigación en NeurocienciasUniversidad de Costa RicaSan JoséCosta Rica
- Esciela de Biología, Universidad de Costa RicaSan JoséCosta Rica
| | - Michael S. Webster
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
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59
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Porter CK, Benkman CW. Performance tradeoffs and resource availability drive variation in reproductive isolation between sympatrically diverging crossbills. Am Nat 2021; 199:362-379. [DOI: 10.1086/718235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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60
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Winkler L, Moiron M, Morrow EH, Janicke T. Stronger net selection on males across animals. eLife 2021; 10:e68316. [PMID: 34787569 PMCID: PMC8598160 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection is considered the major driver for the evolution of sex differences. However, the eco-evolutionary dynamics of sexual selection and their role for a population's adaptive potential to respond to environmental change have only recently been explored. Theory predicts that sexual selection promotes adaptation at a low demographic cost only if sexual selection is aligned with natural selection and if net selection is stronger on males compared to females. We used a comparative approach to show that net selection is indeed stronger in males and provide preliminary support that this sex bias is associated with sexual selection. Given that both sexes share the vast majority of their genes, our findings corroborate the notion that the genome is often confronted with a more stressful environment when expressed in males. Collectively, our study supports one of the long-standing key assumptions required for sexual selection to bolster adaptation, and sexual selection may therefore enable some species to track environmental change more efficiently.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Moiron
- CEFE, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, EPHE, IRDMontpellierFrance
| | - Edward H Morrow
- Department for Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad UniversityKarlstadSweden
| | - Tim Janicke
- Applied Zoology, Technical University DresdenDresdenGermany
- CEFE, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, EPHE, IRDMontpellierFrance
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61
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Chen M, Li G, Liu J, Li S. Large brain size is associated with low extra-pair paternity across bird species. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:13601-13608. [PMID: 34646493 PMCID: PMC8495782 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gaining extrapair copulations (EPCs) is a complicated behavior process. The interaction between males and females to procure EPCs may be involved in brain function evolution and lead to a larger brain. Thus, we hypothesized that extrapair paternity (EPP) rate can be predicted by relative brain size in birds. Past work has implied that the EPP rate is associated with brain size, but empirical evidence is rare. METHODS We collated data from published references on EPP levels and brain size of 215 bird species to examine whether the evolution of EPP rate can be predicted by brain size using phylogenetically generalized least square (PGLS) models and phylogenetic path analyses. RESULTS We found that EPP rates (both the percentage EP offspring and percentage of broods with EP offspring) are negatively associated with relative brain size. We applied phylogenetic path analysis to test the causal relationship between relative brain size and EPP rate. Best-supported models (ΔCICc < 2) suggested that large brain lead to reduced EPP rate, which failed to support the hypothesis that high rates of EPP cause the evolution of larger brains. CONCLUSION This study indicates that pursuing EPCs may be a natural instinct in birds and the interaction between males and females for EPCs may lead to large brains, which in turn may restrict their EPC level for both sexes across bird species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Chen
- College of Life ScienceYangtze UniversityJingzhouChina
| | - Guopan Li
- College of Life ScienceYangtze UniversityJingzhouChina
| | - Jinlong Liu
- College of Life ScienceYangtze UniversityJingzhouChina
| | - Shaobin Li
- College of Life ScienceYangtze UniversityJingzhouChina
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecology EngineeringBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
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62
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Gwiazdowska A, Karpińska O, Kamionka-Kanclerska K, Rowiński P, Panagiotopoulou H, Pomorski JJ, Broughton RK, da Silva LFP, Rutkowski R. First microsatellite markers for the European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) and their application in analysis of parentage and genetic diversity. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18962. [PMID: 34556712 PMCID: PMC8460626 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98364-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The European Robin is a small passerine bird associated with woodlands of Eurasia and North Africa. Despite being relatively widespread and common, little is known of the species’ breeding biology and genetic diversity. We used Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to develop and characterize microsatellite markers for the European Robin, designing three multiplex panels to amplify 14 microsatellite loci. The level of polymorphism and its value for assessing parentage and genetic structure was estimated based on 119 individuals, including seven full families and 69 unrelated individuals form Poland’s Białowieża Primaeval Forest and an additional location in Portugal. All markers appeared to be highly variable. Analysis at the family level confirmed a Mendelian manner of inheritance in the investigated loci. Genetic data also revealed evidence for extra-pair paternity in one family. The set of markers that we developed are proven to be valuable for analysis of the breeding biology and population genetics of the European Robin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Gwiazdowska
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Oliwia Karpińska
- Institute of Forest Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Patryk Rowiński
- Institute of Forest Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Hanna Panagiotopoulou
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jan J Pomorski
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Richard K Broughton
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Luis F P da Silva
- CBIO-InBIO Campus Agrário de Vairão Rua Padre Armando Quintas, nº7, 4485-661, Vila do Conde, Portugal
| | - Robert Rutkowski
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679, Warsaw, Poland.
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63
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Sakata JT, Catalano I, Woolley SC. Mechanisms, development, and comparative perspectives on experience-dependent plasticity in social behavior. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2021; 337:35-49. [PMID: 34516724 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Revealing the mechanisms underlying experience-dependent plasticity is a hallmark of behavioral neuroscience. While the study of social behavior has focused primarily on the neuroendocrine and neural control of social behaviors, the plasticity of these innate behaviors has received relatively less attention. Here, we review studies on mating-dependent changes to social behavior and neural circuitry across mammals, birds, and reptiles. We provide an overview of species similarities and differences in the effects of mating experiences on motivational and performative aspects of sexual behaviors, on sensory processing and preferences, and on the experience-dependent consolidation of sexual behavior. We also discuss recent insights into the neural mechanisms of and developmental influences on mating-dependent changes and outline promising approaches to investigate evolutionary parallels and divergences in experience-dependent plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon T Sakata
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.,Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Isabella Catalano
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Sarah C Woolley
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.,Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
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64
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Beck KB, Farine DR, Kempenaers B. Social network position predicts male mating success in a small passerine. Behav Ecol 2021; 32:856-864. [PMID: 34690546 PMCID: PMC8528538 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals differ in the quantity and quality of their associations with conspecifics. The resulting variation in the positions that individuals occupy within their social environment can affect several aspects of life history, including reproduction. While research increasingly shows how social factors can predict dyadic mating patterns (who will breed with whom), much less is known about how an individual's social position affects its overall likelihood to acquire mating partner(s). We studied social networks of socially monogamous blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) to investigate whether the number and strength of connections to opposite-sex conspecifics, the ratio between same- and opposite-sex connections, and the tendency to move between social groups in the months prior to breeding affect individuals' success in acquiring 1) a breeding partner and 2) an extrapair partner. After controlling for differences in spatial location, we show that males that moved more often between social groups were more likely to acquire a breeding partner. Moreover, adult males that associated with more females were more likely to sire extrapair young. The number of female associates also predicted the proportion of familiar female breeding neighbors, suggesting that familiarity among neighbors may facilitate opportunities for extrapair matings. In females, none of the network metrics significantly predicted the likelihood of acquiring a breeding or extrapair partner. Our study suggests that the positioning of males within their social environment prior to breeding can translate into future mating success, adding an important new dimension to studies of (extrapair) mating behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina B Beck
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Damien R Farine
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
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65
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Goodman JR, Ewald PW. The evolution of barriers to exploitation: Sometimes the Red Queen can take a break. Evol Appl 2021; 14:2179-2188. [PMID: 34603491 PMCID: PMC8477591 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We propose a general barrier theory as an evolutionary framework for understanding coevolutionary effects of conflicts of interest in natural and human systems. It is generalized from the barrier theory of cancer, which describes how cancer develops through the evasion of mechanisms, that block unregulated cellular reproduction and survival. Barriers are naturally evolved or artificially implemented mechanisms for blocking exploitation; restraints are mechanisms that impede but do not block exploitation. When conflicts of interest arise, selection will favor exploiters that are capable of overcoming barriers and restraints. When barriers are in place, they halt, at least temporarily, coevolutionary arms races (the Red Queen can stop running). Barriers occur in a broad spectrum of interactions characterized by conflicts of interest: barriers to cellular survival (apoptosis) and reproduction (cell cycle arrest) may block a virus from replicating its genome through reproduction of its host cell. Vaccines may completely protect against targeted pathogens. A plant may escape herbivory by evolving defensive chemicals that block herbivory. Obligate mutualisms may evolve when barriers to horizontal transmission favor symbionts that increasingly lose mechanisms that contribute to horizontal transmission. Here, we show how the barrier theory applies across a spectrum of natural and social systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R. Goodman
- Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary StudiesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Paul W. Ewald
- Department of BiologyUniversity of LouisvilleLouisvilleKentuckyUSA
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66
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Alfonso-González M, Llanes-Quevedo A, Navarro-Sigüenza AG, López GE. Genetic Evidence Documents Extra-Pair Paternity in Breeding Colonies of the Wood Stork Mycteria americana (Ciconiidae) in Cuba. CARIBB J SCI 2021. [DOI: 10.18475/cjos.v51i2.a3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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67
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Valcu CM, Valcu M, Kempenaers B. The macroecology of extra-pair paternity in birds. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:4884-4898. [PMID: 34265114 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Extra-pair paternity (EPP) is a key aspect of the mating behaviour of birds and its frequency varies widely among populations and species. Several hypotheses predict patterns of geographical variation in the occurrence and frequency of EPP, but a global-scale study on variation in this trait is still lacking. We collected data on EPP from 663 populations of 401 avian species and explored the geographical variation in the frequency of EPP among populations, species and species assemblages. We modelled the variation in the frequency of EPP within the species' breeding range accounting for the specific ecological context of each population, and used the model predictions to compute frequencies of EPP at the level of species assemblages. A global map of assemblage-level EPP rates shows clear differences between zoogeographical realms, with the highest EPP values in the Nearctic realm. Our results show that the frequency of EPP (1) decreases with latitude and increases with the distance from the breeding range boundary within the species' breeding range, (2) is negatively associated with generation length and pair-bond duration among species, and (3) decreases with latitude at assemblage level. The latitudinal decline of EPP is consistent across zoogeographical realms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina-Maria Valcu
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Mihai Valcu
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
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68
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Thow CM, Eadie JM, Wells CP, Lyon BE. Pedigree simulations reveal that maternity assignment is reliable in populations with conspecific brood parasitism, incomplete parental sampling and kin structure. Mol Ecol Resour 2021; 22:180-198. [PMID: 34260147 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Modern genetic parentage methods reveal that alternative reproductive strategies are common in both males and females. Under ideal conditions, genetic methods accurately connect the parents to offspring produced by extra-pair matings or conspecific brood parasitism. However, some breeding systems and sampling scenarios present significant complications for accurate parentage assignment. We used simulated genetic pedigrees to assess the reliability of parentage assignment for a series of challenging sampling regimes that reflect realistic conditions for many brood-parasitic birds: absence of genetic samples from sires, absence of samples from brood parasites and female kin-structured populations. Using 18 microsatellite markers and empirical allele frequencies from two populations of a conspecific brood parasite, the wood duck (Aix sponsa), we simulated brood parasitism and determined maternity using two widely used programs, cervus and colony. Errors in assignment were generally modest for most sampling scenarios but differed by program: cervus suffered from false assignment of parasitic offspring, whereas colony sometimes failed to assign offspring to their known mothers. Notably, colony was able to accurately infer unsampled parents. Reducing the number of markers (nine loci rather than 18) caused the assignment error to slightly worsen with colony but balloon with cervus. One potential error with important biological implications was rare in all cases-few nesting females were incorrectly excluded as the mother of their own offspring, an error that could falsely indicate brood parasitism. We consider the implications of our findings for both a retrospective assessment of previous studies and suggestions for best practices for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M Thow
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - John M Eadie
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Caitlin P Wells
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, California, USA.,Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Bruce E Lyon
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
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69
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Miller CM, Snyder-Mackler N, Nguyen N, Fashing PJ, Tung J, Wroblewski EE, Gustison ML, Wilson ML. Extragroup paternity in gelada monkeys, Theropithecus gelada, at Guassa, Ethiopia and a comparison with other primates. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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70
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Mccarthy E, Mcdiarmid CS, Hurley LL, Rowe M, Griffith SC. Highly variable sperm morphology in the masked finch ( Poephila personata) and other estrildid finches. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Spermatozoa exhibit remarkable levels of morphological diversification among and within species. Among the passerine birds, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) has become a model system for studies of sperm biology, yet studies of closely related Estrildidae finches remain scarce. Here, we examine sperm morphology in the masked finch (Poephila personata) and place the data into the broader context of passerine sperm morphology using data for an additional 189 species. The masked finch exhibited high levels of within- and among-male variation in total sperm length and in specific sperm components. Furthermore, among-male variance in sperm length was significantly greater in estrildid (N = 12) compared with non-estrildid species (N = 178). We suggest that the high variation in sperm morphology in the masked finch and other estrildid species is likely to be linked to low levels of sperm competition, hence relaxed or weak selection on sperm length, in the clade. Our findings highlight that the highly variable sperm of the masked finch and widely studied zebra finch are ‘typical’ for estrildid species and stress the relevance of studying groups of closely related species. Finally, we suggest that further studies of Estrildidae will enhance our understanding of sperm diversity and avian diversity more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Mccarthy
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Callum S Mcdiarmid
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Laura L Hurley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Melissah Rowe
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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71
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Celis P, Graves JA, Gil D. Reproductive Strategies Change With Time in a Newly Founded Colony of Spotless Starlings (Sturnus unicolor). Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.658729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in avian reproductive strategies is often studied from a comparative perspective, since even closely-related taxa differ greatly in the degree of polygyny, extra-pair paternity (EPP) or intra-specific brood-parasitism. However, substantial variation at the species level suggests that ecological factors are important in shaping these patterns. In this study, we examined the temporal plasticity of these strategies, following a population from the year of colony formation to 2 years after this. Parentage data from these years shows that polygyny decreased with time, likely as a consequence of increased competition for nesting sites and mates by new recruits, and immigrants of higher quality arriving to the colony as time passed. In parallel to this temporal change, we found an increase in intra-specific brood-parasitism and quasi-parasitism (QP). We interpret these patterns as a consequence of an increase of floaters with time; these birds pursue a mixture of alternative mating strategies to succeed in the population. We also found evidence of conspecific brood parasitism (CBP), by nesting females that laid part of the clutch in another nest or that after losing a partially laid clutch resorted to lay the last eggs in another nest. Analyses of the distance between the main nest and nests containing the secondary polygynous brood or extra-pair or parasitic young showed an avoidance of contiguous nests for conducting these alternative reproductive tactics. At the same time, these secondary nests were closer to the main nest than random distances within the colony, suggesting that access to public information was restricted to a narrow area around the main nest. Our study emphasizes how behavioral patterns are plastic traits that vary not only with individual circumstances, but also with time, tracking changes in density and social structure.
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72
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Poblete Y, Botero‐Delgadillo E, Espíndola‐Hernández P, Südel G, Vásquez RA. Female extra-pair behavior is not associated with reduced paternal care in Thorn-tailed Rayadito. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:3065-3071. [PMID: 33841767 PMCID: PMC8019036 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Extra-pair behavior is present in 76% of socially monogamous bird species with biparental care. This behavior may produce costs to females related to a reduction in paternal care. We estimated the percentage of extra-pair offspring and quantified paternal care in 44 nests of Thorn-tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda) to assess whether males reduce their parental care when females obtain extra-pair fertilizations. We used data from a sub-Antarctic population of Rayadito located on Navarino Island (55°4'S, 67°40'W), southern Chile. We found no statistical support for a relationship between variation in paternal care and the percentage of extra-pair offspring. We discuss how the inability of breeding males to assess their genetic paternity and potential restrictions on behavioral flexibility may explain this result. Additionally, if paternal care is subjected to sexual selection, this could limit a facultative response to female extra-pair behavior by males. Finally, it is possible that a reduction in paternal care might not have evolved in this particular locality given the low frequency of extra-pair paternity in our study population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanina Poblete
- Instituto de Ecología y BiodiversidadDepartamento de Ciencias EcológicasFacultad de CienciasUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
- NIAVA: Núcleo de Investigaciones Aplicadas en Ciencias Veterinarias y AgronómicasInstituto de Ciencias NaturalesUniversidad de Las AméricasSantiagoChile
| | - Esteban Botero‐Delgadillo
- Instituto de Ecología y BiodiversidadDepartamento de Ciencias EcológicasFacultad de CienciasUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
- Department of Behavioral Ecology and Evolutionary GeneticsMax Planck Institute for OrnithologySeewiesenGermany
- SELVA: Research for conservation in the NeotropicsBogotáColombia
| | - Pamela Espíndola‐Hernández
- Instituto de Ecología y BiodiversidadDepartamento de Ciencias EcológicasFacultad de CienciasUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
- Department of Behavioral Ecology and Evolutionary GeneticsMax Planck Institute for OrnithologySeewiesenGermany
| | - Gabriela Südel
- Instituto de Ecología y BiodiversidadDepartamento de Ciencias EcológicasFacultad de CienciasUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
| | - Rodrigo A. Vásquez
- Instituto de Ecología y BiodiversidadDepartamento de Ciencias EcológicasFacultad de CienciasUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
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73
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Measuring Pre- and Post-Copulatory Sexual Selection and Their Interaction in Socially Monogamous Species with Extra-Pair Paternity. Cells 2021; 10:cells10030620. [PMID: 33799610 PMCID: PMC7999480 DOI: 10.3390/cells10030620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
When females copulate with multiple males, pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection may interact synergistically or in opposition. Studying this interaction in wild populations is complex and potentially biased, because copulation and fertilization success are often inferred from offspring parentage rather than being directly measured. Here, I simulated 15 species of socially monogamous birds with varying levels of extra-pair paternity, where I could independently cause a male secondary sexual trait to improve copulation success, and a sperm trait to improve fertilization success. By varying the degree of correlation between the male and sperm traits, I show that several common statistical approaches, including univariate selection gradients and paired t-tests comparing extra-pair males to the within-pair males they cuckolded, can give highly biased results for sperm traits. These tests should therefore be avoided for sperm traits in socially monogamous species with extra-pair paternity, unless the sperm trait is known to be uncorrelated with male trait(s) impacting copulation success. In contrast, multivariate selection analysis and a regression of the proportion of extra-pair brood(s) sired on the sperm trait of the extra-pair male (including only broods where the male sired ≥1 extra-pair offspring) were unbiased, and appear likely to be unbiased under a broad range of conditions for this mating system. In addition, I investigated whether the occurrence of pre-copulatory selection impacted the strength of post-copulatory selection, and vice versa. I found no evidence of an interaction under the conditions simulated, where the male trait impacted only copulation success and the sperm trait impacted only fertilization success. Instead, direct selection on each trait was independent of whether the other trait was under selection. Although pre- and post-copulatory selection strength was independent, selection on the two traits was positively correlated across species because selection on both traits increased with the frequency of extra-pair copulations in these socially monogamous species.
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74
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Ding ZF, Zhang CL, Zhang WS, Yuan QM, Wang LW, Ren G, Li E, Hu HJ, Liang W. Determining the level of extra-pair paternity in yellow-bellied prinias, a socially monogamous passerine. Zool Res 2021; 42:108-115. [PMID: 32987453 PMCID: PMC7840452 DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2020.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous work based on molecular evidence has shown that most socially monogamous birds follow a genetic polyandrous mating system. However, our knowledge about avian mating systems is heavily biased toward the north temperate zone, with data on tropical birds remaining relatively scarce. This uneven distribution of both phylogenetic and spatial sampling has hampered our understanding and interpretation of results. In this study, we investigated the frequency of extra-pair paternity (EPP) in a tropical population of yellow-bellied prinias (Prinia flaviventris) in Guangxi, southern China. A total of 129 individuals belonging to 24 nests were sampled, among which 12 out of 83 chicks (14.46%) in seven nests were found to be EPP offspring. In nests in which all nestlings were sampled, only five out of 56 chicks were EPP offspring, accounting for an unbiased EPP rate of 8.93%. This rate is below the average rate of EPP in the family Sylviidae. The possible causes of EPP in prinias and the occurrence of EPP in birds with high resource investment and intensive parental care are discussed. This study highlights the value of genome-wide markers in determining relatedness in a wild bird species without a reference genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Feng Ding
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510260, China
| | - Chun-Lan Zhang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510260, China
| | - Wen-Sui Zhang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510260, China
| | - Qian-Min Yuan
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510260, China
| | - Long-Wu Wang
- State Forestry Administration of China Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Conservation in Mountainous Areas of Southwest Karst, School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550001, China
| | - Gang Ren
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510260, China.,College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - En Li
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Hui-Jian Hu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510260, China. E-mail:
| | - Wei Liang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, Hainan 571158, China. E-mail:
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75
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Salazar SM. Digest: Sexual selection in a multibrooded songbird: The social pair matters. Evolution 2021; 75:970-971. [PMID: 33619723 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Which sources of variance in socially monogamous species offer the largest opportunity for sexual selection? Germain et al. study this question in a double-brooding songbird and find that male reproductive success gained within the social bond stands out as an important source of variance across years and lifetimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M Salazar
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,Behavioural & Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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76
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Leitão AV, Hall ML, Mulder RA. Female and male plumage color is linked to parental quality, pairing, and extrapair mating in a tropical passerine. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Sexual selection has been proposed to drive the evolution of elaborate phenotypic traits in males, which often confer success in competition or mating. However, in many species, both males and females display such traits. Studies examining how selection acts on both sexes are scarce. In this study, we investigated whether plumage ornamentation is sexually selected in females and males lovely fairy-wren Malurus amabilis, a cooperatively breeding songbird. We found that female and male plumage color was correlated with parental quality but not with individual quality or survival. We also found evidence of positive assortative mating based on plumage color. Microsatellite analyses of paternity indicated that the lovely fairy-wren has high levels of extrapair paternity (EPP), with 53% of offspring (in 58% of broods of 57% of females) resulting from extrapair (EP) mating. Female and male plumage color did not predict reproductive success or the proportion of EP offspring in their own nest, but less colorful males obtained higher EPP when paired with more colorful females and gained overall higher total paternity (own nest and other nests). We argue that plumage color may be under sex-specific selection, highlighting the importance of looking at both sexes in studies of sexual selection and ornament evolution. The current findings together with the previous study suggest that plumage color in female and male lovely fairy-wrens appears to be an honest signal relevant in both intrasexual and intersexual competition contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana V Leitão
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Michelle L Hall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Bush Heritage Australia, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Raoul A Mulder
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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77
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Ogino M, Maldonado-Chaparro AA, Farine DR. Drivers of alloparental provisioning of fledglings in a colonially breeding bird. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Reproduction is costly. Despite this, evidence suggests that parents sometimes feed unrelated offspring. Several hypotheses could explain this puzzling phenomenon. Adults could feed unrelated offspring that are 1) of their close social associates to facilitate these juveniles’ integration into their social network (the social inheritance hypothesis), 2) potential extrapair offspring, 3) at a similar developmental stage as their own, 4) coercing feeding by begging, or 5) less-developed (to enhance their survival, which could benefit the adult or its offspring; the group augmentation hypothesis). Colonial breeders are ideal for investigating the relative importance of these hypotheses because offspring are often kept in crèches where adults can exhibit allofeeding. Using automated monitoring of replicated captive zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) colonies, we found that while parents selectively fed their own offspring, they also consistently fed unrelated offspring (32.48% of feeding events). Social relationships among adults prior to breeding did not predict allofeeding, nor was allofeeding directed toward potential genetic offspring. Instead, adults with more-developed offspring preferentially fed less-developed non-offspring over non-offspring at a similar developmental stage as their own offspring, and this tendency was not explained by differences in begging behavior. Our study suggests that allofeeding is consistent with group augmentation, potentially benefiting adults through colony maintenance or increased offspring survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Ogino
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Adriana A Maldonado-Chaparro
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Damien R Farine
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
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78
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Carleial R, McDonald GC, Spurgin LG, Fairfield EA, Wang Y, Richardson DS, Pizzari T. Temporal dynamics of competitive fertilization in social groups of red junglefowl ( Gallus gallus) shed new light on avian sperm competition. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20200081. [PMID: 33070718 PMCID: PMC7661449 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of birds have made a fundamental contribution to elucidating sperm competition processes, experimentally demonstrating the role of individual mechanisms in competitive fertilization. However, the relative importance of these mechanisms and the way in which they interact under natural conditions remain largely unexplored. Here, we conduct a detailed behavioural study of freely mating replicate groups of red junglefowl, Gallus gallus, to predict the probability that competing males fertilize individual eggs over the course of 10-day trials. Remating frequently with a female and mating last increased a male's probability of fertilization, but only for eggs ovulated in the last days of a trial. Conversely, older males, and those mating with more polyandrous females, had consistently lower fertilization success. Similarly, resistance to a male's mating attempts, particularly by younger females, reduced fertilization probability. After considering these factors, male social status, partner relatedness and the estimated state of male extragonadal sperm reserves did not predict sperm competition outcomes. These results shed new light on sperm competition dynamics in taxa such as birds, with prolonged female sperm storage and staggered fertilizations. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of sperm competition'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rômulo Carleial
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Grant C. McDonald
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
- Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest 1077, Hungary
| | - Lewis G. Spurgin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | | | - Yunke Wang
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - David S. Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
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79
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Dolotovskaya S, Roos C, Heymann EW. Genetic monogamy and mate choice in a pair-living primate. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20328. [PMID: 33230212 PMCID: PMC7683532 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77132-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In pair-living mammals, genetic monogamy is extremely rare. One possible reason is that in socially monogamous animals, mate choice can be severely constrained, increasing the risk of inbreeding or pairing with an incompatible or low-quality partner. To escape these constraints, individuals might engage in extra-pair copulations. Alternatively, inbreeding can be avoided by dispersal. However, little is known about the interactions between mating system, mate choice, and dispersal in pair-living mammals. Here we genotyped 41 wild individuals from 14 groups of coppery titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus) in Peruvian Amazon using 18 microsatellite loci. Parentage analyses of 18 young revealed no cases of extra-pair paternity, indicating that the study population is mostly genetically monogamous. We did not find evidence for relatedness- or heterozygosity-based mate choice. Despite the lack of evidence for active inbreeding avoidance via mate choice, mating partners were on average not related. We further found that dispersal was not sex-biased, with both sexes dispersing opportunistically over varying distances. Our findings suggest that even opportunistic dispersal, as long as it is not constrained, can generate sufficient genetic diversity to prevent inbreeding. This, in turn, can render active inbreeding avoidance via mate choice and extra-pair copulations less necessary, helping to maintain genetic monogamy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofya Dolotovskaya
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany. .,Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Christian Roos
- Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany.,Gene Bank of Primates, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Eckhard W Heymann
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
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80
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Botero‐Delgadillo E, Quirici V, Poblete Y, Ippi S, Kempenaers B, Vásquez RA. Extrapair paternity in two populations of the socially monogamous Thorn-tailed Rayadito Aphrastura spinicauda (Passeriformes: Furnariidae). Ecol Evol 2020; 10:11861-11868. [PMID: 33209255 PMCID: PMC7663059 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on extrapair paternity (EPP) are key to understanding the ecological and evolutionary drivers of variation in avian mating strategies, but information is currently lacking for most tropical and subtropical taxa. We describe the occurrence of EPP in two populations of a South American socially monogamous bird, the Thorn-tailed Rayadito, based on data from 266 broods and 895 offspring that were sampled during six breeding seasons in north-central and southern Chile. In the northern population, 21% of the broods contained at least one extrapair young and 14% of all offspring were sired by an extrapair male, while in the southern population, we detected extrapair offspring (EPO) in 14% of the broods, and 6% of all offspring were EPO. Variation in the frequency of EPP could stem from population differences in the duration of the breeding season or the density of breeding individuals. Other factors such as differences in breeding synchrony and variation in food availability need to be evaluated. More reports on EPP rates are necessary to determine the patterns of taxonomic and geographic variation in mating strategies in Neotropical birds, and to better understand the differences in ecological dynamics between northern and southern hemisphere populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Botero‐Delgadillo
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary GeneticsMax Plank Institute for OrnithologySeewiesenGermany
- Instituto de Ecología y BiodiversidadDepartamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de CienciasUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
- SELVA: Research for conservation in the NeotropicsBogotáColombia
| | - Verónica Quirici
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la VidaUniversidad Andrés BelloSantiagoChile
- Centro de investigación para la sustentabilida, Universidad Andrés BelloSantiagoChile
| | - Yanina Poblete
- Instituto de Ciencias NaturalesUniversidad de las AméricasSantiagoChile
| | - Silvina Ippi
- Departamento de ZoologíaCRUB Universidad Nacional del Comahue – CONICETBarilocheArgentina
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary GeneticsMax Plank Institute for OrnithologySeewiesenGermany
| | - Rodrigo A. Vásquez
- Instituto de Ecología y BiodiversidadDepartamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de CienciasUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
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81
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Beck KB, Valcu M, Kempenaers B. Analysis of within-individual variation in extrapair paternity in blue tits ( Cyanistes caeruleus) shows low repeatability and little effect of changes in neighborhood. Behav Ecol 2020; 31:1303-1315. [PMID: 33281500 PMCID: PMC7689542 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies investigated variation in the frequency of extrapair paternity (EPP) among individuals. However, our understanding of within-individual variation in EPP remains limited. Here, we comprehensively investigate variation in EPP at the within-individual level in a population of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). Our study is based on parentage data comprising >10 000 genotyped offspring across 11 breeding seasons. First, we examined the repeatability of the occurrence of EPP, the number of extrapair offspring, the number of extrapair partners, and the occurrence of paternity loss using data from males and females that bred in multiple years. Second, we tested whether within-individual changes in EPP between breeding seasons relate to between-year changes in the local social environment. Repeatabilities were generally low but significant for the occurrence and number of extrapair young in females and for whether a male sired extrapair young or not. We found no evidence that the presence of the former social partner or changes in the proportion of familiar individuals or in phenotypic traits of the neighbors influenced changes in levels of EPP in females. However, in adult males, a decrease in the average body size of male neighbors was associated with higher extrapair siring success. If confirmed, this result suggests that the competitive ability of a male relative to its neighbors influences his extrapair mating success. We suggest that alternative hypotheses, including the idea that within-individual changes in EPP are due to "chance events" rather than changes in an individual's social breeding environment, deserve more consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina B Beck
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard Gwinner Str. 7, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Mihai Valcu
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard Gwinner Str. 7, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard Gwinner Str. 7, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
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82
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Birkhead TR, Montgomerie R. Three decades of sperm competition in birds. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20200208. [PMID: 33070724 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In the three decades, since Birkhead and Møller published Sperm competition in birds (1992, Academic Press) more than 1000 papers have been published on this topic, about half of these being empirical studies focused on extrapair paternity. Both technological innovations and theory have moved the field forward by facilitating the study of both the mechanisms underlying sperm competition in both sexes, and the ensuing behavioural and morphological adaptations. The proliferation of studies has been driven partly by the diversity of both behaviours and morphologies in birds that have been influenced by sperm competition, but also by the richness of the theory developed by Geoff Parker over the past 50 years. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of sperm competition'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim R Birkhead
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
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83
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Gurevich Y, Lewin-Epstein O, Hadany L. The evolution of paternal care: a role for microbes? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190599. [PMID: 32772664 PMCID: PMC7435155 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Paternal care, particularly in cases of uncertain paternity, carries significant costs. Extensive research, both theoretical and experimental, has explored the conditions in which paternal care behaviour would be favoured. Common explanations include an adjustment of care with uncertainty in paternity and limited accuracy in parentage assessment. Here, we propose a new explanation that microbes may play a role in the evolution of paternal care among their hosts. Using computational models, we demonstrate that microbes associated with increased paternal care could be favoured by natural selection. We find that microbe-induced paternal care could evolve under wider conditions than suggested by genetic models. Moreover, we show that microbe-induced paternal care is more likely to evolve when considering paternal care interactions that increase microbial transmission, such as feeding and grooming. Our results imply that factors affecting the composition of host microbiome may also alter paternal behaviour. This article is part of the theme issue 'The role of the microbiome in host evolution'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lilach Hadany
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
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84
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Cooper NW, Marra PP. Hidden Long-Distance Movements by a Migratory Bird. Curr Biol 2020; 30:4056-4062.e3. [PMID: 32822609 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.07.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Technology has revolutionized our ability to track animals across the globe, significantly advancing our understanding of animal movement [1, 2]. Technological and logistical challenges, however, have led to non-migratory movements that fall outside of the territory/home range paradigm, receiving less attention. This may have resulted in a widespread underestimation of the frequency and spatial scale at which animals either move outside of their territories and home ranges or adopt altogether different space-use strategies. We used a breeding-range-wide automated radio-telemetry system to track movements in a migratory songbird, the Kirtland's warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii). By attaching radio tags on the wintering grounds and relocating the same individuals on the breeding grounds, we were able to sample the population without regard to their eventual breeding status or space-use strategy. We found that a surprising proportion of breeders and most non-breeders made long-distance (5-77 km) movements during the breeding season while conspecifics remained within their small territories. Movement frequency peaked during the nestling and fledgling periods, indicating that both breeders and non-breeders were likely prospecting to inform dispersal. A literature review revealed that Kirtland's warblers moved farther than most species in absolute distances and farther than all other species relative to normal daily movements. We argue that similarly long-distance movements likely exist in many other species but have gone undetected because of technological limitations, research biases, and logistical challenges. Underestimation of the scale of these poorly understood life history behaviors has important implications for the ecology, evolution, and conservation of animals. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan W Cooper
- Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, PO Box 37012 MRC 5503, Washington, DC 20013, USA; Department of Biology, Georgetown University, 37(th) and O Streets NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
| | - Peter P Marra
- Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, PO Box 37012 MRC 5503, Washington, DC 20013, USA; Department of Biology, Georgetown University, 37(th) and O Streets NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA; McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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85
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Correlated evolution of biparental incubation and sexual tail monomorphism in swallows and martins (Aves: Hirundinidae). Evol Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-020-10066-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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86
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Grinkov VG, Bauer A, Sternberg H, Wink M. Heritability of the extra-pair mating behaviour of the pied flycatcher in Western Siberia. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9571. [PMID: 32821536 PMCID: PMC7397985 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Males and females take part in extra-pair copulations in most socially monogamous bird species. The mechanisms leading to the frequent occurrence of extra-pair offspring in socially monogamous couples are strongly debated and unresolved, and they are often difficult to distinguish from one another. Most hypotheses explaining the evolution of extra-pair reproduction suggest selective and adaptive scenarios for their origination and persistence. Is extra-pair paternity a heritable trait? We evaluated the heritability of extra-pair paternity in the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) nesting in Western Siberia. Estimated heritability was low: depending on the model used, the point estimate of the heritability (mode) varied from 0.005 to 0.11, and the bounds of the 95% confidence interval are [0–0.16] in the widest range. Thus, it seems that extra-pair mating behaviour in the pied flycatchers is a plastic phenotypic mating tactic with a small or no genetic component. Our data can help to understand the evolution of extra-pair mating behaviour in socially monogamous species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir G Grinkov
- Evolutionary Biology Department, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation.,Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russian Federation
| | - Andreas Bauer
- Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Michael Wink
- Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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87
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Schmoll T, Rudolfsen G, Schielzeth H, Kleven O. Sperm velocity in a promiscuous bird across experimental media of different viscosities. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201031. [PMID: 32673555 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In species with internal fertilization, the female genital tract appears challenging to sperm, possibly resulting from selection on for example ovarian fluid to control sperm behaviour and, ultimately, fertilization. Few studies, however, have examined the effects of swimming media viscosities on sperm performance. We quantified effects of media viscosities on sperm velocity in promiscuous willow warblers Phylloscopus trochilus. We used both a reaction norm and a character-state approach to model phenotypic plasticity of sperm behaviour across three experimental media of different viscosities. Compared with a standard medium (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium, DMEM), media enriched with 1% or 2% w/v methyl cellulose decreased sperm velocity by up to about 50%. Spermatozoa from experimental ejaculates of different males responded similarly to different viscosities, and a lack of covariance between elevations and slopes of individual velocity-by-viscosity reaction norms indicated that spermatozoa from high- and low-velocity ejaculates were slowed down by a similar degree when confronted with high-viscosity environments. Positive cross-environment (1% versus 2% cellulose) covariances of sperm velocity under the character-state approach suggested that sperm performance represents a transitive trait, with rank order of individual ejaculates maintained when expressed against different environmental backgrounds. Importantly, however, a lack of significant covariances in sperm velocity involving a cellulose concentration of 0% indicated that pure DMEM represented a qualitatively different environment, questioning the validity of this widely used standard medium for assaying sperm performance. Enriching sperm environments along ecologically relevant gradients prior to assessing sperm performance will strengthen explanatory power of in vitro studies of sperm behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Schmoll
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, D-33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Geir Rudolfsen
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway, The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Holger Schielzeth
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, D-33615 Bielefeld, Germany.,Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, D-07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Oddmund Kleven
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), P.O. Box 5685 Torgarden, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
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88
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Cramer ERA, Greig EI, Kaiser SA. Strong sexual selection despite spatial constraints on extrapair paternity. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Extrapair paternity should contribute to sexual selection by increasing the number of potential mates available to each individual. Potential copulation partners are, however, limited by their proximity. Spatial constraints may therefore reduce the impact of extrapair paternity on sexual selection. We tested the effect of spatial constraints on sexual selection by simulating extrapair copulations for 15 species of socially monogamous songbirds with varying rates of extrapair paternity. We compared four metrics of sexual selection between simulated populations without spatial constraints and populations where extrapair copulations were restricted to first- and second-order neighbors. Counter to predictions, sexual selection as measured by the Bateman gradient (the association between the number of copulation partners and offspring produced) increased under spatial constraints. In these conditions, repeated extrapair copulations between the same individuals led to more offspring per copulation partner. In contrast, spatial constraints did somewhat reduce sexual selection—as measured by the opportunity for selection, s’max, and the selection gradient on male quality—when the association between simulated male quality scores and copulation success (e.g., female preferences or male–male competition) was strong. Sexual selection remained strong overall in those populations even under spatial constraints. Spatial constraints did not substantially reduce sexual selection when the association between male quality and copulation success was moderate or weak. Thus, spatial constraints on extrapair copulations are insufficient to explain the absence of strong selection on male traits in many species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R A Cramer
- Premedical Education Department, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Qatar Foundation-Education City, Doha, Qatar
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89
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Cramer ERA, Kaiser SA, Webster MS, Ryder TB. Common Field Data Limitations Can Substantially Bias Sexual Selection Metrics. Am Nat 2020; 196:180-196. [PMID: 32673091 DOI: 10.1086/709547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Sexual selection studies widely estimate several metrics, but values may be inaccurate because standard field methods for studying wild populations produce limited data (e.g., incomplete sampling, inability to observe copulations directly). We compared four selection metrics (Bateman gradient, opportunity for sexual selection, opportunity for selection, and smax') estimated with simulated complete and simulated limited data for 15 socially monogamous songbird species with extrapair paternity (4%-54% extrapair offspring). Inferring copulation success from offspring parentage creates nonindependence between these variables and systematically underestimates copulation success. We found that this introduces substantial bias for the Bateman gradient, opportunity for sexual selection, and smax'. Notably, 47.5% of detected Bateman gradients were significantly positive for females, suggesting selection on females to copulate with multiple males, although the true Bateman gradient was zero. Bias generally increased with the extent of other sources of data limitations tested (nest predation, male infertility, and unsampled floater males). Incomplete offspring sampling introduced bias for all of the metrics except the Bateman gradient, while incomplete sampling of extrapair sires did not introduce additional bias when sires were a random subset of breeding males. Overall, our findings demonstrate how biases due to field data limitations can strongly impact the study of sexual selection.
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90
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Sheehan MJ, Reeve HK. Evolutionarily stable investments in recognition systems explain patterns of discrimination failure and success. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190465. [PMID: 32420853 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals are able to perform recognition feats that astound us-such as a rodent recognizing kin it has never met. Yet in other contexts, animals appear clueless as when reed warblers rear cuckoo chicks that bear no resemblance to their own species. Failures of recognition when it would seem adaptive have been especially puzzling. Here, we present a simple tug-of-war game theory model examining how individuals should optimally invest in affecting the accuracy of discrimination between desirable and undesirable recipients. In the game, discriminating individuals (operators) and desirable and undesirable recipients (targets and mimics, respectively) can all invest effort into their own preferred outcome. We demonstrate that stable inaccurate recognition will arise when undesirable recipients have large fitness gains from inaccurate recognition relative to the pay-offs that the other two parties receive from accurate recognition. The probability of accurate recognition is often determined by just the relative pay-offs to the desirable and undesirable recipients, rather than to the discriminator. Our results provide a new lens on long-standing puzzles including a lack of nepotism in social insect colonies, tolerance of brood parasites and male birds caring for extra-pair young in their nests, which our model suggests should often lack accurate discrimination. This article is part of the theme issue 'Signal detection theory in recognition systems: from evolving models to experimental tests'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Sheehan
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - H Kern Reeve
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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91
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Kempenaers B. Why do females of a lekking species mate with multiple males? J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1138-1141. [PMID: 32364329 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
In Focus: Rivers, P. R., & DuVal, E. H. (2020). Multiple paternity in a lek mating system: Females mate multiply when they choose inexperienced sires. Journal of Animal Ecology, 89, 1142-1152. In many socially monogamous species with biparental care, some females engage in extra-pair copulations, despite the apparent risk of losing male help in raising their brood. Why females mate with multiple males remains the focus of intense debate, but may be linked to constraints in social mate choice. If so, multiple mating is not expected in a lekking mating system, where females receive no resources from the male other than sperm and are free to choose the 'best' mate to sire their offspring. Rivers and DuVal (2020) report on the occurrence of multiple paternity in lekking lance-tailed manakins and test several hypotheses to explain it. Their study shows that lower-ranked males and males with less experience were more likely to share paternity. However, the process underlying this pattern remains puzzling. The authors suggest female choice related to male characteristics that change with experience as an explanation, but alternative scenarios cannot be excluded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology & Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
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92
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Beck KB, Farine DR, Kempenaers B. Winter associations predict social and extra-pair mating patterns in a wild songbird. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192606. [PMID: 32070248 PMCID: PMC7062020 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite decades of research, our understanding of the underlying causes of within-population variation in patterns of extra-pair paternity (EPP) remains limited. Previous studies have shown that extra-pair mating decisions are linked to both individual traits and ecological factors. Here, we examine whether social associations among individuals prior to breeding also shape mating patterns, specifically the occurrence of EPP, in a small songbird, the blue tit. We test whether associations during the non-breeding period predict (1) future social pairs, (2) breeding proximity (i.e. the distance between breeding individuals) and (3) the likelihood that individuals have extra-pair young together. Individuals that were more strongly associated (those that foraged more often together) during winter tended to nest closer together. This, by itself, predicts EPP patterns, because most extra-pair sires are close neighbours. However, even after controlling for spatial effects, female-male dyads with stronger social associations prior to breeding were more likely to have extra-pair young. Our findings reveal a carry-over from social associations into future mating decisions. Quantifying the long-term social environment of individuals and studying its dynamics is a promising approach to enhance our understanding of the process of (extra-)pair formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina B. Beck
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, Germany
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
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93
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Group formation and the evolutionary pathway to complex sociality in birds. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:479-486. [PMID: 32094543 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1113-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Group-living species show a diversity of social organization, from simple mated pairs to complex communities of interdependent individuals performing specialized tasks. The advantages of living in cooperative groups are well understood, but why some species breed in small aggregations while others evolve large, complex groups with clearly divided roles is unclear. We address this problem by reconstructing the evolutionary pathways to cooperative breeding across 4,730 bird species. We show that differences in the way groups form at the origin of cooperative breeding predicts the level of group complexity that emerges. Groups that originate through the retention of offspring have a clear reproductive divide with distinct breeder and helper roles. This is associated with reproductive specialization, where breeders invest more in fecundity and less in care. In contrast, groups formed through the aggregation of unrelated adults are smaller and lack specialization. These results help explain why some species have not transitioned beyond simple groups while others have taken the pathway to increased group complexity.
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94
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Knief U, Bossu CM, Wolf JBW. Extra-pair paternity as a strategy to reduce the costs of heterospecific reproduction? Insights from the crow hybrid zone. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:727-733. [PMID: 32069366 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Within hybrid zones of socially monogamous species, the number of mating opportunities with a conspecific can be limited. As a consequence, individuals may mate with a heterospecific (social) partner despite possible fitness costs to their hybrid offspring. Extra-pair copulations with a conspecific may thus arise as a possible post hoc strategy to reduce the costs of hybridization. We here assessed the rate of extra-pair paternity in the hybrid zone between all-black carrion crows (Corvus (corone) corone) and grey hooded crows (C. (c.) cornix) and tested whether extra-pair paternity (EPP) was more likely in broods where parents differed in plumage colour. The proportion of broods with at least one extra-pair offspring and the proportion of extra-pair offspring were low overall (6.98% and 2.90%, respectively) with no evidence of hybrid broods having higher EPP rates than purebred nests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Knief
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Christen M Bossu
- Science for Life Laboratories and Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jochen B W Wolf
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,Science for Life Laboratories and Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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95
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Rieseberg L, Geraldes A, Taberlet P. Editorial 2020. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:1-19. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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96
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Can't see the “hood” for the trees: Can avian cooperative breeding currently be understood using the phylogenetic comparative method? ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2019.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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97
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Griffith SC. Cooperation and Coordination in Socially Monogamous Birds: Moving Away From a Focus on Sexual Conflict. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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98
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Brouwer L, Griffith SC. Extra-pair paternity in birds. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:4864-4882. [PMID: 31587397 PMCID: PMC6899757 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Since the first molecular study providing evidence for mating outside the pair bond in birds over 30 years ago, >500 studies have reported rates of extra‐pair paternity (EPP) in >300 bird species. Here, we give a detailed overview of the current literature reporting EPP in birds and highlight the sampling biases and patterns in the data set with respect to taxonomy, avian phylogeny and global regions, knowledge of which will be crucial for correct interpretation of results in future comparative studies. Subsequently, we use this comprehensive dataset to simultaneously test the role of several ecological and life history variables. We do not find clear evidence that variation in EPP across socially monogamous species can be explained by latitude, density (coloniality), migration, generation length, genetic structuring (dispersal distance), or climatic variability, after accounting for phylogeny. These results contrast previous studies, most likely due to the large heterogeneity within species in both EPP and the predictor of interest, indicating that using species averages might be unreliable. Despite the absence of broadscale ecological drivers in explaining interspecific variation in EPP, we suggest that certain behaviours and ecological variables might facilitate or constrain EPP, as indicated by our finding that EPP was negatively associated with latitude within noncolonial species, suggesting a role of breeding synchrony. Thus, rather than focussing on general explanations for variation in EPP across all species, a future focus should be on how various aspects of ecology or life history might have driven variation in EPP among groups of species or populations of the same species. Hence, we argue that variation in EPP can be partly explained when taking the right perspective. This comprehensive overview, and particularly the dataset provided herein will create a foundation for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyanne Brouwer
- Department of Animal Ecology & Physiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
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