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Hernandez J, Hucul C, Reasor E, Smith T, McGlothlin JW, Haak DC, Belden LK, Moore IT. Assessing age, breeding stage, and mating activity as drivers of variation in the reproductive microbiome of female tree swallows. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:11398-11413. [PMID: 34429928 PMCID: PMC8366841 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexually transmitted microbes are hypothesized to influence the evolution of reproductive strategies. Though frequently discussed in this context, our understanding of the reproductive microbiome is quite nascent. Indeed, testing this hypothesis first requires establishing a baseline understanding of the temporal dynamics of the reproductive microbiome and of how individual variation in reproductive behavior and age influence the assembly and maintenance of the reproductive microbiome as a whole. Here, we ask how mating activity, breeding stage, and age influence the reproductive microbiome. We use observational and experimental approaches to explain variation in the cloacal microbiome of free-living, female tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). Using microsatellite-based parentage analyses, we determined the number of sires per brood (a proxy for female mating activity). We experimentally increased female sexual activity by administering exogenous 17ß-estradiol. Lastly, we used bacterial 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to characterize the cloacal microbiome. Neither the number of sires per brood nor the increased sexual activity of females significantly influenced female cloacal microbiome richness or community structure. Female age, however, was positively correlated with cloacal microbiome richness and influenced overall community structure. A hypothesis to explain these patterns is that the effect of sexual activity and the number of mates on variation in the cloacal microbiome manifests over an individual's lifetime. Additionally, we found that cloacal microbiome alpha diversity (Shannon Index, Faith's phylogenetic distance) decreased and community structure shifted between breeding stages. This is one of few studies to document within-individual changes and age-related differences in the cloacal microbiome across successive breeding stages. More broadly, our results contribute to our understanding of the role that host life history and behavior play in shaping the cloacal microbiomes of wild birds.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Catherine Hucul
- Department of Biological SciencesVirginia TechBlacksburgVAUSA
| | - Emily Reasor
- Department of Biological SciencesVirginia TechBlacksburgVAUSA
| | - Taryn Smith
- Department of Biological SciencesVirginia TechBlacksburgVAUSA
| | | | - David C. Haak
- School of Plant and Environmental SciencesVirginia TechBlacksburgVAUSA
| | - Lisa K. Belden
- Department of Biological SciencesVirginia TechBlacksburgVAUSA
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2
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Maldonado-Chaparro AA, Montiglio PO, Forstmeier W, Kempenaers B, Farine DR. Linking the fine-scale social environment to mating decisions: a future direction for the study of extra-pair paternity. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adriana A. Maldonado-Chaparro
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Universitätsstrasse 10; 78457 Konstanz Germany
- Chair of Biodiversity and Collective Behaviour, Department of Biology; University of Konstanz; Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457 Konstanz Germany
| | - Pierre-Olivier Montiglio
- Department of Biology & Redpath Museum; McGill University; 1205 Dr Penfield Avenue, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1 Canada
| | - Wolfgang Forstmeier
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; 82319 Seewiesen Germany
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; 82319 Seewiesen Germany
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Universitätsstrasse 10; 78457 Konstanz Germany
- Chair of Biodiversity and Collective Behaviour, Department of Biology; University of Konstanz; Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457 Konstanz Germany
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology; University of Oxford; South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS U.K
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3
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Genetic diversity and conservation evaluation of a critically endangered endemic maple, Acer yangbiense, analyzed using microsatellite markers. BIOCHEM SYST ECOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bse.2015.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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4
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Liu IA, Johndrow JE, Abe J, Lüpold S, Yasukawa K, Westneat DF, Nowicki S. Genetic diversity does not explain variation in extra-pair paternity in multiple populations of a songbird. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:1156-69. [PMID: 25876793 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Revised: 04/03/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Many songbirds are socially monogamous but genetically polyandrous, mating with individuals outside their pair bonds. Extra-pair paternity (EPP) varies within and across species, but reasons for this variation remain unclear. One possible source of variation is population genetic diversity, which has been shown in interspecific meta-analyses to correlate with EPP but which has limited support from intraspecific tests. Using eight populations of the genetically polyandrous red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), including an island population, we investigated whether population-level differences in genetic diversity led to differences in EPP. We first measured genetic diversity over 10 microsatellite loci and found, as predicted, low genetic diversity in the island population. Additional structure analyses with multilocus genotypes and mtDNA showed the island population to be distinct from the continental populations. However, the island population's EPP rate fell in the middle of the continental populations' distribution, whereas the continental populations themselves showed significant variation in EPP. This result suggests that genetic diversity by itself is not a predictor of EPP rate. We discuss reasons for the departure from previous results, including hypotheses for EPP that do not solely implicate female-driven behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- I A Liu
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - J E Johndrow
- Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - J Abe
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - S Lüpold
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - K Yasukawa
- Department of Biology, Beloit College, Beloit, WI, USA
| | - D F Westneat
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - S Nowicki
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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5
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Bichet C, Penn DJ, Moodley Y, Dunoyer L, Cellier-Holzem E, Belvalette M, Grégoire A, Garnier S, Sorci G. Females tend to prefer genetically similar mates in an island population of house sparrows. BMC Evol Biol 2014; 14:47. [PMID: 24621140 PMCID: PMC3984696 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-14-47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2013] [Accepted: 03/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND It is often proposed that females should select genetically dissimilar mates to maximize offspring genetic diversity and avoid inbreeding. Several recent studies have provided mixed evidence, however, and in some instances females seem to prefer genetically similar males. A preference for genetically similar mates can be adaptive if outbreeding depression is more harmful than inbreeding depression or if females gain inclusive fitness benefits by mating with close kin. Here, we investigated genetic compatibility and mating patterns in an insular population of house sparrow (Passer domesticus), over a three-year period, using 12 microsatellite markers and one major histocompability complex (MHC) class I gene. Given the small population size and the distance from the mainland, we expected a reduced gene flow in this insular population and we predicted that females would show mating preferences for genetically dissimilar mates. RESULTS Contrary to our expectation, we found that offspring were less genetically diverse (multi-locus heterozygosity) than expected under a random mating, suggesting that females tended to mate with genetically similar males. We found high levels of extra-pair paternity, and offspring sired by extra-pair males had a better fledging success than those sired by the social male. Again, unexpectedly, females tended to be more closely related to extra-pair mates than to their social mates. Our results did not depend on the type of genetic marker used, since microsatellites and MHC genes provided similar results, and we found only little evidence for MHC-dependent mating patterns. CONCLUSIONS These results are in agreement with the idea that mating with genetically similar mates can either avoid the disruption of co-adapted genes or confer a benefit in terms of kin selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coraline Bichet
- Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282, Université de Bourgogne, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France.
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6
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Individual and environmental determinants of reproductive success in male tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1686-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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7
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Brekke P, Cassey P, Ariani C, Ewen JG. Evolution of extreme-mating behaviour: patterns of extrapair paternity in a species with forced extrapair copulation. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1522-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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8
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References. Mol Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/9780470979365.refs] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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9
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Sociality, Bateman’s gradients, and the polygynandrous genetic mating system of round-tailed ground squirrels (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-011-1189-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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10
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Sardell RJ, Keller LF, Arcese P, Bucher T, Reid JM. Comprehensive paternity assignment: genotype, spatial location and social status in song sparrows, Melospiza Melodia. Mol Ecol 2010; 19:4352-64. [PMID: 20819155 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2010.04805.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Comprehensive, accurate paternity assignment is critical to answering numerous questions in evolutionary ecology. Yet, most studies of species with extra-pair paternity (EPP) fail to assign sires to all offspring. Common limitations include incomplete and biased sampling of offspring and males, particularly with respect to male location and social status, potentially biasing estimated patterns of paternity. Studies that achieve comprehensive sampling and paternity assignment are therefore required. Accordingly, we genotyped virtually all males and >99% of 6-day-old offspring over 16 years in a song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) population and used three complementary statistical methodologies to attempt complete paternity assignment for all 2207 offspring. Assignments were highly consistent across maximum likelihood methods that used solely genotype data, and heuristic and integrated Bayesian analyses that included data describing individual locations. Sires were assigned to >99% of all genotyped offspring with ≥95% confidence, revealing an EPP rate of c. 28%. Extra-pair sires primarily occupied territories neighbouring their extra-pair offspring; spatial location was therefore highly informative for paternity assignment. EPP was biased towards paired territorial males, although unpaired territorial and floater males sired c. 13% of extra-pair offspring. Failing to sample and include unpaired males as candidate sires would therefore substantially reduce assignment rates. These analyses demonstrate the integration of genetic and ecological information to achieve comprehensive paternity assignment and direct biological insight, illustrate the potential biases that common forms of incomplete sampling could have on estimated patterns of EPP, and provide an essential basis for understanding the evolutionary causes and consequences of EPP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Sardell
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Zoology Building, University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UKInstitute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, SwitzerlandCentre for Applied Conservation Research, Forest Sciences, 2424 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
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11
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Nest desertion is not predicted by cuckoldry in the Eurasian penduline tit. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2010; 64:1425-1435. [PMID: 20802790 PMCID: PMC2926902 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-010-0958-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2010] [Revised: 04/01/2010] [Accepted: 04/03/2010] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Engagement in extra-pair copulations is an example of the abundant conflicting interests between males and females over reproduction. Potential benefits for females and the risk of cuckoldry for males are expected to have important implications on the evolution of parental care. However, whether parents adjust parental care in response to parentage remains unclear. In Eurasian penduline tits Remiz pendulinus, which are small polygamous songbirds, parental care is carried out either by the male or by the female. In addition, one third of clutches is deserted by both male and female. Desertion takes place during the egg-laying phase. Using genotypes of nine microsatellite loci of 443 offspring and 211 adults, we test whether extra-pair paternity predicts parental care. We expect males to be more likely to desert cuckolded broods, whereas we expect females, if they obtain benefits from having multiple sires, to be more likely to care for broods with multiple paternity. Our results suggest that parental care is not adjusted to parentage on an ecological timescale. Furthermore, we found that male attractiveness does not predict cuckoldry, and we found no evidence for indirect benefits for females (i.e., increased growth rates or heterozygosity of extra-pair offspring). We argue that male Eurasian penduline tits may not be able to assess the risk of cuckoldry; thus, a direct association with parental care is unlikely to evolve. However, timing of desertion (i.e., when to desert during the egg-laying phase) may be influenced by the risk of cuckoldry. Future work applying extensive gene sequencing and quantitative genetics is likely to further our understanding of how selection may influence the association between parentage and parental care.
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12
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Stewart SLM, Westneat DF, Ritchison G. Extra-pair paternity in eastern bluebirds: effects of manipulated density and natural patterns of breeding synchrony. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-009-0862-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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13
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MAKAREWICH CA, STENZLER LM, FERRETTI V, WINKLER DW, LOVETTE IJ. Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers from three species of swallows in the genus Tachycineta: T. albilinea, T. bicolor and T. leucorrhoa. Mol Ecol Resour 2009; 9:631-5. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-0998.2008.02484.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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14
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Kyle CJ, Karels TJ, Davis CS, Mebs S, Clark B, Strobeck C, Hik DS. Social structure and facultative mating systems of hoary marmots (Marmota caligata). Mol Ecol 2007; 16:1245-55. [PMID: 17391410 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2006.03211.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Mate-choice theory predicts different optimal mating systems depending on resource availability and habitat stability. Regions with limited resources are thought to promote monogamy. We tested predictions of monogamy in a social rodent, the hoary marmot (Marmota caligata), at the northern climatic extreme of its distribution. Mating systems, social structure and genetic relationships were investigated within and among neighbouring colonies of marmots within a 4 km(2) valley near Kluane National Park, Yukon, Canada, using 21 microsatellite loci. While both monogamous and polygynous populations of hoary marmots have been observed in the southern reaches of this species' range; northern populations of this species are thought to be predominantly monogamous. Contrary to previous studies, we did not find northern hoary marmot social groups to be predominantly monogamous; rather, the mating system seemed to be facultative, varying between monogamy and polygyny within, as well as among, social groups. These findings reveal that the mating systems within colonies of this species are more flexible than previously thought, potentially reflecting local variation in resource availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Kyle
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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15
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Mating system and individual reproductive success of sympatric anadromous and resident brook charr, Salvelinus fontinalis, under natural conditions. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-007-0437-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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16
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Mobley KB, Jones AG. Geographical variation in the mating system of the dusky pipefish (Syngnathus floridae). Mol Ecol 2007; 16:2596-606. [PMID: 17561916 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2007.03337.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Differences among populations in the intensity of sexual selection resulting from distinct genetic mating systems can lead to divergent morphological evolution and speciation. However, little is known about how genetic mating systems vary between populations and what factors may contribute to this variation. In this study, we compare the genetic mating systems of two geographically distinct populations of the dusky pipefish (Syngnathus floridae), a species characterized by polygynandry and male pregnancy, from the Atlantic Coast of Virginia and the Gulf Coast of Florida. Our results revealed significant interpopulation variation in mating and reproductive success. Estimates of the opportunity for selection (I), the opportunity for sexual selection (I(s)) and the Bateman gradient (beta(ss)) were higher among males in the Florida population than in the Virginia population, suggesting that sexual selection on males is stronger in the Florida population. The Virginia population is larger and denser than the Florida population, suggesting that population demographics may be one of many causal factors shaping interpopulational mating patterns. This study also provides evidence that the adult sex ratio, operational sex ratio, population density and genetic mating system of S. floridae may be temporally stable over timescales of a month in the Florida population. Overall, our results show that this species is a good model for the study of mating system variation in nature and that Bateman's principles may be a useful technique for the quantitative comparison of mating systems between populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- K B Mobley
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
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17
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Female tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) increase offspring heterozygosity through extrapair mating. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-007-0404-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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18
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Context-dependent genetic benefits of extra-pair mate choice in a socially monogamous passerine. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2006. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-006-0308-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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19
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Hayes SA, Pearse DE, Costa DP, Harvey JT, Le Boeuf BJ, Garza JC. Mating system and reproductive success in eastern Pacific harbour seals. Mol Ecol 2006; 15:3023-34. [PMID: 16911218 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2006.02984.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Harbour seals sometimes breed along inland travel corridors where females become clustered in space and time and males establish underwater acoustic display territories similar to terrestrial arenas known as resource-based leks. Under these conditions, we predicted that higher levels of polygyny would be observed than has been previously reported for this species mating in open coast environments without travel corridors. Reproductive success (RS) of 70 males was measured using 20 microsatellite DNA loci and likelihood-based paternity analysis of 136 offspring collected over 3 years. Most males were assigned either zero or one paternity with 80% confidence. The greatest number of pups assigned to one male in a season was two. Variance in RS was higher for males than females (which are biologically limited to one offspring per year) indicating low to mild polygyny. In addition, distributions of relatedness values among pups within year classes did not differ significantly from a simulated distribution with R = 0, indicating that half-siblings were uncommon. Overall, polygyny levels were low relative to terrestrial pinniped mating systems and similar to observations from a harbour seal population along an open coast. Due to large confidence intervals associated with our results, we cannot rule out the hypothesis that a travel corridor might increase the degree of polygyny skew relative to that observed in open coast environments. Habitat appeared to influence male strategies as the most successful males in open coast environments patrolled offshore, while the most successful male in this study defended a territory along the travel corridor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean A Hayes
- NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 110 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA.
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20
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Shurtliff QR, Pearse DE, Rogers DS. PARENTAGE ANALYSIS OF THE CANYON MOUSE (PEROMYSCUS CRINITUS): EVIDENCE FOR MULTIPLE PATERNITY. J Mammal 2005. [DOI: 10.1644/1545-1542(2005)86[531:paotcm]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Ramakrishnan U, Storz JF, Taylor BL, Lande R. Estimation of genetically effective breeding numbers using a rejection algorithm approach. Mol Ecol 2005; 13:3283-92. [PMID: 15487989 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2004.02326.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Polygynous mating results in nonrandom sampling of the adult male gamete pool in each generation, thereby increasing the rate of genetic drift. In principle, genetic paternity analysis can be used to infer the effective number of breeding males (Nebm). However, this requires genetic data from an exhaustive sample of candidate males. Here we describe a new approach to estimate Nebm using a rejection algorithm in association with three statistics: Euclidean distance between the frequency distributions of maternally and paternally inherited alleles, average number of paternally inherited alleles and average gene diversity of paternally inherited alleles. We quantify the relationship between these statistics and Nebm using an individual-based simulation model in which the male mating system varied continuously between random mating and extreme polygyny. We evaluate this method using genetic data from a natural population of highly polygynous fruit bats (Cynopterous sphinx). Using data in the form of mother-offspring genotypes, we demonstrate that estimates of Nebm are very similar to independent estimates based on a direct paternity analysis that included data on candidate males. Our method also permits an evaluation of uncertainty in estimates of Nebm and thus facilitates inferences about the mating system from genetic data. Finally, we investigate the sensitivity of our method to sample size, model assumptions, adult population size and the mating system. These analyses demonstrate that the rejection algorithm provides accurate estimates of Nebm across a broad range of demographic scenarios, except when the true Nebm is high.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uma Ramakrishnan
- 0116, Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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22
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Neodorf DLH. Extrapair Paternity in Birds: Understanding Variation Among Species. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1093/auk/121.2.302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Diane L. H. Neodorf
- Department of Biological Sciences, P.O. Box 2116, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas 77341, USA
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