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Di Lecce I, Sudyka J, Perrier C, Szulkin M. Extra-pair paternity in two passerine birds breeding in a gradient of urbanisation. Mol Ecol 2024:e17481. [PMID: 39044486 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
Urbanisation has been increasing worldwide in recent decades, driving environmental change and exerting novel selective pressures on wildlife. Phenotypic differences between urban and rural individuals have been widely documented in several taxa. However, the extent to which urbanisation impacts mating strategies is less known. Here, we investigated extra-pair paternity variation in great tits (Parus major) and blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) breeding in nestboxes set in a gradient of urbanisation in Warsaw, Poland, over three breeding seasons. Urbanisation was quantified as the amount of light pollution, noise pollution, impervious surface area (ISA) and tree cover within a 100-m radius around each nestbox. We obtained genotypes for 1213 great tits at 7344 SNP markers and for 1299 blue tits at 9366 SNP markers with a genotyping-by-sequencing method, and inferred extra-pair paternity by computing a genomewide relatedness matrix. We report higher extra-pair paternity in blue tits breeding in more urbanised areas, for example, with higher light pollution and ISA, and lower tree cover. However, no such trend was found in great tits. Late-stage survival of individual nestlings in both species was not associated with paternity or urbanisation proxies, thus we were not able to detect fitness benefits or drawbacks of being an extra-pair offspring in relation to urbanisation. Our results contribute to the growing body of knowledge reporting on the effects of urbanisation on avian ecology and behaviour, and confirm species-specific and population-specific patterns of extra-pair paternity variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Di Lecce
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Sudyka
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Charles Perrier
- CBGP, INRAe, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Marta Szulkin
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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2
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Míčková K, Jelínek V, Tomášek O, Stopková R, Stopka P, Albrecht T. Proteomic analysis reveals dynamic changes in cloacal fluid composition during the reproductive season in a sexually promiscuous passerine. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14259. [PMID: 38902251 PMCID: PMC11190206 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62244-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Cryptic female choice (CFC) is a component of postcopulatory sexual selection that allows females to influence the fertilization success of sperm from different males. While its precise mechanisms remain unclear, they may involve the influence of the protein composition of the female reproductive fluids on sperm functionality. This study maps the protein composition of the cloacal fluid across different phases of female reproductive cycle in a sexually promiscuous passerine, the barn swallow. Similar to mammals, the protein composition in the female reproductive tract differed between receptive (when females copulate) and nonreceptive phases. With the change in the protein background, the enriched gene ontology terms also shifted. Within the receptive phase, distinctions were observed between proteomes sampled just before and during egg laying. However, three proteins exhibited increased abundance during the entire receptive phase compared to nonreceptive phases. These proteins are candidates in cryptic female choice, as all of them can influence the functionality of sperm or sperm-egg interaction. Our study demonstrates dynamic changes in the cloacal environment throughout the avian breeding cycle, emphasizing the importance of considering these fluctuations in studies of cryptic female choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristýna Míčková
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Václav Jelínek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Oldřich Tomášek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Romana Stopková
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Stopka
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Tomáš Albrecht
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.
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Iverson AR, Humple DL, Cormier RL, Hahn TP, Block TA, Shizuka D, Lyon BE, Chaine AS, Hudson EJ, Hull EM. Winter GPS tagging reveals home ranges during the breeding season for a boreal-nesting migrant songbird, the Golden-crowned Sparrow. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305369. [PMID: 38865434 PMCID: PMC11168665 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Determining space use for species is fundamental to understanding their ecology, and tracking animals can reveal insights into their spatial ecology on home ranges and territories. Recent technological advances have led to GPS-tracking devices light enough for birds as small as ~30 g, creating novel opportunities to remotely monitor fine-scale movements and space use for these smaller species. We tested whether miniaturized GPS tags can allow us to understand space use of migratory birds away from their capture sites and sought to understand both pre-breeding space use as well as territory and habitat use on the breeding grounds. We used GPS tags to characterize home ranges on the breeding grounds for a migratory songbird with limited available breeding information, the Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla). Using GPS points from 23 individuals across 26 tags (three birds tagged twice), we found home ranges in Alaska and British Columbia were on average 44.1 ha (95% kernel density estimate). In addition, estimates of territory sizes based on field observations (mean 2.1 ha, 95% minimum convex polygon [MCP]) were three times smaller than 95% MCPs created using GPS tags (mean 6.5 ha). Home ranges included a variety of land cover classes, with shrubland particularly dominant (64-100% of home range cover for all but one bird). Three birds tracked twice returned to the same breeding area each year, supporting high breeding site fidelity for this species. We found reverse spring migration for five birds that flew up to 154 km past breeding destinations before returning. GPS-tracking technology allowed for critical ecological insights into this migratory species that breeds in very remote locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Autumn R. Iverson
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, California, United States of America
| | - Diana L. Humple
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, California, United States of America
| | - Renée L. Cormier
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, California, United States of America
| | - Thomas P. Hahn
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis California, United States of America
| | - Theadora A. Block
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Daizaburo Shizuka
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Bruce E. Lyon
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Alexis S. Chaine
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS (UAR2029), Evolutionary Ecology Group, Moulis, France
- Institute for Advanced Studies in Toulouse, Toulouse School of Economics, Toulouse, France
| | - Emily J. Hudson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Elisha M. Hull
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
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D'Amelio PB, Covas R, Ferreira AC, Fortuna R, Silva LR, Theron F, Rybak F, Doutrelant C. Benefits of Pair-Bond Duration on Reproduction in a Lifelong Monogamous Cooperative Passerine. Am Nat 2024; 203:576-589. [PMID: 38635359 DOI: 10.1086/729436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
AbstractLong-term social and genetic monogamy is rare in animals except birds, but even in birds it is infrequent and poorly understood. We investigated possible advantages of monogamy in a colonial, facultative cooperatively breeding bird from an arid, unpredictable environment, the sociable weaver (Philetairus socius). We documented divorce and extrapair paternity of 703 pairs over 10 years and separated effects of pair duration from breeding experience by analyzing longitudinal and cross-sectional datasets. Parts of the colonies were protected from nest predation, thereby limiting its stochastic and thus confounding effect on fitness measures. We found that 6.4% of sociable weaver pairs divorced and 2.2% of young were extrapair. Longer pair-bonds were associated with more clutches and fledglings per season and with reproducing earlier and later in the season, when snake predation is lower, but not with increased egg or fledgling mass or with nestling survival. Finally, the number of helpers at the nest increased with pair-bond duration. Results were similar for protected and unprotected nests. We suggest that long-term monogamy is associated with a better capacity for exploiting a temporally unpredictable environment and helps to form larger groups. These results can contribute to our understanding of why long-term monogamy is frequently associated with unpredictable environments and cooperation.
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Schlicht E, Gilsenan C, Santema P, Türk A, Wittenzellner A, Kempenaers B. Removal of older males increases extra-pair siring success of yearling males. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002584. [PMID: 38626215 PMCID: PMC11020368 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024] Open
Abstract
In animals, reproductive performance typically improves over time early in life. Several ultimate and proximate mechanisms may contribute to such an age-related improvement and these mechanisms can act in a relative or in an absolute sense. Low performance of young individuals may be the consequence of a comparison or competition with older individuals (relative), or it may be due to specific traits of young individuals and be unrelated to the presence of older competitors (absolute). Here, we perform a test to disentangle whether the effect of age class (yearling or older) on male extra-pair siring success is relative or absolute. Male age is the most consistent predictor of male extra-pair siring success across bird species, yet the mechanisms underlying this pattern are not well understood. Low extra-pair siring success of yearling males may be a consequence of the presence of older ("adult") males (hypothesis 1), because adult males are more successful in intra- and intersexual interactions or because females prefer to copulate with adult males when available (relative preference). Alternatively, low extra-pair siring success of yearlings may be independent of the presence of adult males (hypothesis 2), for example, if yearling males on average invest less in extra-pair behavior or if females avoid them as extra-pair mates, independent of the availability of older males (absolute preference). To distinguish between these 2 hypotheses, we experimentally manipulated the age structure of a nest-box-breeding population of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) by removing almost all adult males, and compared patterns of extra-pair paternity in the experimental year with those from the preceding 15 "control" years. Removal of adult males resulted in a substantial increase in the extra-pair siring success of yearling males compared to the "control" years, but did not affect the population-level frequency of extra-pair paternity or its spatial patterns. Our results provide clear evidence that extra-pair siring success of yearlings can increase and that it depends on the presence of older males in the population, indicating a relative effect of age on reproductive performance. These results suggest that older males outcompete yearling males in direct or indirect interactions, in sperm competition or as a result of differences in attractiveness to females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmi Schlicht
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Department of Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Carol Gilsenan
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Department of Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Peter Santema
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Department of Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Agnes Türk
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Department of Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Andrea Wittenzellner
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Department of Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Department of Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
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Hooper R, Maher K, Moore K, McIvor G, Hosken D, Thornton A. Ultimate drivers of forced extra-pair copulations in birds lacking a penis: jackdaws as a case-study. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231226. [PMID: 38545615 PMCID: PMC10966391 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Forced copulation is common, presumably because it can increase male reproductive success. Forced extra-pair copulation (FEPC) occurs in birds, even though most species lack a penis and are widely thought to require female cooperation for fertilization. How FEPC persists, despite a presumed lack of siring success and likely non-negligible costs to the male, is unknown. Using the jackdaw (Corvus monedula) as a case study, we use SNPs to quantify the extra-pair paternity rate through FEPC and evaluate explanations for the persistence of FEPC in species without a penis. We then collate evidence for FEPC across penis-lacking birds. Combining genetic and behavioural analyses, our study suggests that the most likely explanations for the maintenance of FEPC in jackdaws are that it provides a selective advantage to males or it is a relic. Our literature review shows that across birds lacking a penis, FEPC is taxonomically widespread, and yet, little is known about its evolution. A broader implementation of the approach used here, combining both genetic and behavioural data, may shed light on why this widespread sexual behaviour persists. Additional work is necessary to understand whether a penis is needed for paternity through forced copulation and to quantify the costs of FEPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Hooper
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Kathryn Maher
- NERC Environmental Omics Facility, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Karen Moore
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Guillam McIvor
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - David Hosken
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - Alex Thornton
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK
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Dobson FS, Correia HE, Abebe A. How much multiple paternity should we expect? A study of birds and contrast with mammals. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11054. [PMID: 38435004 PMCID: PMC10905237 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Parentage analyses via molecular markers have revealed multiple paternity within the broods of polytocous species, reshaping our understanding of animal behavior, ecology, and evolution. In a meta-analysis of multiple paternity in bird and mammal species, we conducted a literature search and found 138 bird and 64 mammal populations with microsatellite DNA paternity results. Bird populations averaged 19.5% multiple paternity and mammals more than twice that level (46.1%). We used a Bayesian approach to construct a null model for how multiple paternity should behave at random among species, under the assumption that all mated males have equal likelihood of siring success, given mean brood size and mean number of sires. We compared the differences between the null model and the actual probabilities of multiple paternity. While a few bird populations fell close to the null model, most did not, averaging 34.0-percentage points below null model predictions; mammals had an average probability of multiple paternity 13.6-percentage points below the null model. Differences between bird and mammal species were also subjected to comparative phylogenetic analyses that generally confirmed our analyses that did not adjust for estimated historical relationships. Birds exhibited extremely low probabilities of multiple paternity, not only compared to mammals but also relative to other major animal taxa. The generally low probability of multiple paternity in birds might be produced by a variety of factors, including behaviors that reflect sexual selection (extreme mate guarding or unifocal female choice) and sperm competition (e.g., precedence effects favoring fertilization by early or late matings).
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Affiliation(s)
- F. Stephen Dobson
- Department of Biological SciencesAuburn UniversityAuburnAlabamaUSA
- Unité Mixte de Recherche 7178, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueUniversité de StrasbourgStrasbourgFrance
| | - Hannah E. Correia
- Department of Environmental Health and EngineeringJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Ash Abebe
- Department of Mathematics and StatisticsAuburn UniversityAuburnAlabamaUSA
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8
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Hernández F, Janzen T, Lavretsky P. simRestore: A decision-making tool for adaptive management of the native genetic status of wild populations. Mol Ecol Resour 2024; 24:e13892. [PMID: 37966172 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic hybridization, or higher and non-natural rates of gene flow directly and indirectly induced by human activities, is considered a significant threat to biodiversity. The primary concern for conservation is the potential for genomic extinction and loss of adaptiveness for native species due to the extensive introgression of non-native genes. To alleviate or reverse trends for such scenarios requires the direct integration of genomic data within a model framework for effective management. Towards this end, we developed the simRestore R program as a decision-making tool that integrates ecological and genomic information to simulate ancestry outcomes from optimized conservation strategies. In short, the program optimizes supplementation and removal strategies across generations until a set native genetic threshold is reached within the studied population. Importantly, in addition to helping with initial decision-making, simulations can be updated with the outcomes of ongoing efforts, allowing for the adaptive management of populations. After demonstrating functionality, we apply and optimize among actionable management strategies for the endangered Hawaiian duck for which the current primary threat is genetic extinction through ongoing anthropogenic hybridization with feral mallards. Simulations demonstrate that supplemental and removal efforts can be strategically tailored to move the genetic ancestry of Hawaii's hybrid populations towards Hawaiian duck without the need to completely start over. Further, we discuss ecological parameter sensitivity, including which factors are most important to ensure genetic outcomes (i.e. number of offspring). Finally, to facilitate use, the program is also available online as a Shiny Web application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flor Hernández
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Thijs Janzen
- Department of Ecological Genomics, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Philip Lavretsky
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
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Matsuzaki M, Mizushima S, Tsudzuki M, Maeda T, Sasanami T. Sperm replacement in sperm-storage tubules causes last-male sperm precedence in chickens. Br Poult Sci 2024; 65:97-104. [PMID: 38018517 DOI: 10.1080/00071668.2023.2287732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
1. This study elucidated the last-male sperm precedence (LMSP) mechanism in chickens by examining replacement in storage tubules (SSTs) after multiple artificial inseminations (AI) and the effects of seminal plasma (SP) and male breed on sperm replacement in SSTs.2. Hens were artificially inseminated with fluorescent dye-labelled spermatozoa from White Leghorn (WL) chickens. Secondary AI was conducted 3 d later with sperm labelled with different nuclear fluorescent dye. Percentage of first and second inseminated sperm in SSTs and their logarithmic odds were calculated. The effect of SP on LMSP was examined using (1) Lake's solution-washed sperm before second insemination, and (2) SP injected continuously after first insemination. Effect of breed difference on sperm replacement was investigated using Barred Plymouth Rock (BP) sperm.3. Successive WL-sperm inseminations at three-day intervals caused > 70% stored sperm replacement in SSTs. Although SP removal from sperm from second insemination significantly decreased replacement, its intra-vaginal injection did not affect release. Secondary insemination using BP sperm significantly increased replacement.4. Sperm replacement is a major factor favouring LMSP in domestic chickens. Two fluorescent staining of sperm, and intra-vaginal multiple AI technique have enabled visualisation, differentiation, and quantification of multiple inseminated sperm stored in the SSTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Matsuzaki
- Program of Food and AgriLife Science, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima City, Japan
| | - S Mizushima
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - M Tsudzuki
- Program of Food and AgriLife Science, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima City, Japan
- Japanese Avian Bioresource Project Center, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan
| | - T Maeda
- Program of Food and AgriLife Science, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima City, Japan
- Japanese Avian Bioresource Project Center, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan
| | - T Sasanami
- Department of Applied Life Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Shizuoka University, Shizuoka, Japan
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Olivier CA, Martin JS, Pilisi C, Agnani P, Kauffmann C, Hayes L, Jaeggi AV, Schradin C. Primate social organization evolved from a flexible pair-living ancestor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2215401120. [PMID: 38154063 PMCID: PMC10769843 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2215401120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Explaining the evolution of primate social organization has been fundamental to understand human sociality and social evolution more broadly. It has often been suggested that the ancestor of all primates was solitary and that other forms of social organization evolved later, with transitions being driven by various life history traits and ecological factors. However, recent research showed that many understudied primate species previously assumed to be solitary actually live in pairs, and intraspecific variation in social organization is common. We built a detailed database from primary field studies quantifying the number of social units expressing different social organizations in each population. We used Bayesian phylogenetic models to infer the probability of each social organization, conditional on several socioecological and life history predictors. Here, we show that when intraspecific variation is accounted for, the ancestral social organization of primates was inferred to be variable, with the most common social organization being pair-living but with approximately 10 to 20% of social units of the ancestral population deviating from this pattern by being solitary living. Body size and activity patterns had large effects on transitions between types of social organizations. As in other mammalian clades, pair-living is closely linked to small body size and likely more common in ancestral species. Our results challenge the assumption that ancestral primates were solitary and that pair-living evolved afterward emphasizing the importance of focusing on field data and accounting for intraspecific variation, providing a flexible statistical framework for doing so.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte-Anaïs Olivier
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg2050, South Africa
| | - Jordan S. Martin
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, ZurichCH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Camille Pilisi
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
| | - Paul Agnani
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
| | - Cécile Kauffmann
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
| | - Loren Hayes
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga37403, TN
| | - Adrian V. Jaeggi
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, ZurichCH-8057, Switzerland
| | - C. Schradin
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg2050, South Africa
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11
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Gussone L, García de la Chica A, Fernandez-Duque E. Intergroup encounters in pair-living primates: Comparative analysis and a case study of pair-living and monogamous owl monkeys (Aotus azarae) of Argentina. Am J Primatol 2024; 86:e23572. [PMID: 37919869 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
The function of intergroup encounters (IGEs) may differ substantially among species of different group sizes and social organizations. Research in group-living primates has shown that the behavioral responses during IGEs can vary widely from affiliative to neutral or aggressive interactions; still, little is known about IGEs in pair-living taxa. We conducted a systematic literature review to find relevant studies on the functions of IGEs in pair-living nonhuman primates that could inform analyses of IGE data (n = 242 IGEs, 21 groups and 10 solitary individuals, 1997-2020) from wild owl monkeys, a pair-living, monogamous primate with extensive biparental care. We identified 1315 studies published between 1965 and 2021; only 13 of them (n = 10 species) contained raw data on the number of IGEs. Our review of those studies showed that IGEs are common, but highly variable in their nature and characteristics in pair-living primates. To examine the non-mutually exclusive hypotheses of resource-, and mate defense, and infanticide avoidance we analyzed data from the Owl Monkey Project 27-year long database to build first an a priori model set. To incorporate prior knowledge from the literature review, we conducted our analyses as a consecutive series of binomial logistic regressions. All IGEs including all biologically relevant parameters (N = 156) were codified into three different behavioral categories (Reaction, Agonism, and Physical Aggression). The analysis showed that owl monkeys regularly engaged in IGEs, most of which were agonistic. They showed more reaction when infants were present, but reactions were less physically aggressive when infants and pregnant females were involved. Overall, our results lend more support for the infant and mate defense hypotheses than they do for the resource defense one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonie Gussone
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Bonn University, Bonn, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Twin-Cities, Minnesota, USA
| | - Alba García de la Chica
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Owl Monkey Project-Fundación ECO, Formosa, Argentina
| | - Eduardo Fernandez-Duque
- Owl Monkey Project-Fundación ECO, Formosa, Argentina
- Department of Anthropology and School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Formosa, Formosa, Argentina
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12
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Krietsch J, Valcu M, Cragnolini M, Forstmeier W, Kempenaers B. Mutual mate guarding with limited sexual conflict in a sex-role-reversed shorebird. Behav Ecol 2024; 35:arad084. [PMID: 38193015 PMCID: PMC10773304 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arad084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Mate guarding is typically considered a male strategy to protect paternity. However, under some circumstances, females might also benefit from guarding their mate. Female mate guarding might be particularly important in socially polyandrous species in which females compete for access to care-giving males. Because males also benefit from being near their partner to avoid paternity loss, pair members may have a mutual interest in mate guarding in polyandrous species. We studied the time spent together and movements that lead to separation, as behavioral measures of mate guarding, in the classically polyandrous red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). We equipped 64 breeding pairs with miniaturized telemetry loggers with GPS to assess variation in mate-guarding intensity in relation to breeding phenology and season, nest attendance, and the occurrence of extrapair paternity. We show that red phalarope pairs were almost continuously together in the days before clutch initiation with no sex bias in separation movements, indicating mutual contribution to mate guarding. Our results suggest that in red phalaropes, both pair members guard their mate, with limited sexual conflict arising through biases in the operational sex ratio and a trade-off with male nest attendance. We found no clear relationship between mate-guarding intensity and the occurrence of extrapair paternity. In this non-territorial socially polyandrous species, mutual mate guarding might be the process underlying the evolution of a brief but strong social pair bond, with no other purpose than producing a clutch for a care-giving male.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Krietsch
- Department of Ornithology, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Eberhard Gwinner Str., 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Mihai Valcu
- Department of Ornithology, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Eberhard Gwinner Str., 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Margherita Cragnolini
- Department of Ornithology, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Eberhard Gwinner Str., 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Forstmeier
- Department of Ornithology, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Eberhard Gwinner Str., 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Ornithology, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Eberhard Gwinner Str., 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
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13
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Morgan WH, Palmer SCF, Lambin X. Mating system induced lags in rates of range expansion for different simulated mating systems and dispersal strategies: a modelling study. Oecologia 2024; 204:119-132. [PMID: 38172416 PMCID: PMC10830608 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05492-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Mismatches between current and potential species distributions are commonplace due to lags in the response of populations to changing environmental conditions. The prevailing mating system may contribute to such lags where it leads to mating failure at the range edge, but how active dispersers might mitigate these lags using social information to inform dispersal strategies warrants greater exploration. We used an individual-based model to explore how different mating systems for species that actively search for habitat can impose a filter on the ability to colonise empty, fragmented landscapes, and explored how using social information during dispersal can mitigate the lags caused by more constrained mating systems. The mate-finding requirements implemented in two-sex models consistently led to slower range expansion compared to those that were not mate limited (i.e., female only models), even when mating was polygynous. A mate-search settlement strategy reduced the proportion of unmated females at the range edge but had little impact on rate of spread. In contrast, a negative density-dependent settlement strategy resulted in much faster spread, which could be explained by a greater number of long-distance dispersal events. Our findings suggest that even low rates of mating failure at the range edge can lead to considerable lags in range expansion, though dispersal strategies that favour colonising more distant, sparsely occupied habitat patches may effectively mitigate these lags.
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Affiliation(s)
- W H Morgan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK.
| | - S C F Palmer
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - X Lambin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK
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14
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Keith SA, Drury JP, McGill BJ, Grether GF. Macrobehaviour: behavioural variation across space, time, and taxa. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:1177-1188. [PMID: 37661519 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
We explore how integrating behavioural ecology and macroecology can provide fundamental new insight into both fields, with particular relevance for understanding ecological responses to rapid environmental change. We outline the field of macrobehaviour, which aims to unite these disciplines explicitly, and highlight examples of research in this space. Macrobehaviour can be envisaged as a spectrum, where behavioural ecologists and macroecologists use new data and borrow tools and approaches from one another. At the heart of this spectrum, interdisciplinary research considers how selection in the context of large-scale factors can lead to systematic patterns in behavioural variation across space, time, and taxa, and in turn, influence macroecological patterns and processes. Macrobehaviour has the potential to enhance forecasts of future biodiversity change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally A Keith
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK.
| | - Jonathan P Drury
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Brian J McGill
- School of Biology and Ecology and Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Gregory F Grether
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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15
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Wang D, Zhang W, Yang S, Richter XYL. Sex differences in avian parental care patterns vary across the breeding cycle. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6980. [PMID: 37914691 PMCID: PMC10620184 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42767-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Parental care in birds consists of elaborate forms across stages, including nest building, incubation, and offspring provision. Despite their evolutionary importance, knowledge gaps exist in the extent to which parents contribute disproportionately to these forms and factors that are associated with variations in care patterns between sexes. Here, we analyzed 1533 bird species and discovered remarkable variability in care patterns. We show that parental care should not be viewed as a unitary trait but rather as a set of integrated features that exhibit considerable temporal and sex-specific variation. Our analyses also reveal moderate consistency in care patterns between breeding stages, pointing towards shared intrinsic factors driving sex-specific care. Notably, we found that species experiencing strong sexual selection on males or species facing paternity uncertainty display a tendency towards female-biased care. This work advances our understanding of the temporal variations in sex-specific contributions to avian parental care and their potential evolutionary drivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiping Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang, 100101, Beijing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.
| | - Wenyuan Zhang
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK
- Department of Biology, Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Shuai Yang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang, 100101, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Xiang-Yi Li Richter
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland.
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16
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Ben Mocha Y, Dahan T, Zou Y, Griesser M, Markman S. Evidence for a reproductive sharing continuum in cooperatively breeding mammals and birds: consequences for comparative research. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230607. [PMID: 37700641 PMCID: PMC10498043 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Extreme reproductive skew occurs when a dominant female/male almost monopolizes reproduction within a group of multiple sexually mature females/males, respectively. It is sometimes considered an additional, restrictive criterion to define cooperative breeding. However, datasets that use this restrictive definition to classify species as cooperative breeders systematically overestimate reproductive skew by including groups in which reproduction cannot be shared by definition (e.g. groups with a single female/male). Here, we review the extent of reproductive sharing in 41 mammal and 37 bird species previously classified as exhibiting alloparental care and extreme reproductive skew, while only considering multi-female or multi-male groups. We demonstrate that in groups where unequal reproduction sharing is possible, extreme reproductive skew occurs in a few species only (11/41 mammal species and 12/37 bird species). These results call for significant changes in datasets that classify species' caring and mating system. To facilitate these changes, we provide an updated dataset on reproductive sharing in 63 cooperatively breeding species. At the conceptual level, our findings suggest that reproductive skew should not be a defining criterion of cooperative breeding and support the definition of cooperative breeding as a care system in which alloparents provide systematic care to other group members' offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yitzchak Ben Mocha
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
- Department of Biology and Environment, University of Haifa at Oranim, 36006 Tivon, Israel
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
- Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Tal Dahan
- Department of Biology and Environment, University of Haifa at Oranim, 36006 Tivon, Israel
| | - Yuqi Zou
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Michael Griesser
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
- Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Shai Markman
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
- Department of Biology and Environment, University of Haifa at Oranim, 36006 Tivon, Israel
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17
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Branch CL, Welklin JF, Sonnenberg BR, Benedict LM, Heinen VK, Pitera AM, Bridge ES, Pravosudov VV. What's in a mate? Social pairing decisions and spatial cognitive ability in food-caching mountain chickadees. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231073. [PMID: 37700643 PMCID: PMC10498033 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
While researchers have investigated mating decisions for decades, gaps remain in our understanding of how behaviour influences social mate choice. We compared spatial cognitive performance and food caching propensity within social pairs of mountain chickadees inhabiting differentially harsh winter climates to understand how these measures contribute to social mate choice. Chickadees rely on specialized spatial cognitive abilities to recover food stores and survive harsh winters, and females can discriminate among males with varying spatial cognition. Because spatial cognition and caching propensity are critical for survival and likely heritable, pairing with a mate with such enhanced traits may provide indirect benefits to offspring. Comparing the behaviour of social mates, we found that spatial cognitive performance approached a significant correlation within pairs at low, but not at high elevation. We found no correlation within pairs in spatial reversal cognitive performance at either elevation; however, females at high elevation tended to perform better than their social mates. Finally, we found that caching propensity correlated within pairs at low, while males cached significantly more food than their social mates at high elevations. These results suggest that cognition and caching propensity may influence social mating decisions, but only in certain environments and for some aspects of cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie L. Branch
- Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Benjamin R. Sonnenberg
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
- Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Lauren M. Benedict
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
- Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | | | - Angela M. Pitera
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
- Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Eli S. Bridge
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Vladimir V. Pravosudov
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
- Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
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18
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Søraker JS, Wright J, Hanslin FØ, Pepke ML. The evolution of extra-pair paternity and paternal care in birds. Behav Ecol 2023; 34:780-789. [PMID: 37744165 PMCID: PMC10516673 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arad053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Extra-pair paternity (EPP) influences the relatedness between social parents and offspring. Therefore, one might expect the level of EPP to influence levels of paternal investment. Here, we investigated the effect of variation in EPP rates on male contributions to parental care within a phylogenetic framework of up to 271 primarily socially monogamous bird species representing 85 families. We used proportion of male provisioning and occurrence of male incubation and nestbuilding as measures of paternal care. We tested the relationship between EPP rates and different components of paternal care while controlling for various life-history traits, namely lifespan, clutch size, and body mass in a phylogenetic path analysis framework. EPP was significantly negatively associated with the occurrence (i.e., whether males participate or not) of male nestbuilding and incubation, but not with the relative amount (proportion) of nestbuilding or incubation performed by the male. Importantly, the proportion of provisioning and biomass delivery by males was clearly negatively associated with EPP. These analyses thus confirm that the effect of EPP on proportion of provisioning visits by males is similar to proportion of biomass delivery, an often assumed but rarely tested assumption. Analysing only Passerine species provided similar results, although only proportion of provisioning was significantly negatively associated with EPP. This study, therefore, provides the most comprehensive support to date of a negative relationship between EPP and paternal care across species. However, a causal relationship between EPP and paternal care cannot necessarily be concluded. We also identify key methodological improvements for future research within the topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jørgen S Søraker
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jonathan Wright
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Fredrik Øglænd Hanslin
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Michael Le Pepke
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
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19
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Dapper AL, Diegel AE, Wade MJ. Relative rates of evolution of male-beneficial nuclear compensatory mutations and male-harming Mother's Curse mitochondrial alleles. Evolution 2023; 77:1945-1955. [PMID: 37208299 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Mother's Curse alleles represent a significant source of potential male fitness defects. The maternal inheritance of mutations with the pattern of sex-specific fitness effects, s♀>0>s♂, allows Mother's Curse alleles to spread through a population even though they reduce male fitness. Although the mitochondrial genomes of animals contain only a handful of protein-coding genes, mutations in many of these genes have been shown to have a direct effect on male fertility. The evolutionary process of nuclear compensation is hypothesized to counteract the male-limited mitochondrial defects that spread via Mother's Curse. Here we use population genetic models to investigate the evolution of compensatory autosomal nuclear mutations that act to restore the loss of fitness caused by mitochondrial mutation pressures. We derive the rate of male fitness deterioration by Mother's Curse and the rate of restoration by nuclear compensatory evolution. We find that the rate of nuclear gene compensation is many times slower than that of its deterioration by cytoplasmic mutation pressure, resulting in a significant lag in the recovery of male fitness. Thus, the numbers of nuclear genes capable of restoring male mitochondrial fitness defects must be large in order to sustain male fitness in the face of mutation pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Dapper
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
| | - Amanda E Diegel
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
| | - Michael J Wade
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
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20
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Schlicht E, Kempenaers B. Age trajectories in extra-pair siring success suggest an effect of maturation or early-life experience. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1213-1225. [PMID: 37438929 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Across birds, male age is the most consistent predictor of extra-pair siring success, yet little is known about age effects on paternity over the lifetime of individuals. Here, we use data from a 13-year study of a population of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) to investigate how extra-pair siring success changes with age within individuals. Our results indicate that extra-pair siring success does not continuously increase with male age. Instead, siring success was related to male age in a threshold fashion, whereby yearling males were less likely to gain paternity than older males. This effect was independent of the age of the social partner, but influenced by the age of the extra-pair female: success of yearlings at siring extra-pair young (EPY) with older females was even lower. Among males that sired at least one EPY, the number of extra-pair mates and the proportion of EPY sired were unrelated to male age. We found no evidence for an influence of selective disappearance on extra-pair reproduction. Senescence, if anything, only occurs at ages blue tits rarely reach. A literature review indicates that an effect of male age on extra-pair siring success may be limited to the switch from yearling to older in many species. Thus, the generally observed age effect on male extra-pair siring success may be linked to age class rather than continuous ageing. This suggests that lack of experience or not fully completed maturation are important drivers of age patterns in extra-pair paternity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmi Schlicht
- Department of Ornithology, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Ornithology, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Seewiesen, Germany
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21
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Afonso RO, Pina-Martins F, Friesen V, Sun Z, Campioni L, Madeiros J, Silva MC. No evidence of inbreeding depression despite a historical severe bottleneck in the endangered Bermuda petrel (Pterodroma cahow). J Hered 2023; 114:459-469. [PMID: 37162284 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esad030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The Bermuda petrel Pterodroma cahow is an island endemic seabird that belongs to the Procellariiformes, one of the most endangered orders of birds. Historical records suggest a significant population size decline following human settlement in Bermuda, bringing the species to near extinction. Since the 1950s, the population has been recovering aided by the implementation of an ongoing conservation plan. However, it still faces several threats, and negative genetic effects resulting from that drastic decline are to be expected, including inbreeding and genetic drift. We studied genetic diversity and levels of inbreeding, and their effects on individual fitness and mating choice. We also tested for a genetic signature of the recent demographic bottleneck. For this, we analyzed variation in thousands of nuclear single-nucleotide polymorphisms derived from double digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing and 1 mitochondrial gene (cytochrome oxidase I). The results revealed that the Bermuda petrel suffered a recent genetic bottleneck and shows low mitochondrial diversity compared with other petrel species. Conversely, nuclear diversity was similar to that of other endangered petrels. Inbreeding levels were not high overall, although some individuals were highly inbred. However, we found no evidence that individual inbreeding or relatedness between mates affected hatching success, or that mate choice is influenced by kinship in this very small population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita O Afonso
- cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Francisco Pina-Martins
- cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Vicki Friesen
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Zhengxin Sun
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Letizia Campioni
- MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Ispa-Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Jeremy Madeiros
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of Bermuda, Hamilton, Bermuda
| | - Mónica C Silva
- cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
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22
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Hitt LG, Khalil S, Blanchette A, Finkelstein ME, Iverson ENK, McClelland SC, Durães Ribeiro R, Karubian J. Lead exposure is correlated with reduced nesting success of an urban songbird. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 227:115711. [PMID: 36940819 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Lead exposure is a concern in urban ecosystems, with physiological and behavioral effects well documented in humans. Wildlife inhabiting urban ecosystems are also exposed to lead, yet little work has documented the sublethal effects of lead exposure in urban wildlife. We studied northern mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) in three neighborhoods of New Orleans, Louisiana, two with high soil lead and one with low soil lead, to better understand how lead exposure may influence mockingbirds' reproductive biology. We monitored nesting attempts, measured lead concentrations in blood and feathers of nestling mockingbirds, documented egg hatching and nesting success, and assessed rates of sexual promiscuity in relation to neighborhood soil lead levels. We found that nestling mockingbirds' blood and feather lead levels reflected the soil lead levels of their neighborhoods and nestling blood lead levels were similar to those of adult mockingbirds in the same neighborhoods. Nest success, as evaluated by daily nest survival rates, was higher in the lower lead neighborhood. Clutch sizes varied substantially across neighborhoods, but rates of unhatched eggs did not covary with neighborhood lead levels, suggesting that other drivers are influencing variation in clutch sizes and hatching success in urban habitats. At least one-third of nestling mockingbirds were sired by an extra-pair male, and there was no relationship between extra-pair paternity rates and neighborhood lead levels. This study provides insight on how lead contamination may influence reproduction in urban-dwelling wildlife and suggests that nestling birds could serve as useful bioindicators of lead levels in urban neighborhoods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren G Hitt
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA; University of California, Davis, Department of Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology, Davis, CA, USA.
| | - Sarah Khalil
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Annelise Blanchette
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Myra E Finkelstein
- University of California, Santa Cruz, Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Erik N K Iverson
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA; University of Texas at Austin, Department of Integrative Biology, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Renata Durães Ribeiro
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Jordan Karubian
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA
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23
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Di Lecce I, Perrier C, Szulkin M, Sudyka J. Extra-pair paternity, breeding density, and synchrony in natural cavities versus nestboxes in two passerine birds. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10163. [PMID: 37304370 PMCID: PMC10249044 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Most of what is known about extra-pair paternity in hole-nesting birds derives from studies using artificial nesting sites, such as nestboxes. However, it has rarely been investigated whether inference drawn from breeding events taking place in nestboxes matches what would be observed under natural conditions, that is, in natural cavities. We here report on a variation in promiscuity in blue tits and great tits nesting in natural cavities and nestboxes in an urban forest in Warsaw, Poland. Specifically, we tested whether local breeding density, local breeding synchrony, and extra-pair paternity (inferred from SNP data generated with a high-throughput genotyping by sequencing method) differed between birds nesting in natural cavities and nestboxes. In both blue tits and great tits, the frequency of extra-pair paternity was similar between the two cavity types. In blue tits, we observed shorter nearest neighbor distance, higher neighbor density, and higher synchronous neighbor density (i.e., density of fertile females) in nestboxes relative to natural cavities. No such pattern was found in great tits. Moreover, we detected a positive relationship between the proportion of extra-pair offspring in the nest and neighbor density around the nest in blue tits. Our results revealed that the provisioning of nestboxes did not change rates of extra-pair paternity, suggesting that conclusions drawn from nestbox studies might adequately represent the natural variation in extra-pair matings in some species or sites. However, the observed differences in spatiotemporal components of breeding dynamics highlight the fact that these parameters should be carefully considered when comparing mating behavior across studies and/or sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Di Lecce
- Institute of Evolutionary BiologyBiological and Chemical Research CentreFaculty of BiologyUniversity of WarsawWarsawPoland
| | - Charles Perrier
- CBGP, INRAe, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgroUniversity of MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Marta Szulkin
- Institute of Evolutionary BiologyBiological and Chemical Research CentreFaculty of BiologyUniversity of WarsawWarsawPoland
| | - Joanna Sudyka
- Institute of Environmental SciencesJagiellonian UniversityKrakówPoland
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES)GroningenNetherlands
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Schlicht L, Santema P, Kempenaers B. Start and end of daily activity predict extrapair siring success independently of age in male blue tits. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
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25
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Bergeron LA, Besenbacher S, Zheng J, Li P, Bertelsen MF, Quintard B, Hoffman JI, Li Z, St Leger J, Shao C, Stiller J, Gilbert MTP, Schierup MH, Zhang G. Evolution of the germline mutation rate across vertebrates. Nature 2023; 615:285-291. [PMID: 36859541 PMCID: PMC9995274 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05752-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 63.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
The germline mutation rate determines the pace of genome evolution and is an evolving parameter itself1. However, little is known about what determines its evolution, as most studies of mutation rates have focused on single species with different methodologies2. Here we quantify germline mutation rates across vertebrates by sequencing and comparing the high-coverage genomes of 151 parent-offspring trios from 68 species of mammals, fishes, birds and reptiles. We show that the per-generation mutation rate varies among species by a factor of 40, with mutation rates being higher for males than for females in mammals and birds, but not in reptiles and fishes. The generation time, age at maturity and species-level fecundity are the key life-history traits affecting this variation among species. Furthermore, species with higher long-term effective population sizes tend to have lower mutation rates per generation, providing support for the drift barrier hypothesis3. The exceptionally high yearly mutation rates of domesticated animals, which have been continually selected on fecundity traits including shorter generation times, further support the importance of generation time in the evolution of mutation rates. Overall, our comparative analysis of pedigree-based mutation rates provides ecological insights on the mutation rate evolution in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie A Bergeron
- Villum Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Søren Besenbacher
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jiao Zheng
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | | | | | | | - Joseph I Hoffman
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Cambridge, UK
| | - Zhipeng Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Judy St Leger
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Changwei Shao
- Key Lab of Sustainable Development of Marine Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Josefin Stiller
- Villum Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- University Museum, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Guojie Zhang
- Villum Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Centre for Evolutionary & Organismal Biology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.
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26
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Müller MF, Banks SC, Crewe TL, Campbell HA. The rise of animal biotelemetry and genetics research data integration. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9885. [PMID: 36937069 PMCID: PMC10019913 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The advancement and availability of innovative animal biotelemetry and genomic technologies are improving our understanding of how the movements of individuals influence gene flow within and between populations and ultimately drive evolutionary and ecological processes. There is a growing body of work that is integrating what were once disparate fields of biology, and here, we reviewed the published literature up until January 2023 (139 papers) to better understand the drivers of this research and how it is improving our knowledge of animal biology. The review showed that the predominant drivers for this research were as follows: (1) understanding how individual-based movements affect animal populations, (2) analyzing the relationship between genetic relatedness and social structuring, and (3) studying how the landscape affects the flow of genes, and how this is impacted by environmental change. However, there was a divergence between taxa as to the most prevalent research aim and the methodologies applied. We also found that after 2010 there was an increase in studies that integrated the two data types using innovative statistical techniques instead of analyzing the data independently using traditional statistics from the respective fields. This new approach greatly improved our understanding of the link between the individual, the population, and the environment and is being used to better conserve and manage species. We discuss the challenges and limitations, as well as the potential for growth and diversification of this research approach. The paper provides a guide for researchers who wish to consider applying these disparate disciplines and advance the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara F. Müller
- Research Institute for the Environment and LivelihoodsFaculty of Science and Technology, Charles Darwin UniversityNorthern TerritoryDarwinAustralia
| | - Sam C. Banks
- Research Institute for the Environment and LivelihoodsFaculty of Science and Technology, Charles Darwin UniversityNorthern TerritoryDarwinAustralia
| | - Tara L. Crewe
- Department of Natural Resources and RenewablesGovernment of Nova ScotiaKentvilleNova ScotiaCanada
| | - Hamish A. Campbell
- Research Institute for the Environment and LivelihoodsFaculty of Science and Technology, Charles Darwin UniversityNorthern TerritoryDarwinAustralia
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27
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Abstract
Extra-pair paternity (EPP) benefits to improve the reproductive success via extra-pair fertilizations without the costs of parental care in males and through improved offspring quality with additional food and parental care in females among species of birds. Variations in the EPP appear to link to behavioral and ecological factors and sexual selection. According to the "relationship intelligence hypothesis", the cognitive abilities of the birds play an important role in maintaining long-term relationships. Here, we undertook the first comparative test of the relationships between extra-pair paternity and brain size, testis size, and life histories among 315 species of birds using phylogenetically controlled comparative analyses and path analysis. After controlling for the effects of shared ancestry and body mass, the frequency of EPP was negatively correlated with relative brain size, but positively with testis size across species of birds. However, the frequency of EPP was not linked to life-history traits (e.g. incubation period, fledging period, clutch size, egg mass, and longevity). Our findings suggest that large-brained birds associated with enhanced cognitive abilities are more inclined to maintain long-term stable relationships with their mates and to mutualism with them than to increase the frequency of EPP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yating Liu
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China.,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - Zhengjun Wu
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China.,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - Wenbo Liao
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
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28
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Rumińska A, Jørgensen C, Eliassen S. From self-interest to cooperation: extra-pair mating as a driver of relaxed territorial aggression in social neighbourhoods. Evol Ecol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10222-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
AbstractIn socially monogamous bird species, males and females tailor their reproductive strategies to that of the other. Interactions are complex, and have elements of both conflict and cooperation. Breeding process is further complicated with the occurrence of matings outside the pair bond, which is a frequent phenomenon in these species. Extra-pair mating has clear benefits for males, but cuckolded males may withdraw care and resources at a cost to females, which produces an unbalanced costs-to-benefits ratios within the mating pair. We used an individual-based model with social networks approach, to study how female extra-pair mating strategies may affect male investment in offspring care and territorial defence. In our model, extra-pair copulation rate is a female-driven strategy; we use two adjustable male traits—care and territorial defence—that co-evolve with that strategy and control the number of extra-pair copulations initiated by a social female. The model utilises very simple rules of behaviours between individuals that lead to the emergence of evolved changes in mating strategies on a large scale. We show how extra-pair copulations initiated by females in their neighbourhood can reduce territorial defence and wasteful aggression between the males across the whole population. We propose that female mating behaviour and male responses are flexible traits that might serve as potential drivers of the evolution of cooperation.
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29
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Mondal T, Dey P, Kumari D, Ray SD, Quadros G, Sastry Kochiganti VH, Singh RP. Genome survey sequencing and mining of genome-wide microsatellite markers in yellow-billed babbler ( Turdoides affinis). Heliyon 2023; 9:e12735. [PMID: 36647364 PMCID: PMC9840121 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12735] [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: 03/26/2022] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Turdoides affinis is a species of group dwelling old world passerine of family Leiothrichidae. Unavailability of genome-wide sequence and species-specific molecular markers have hindered comprehensive understanding of cooperative breeding behaviour in T. affinis. Therefore, we generated genome-wide microsatellite markers through whole genome short read sequencing of T. affinis. A total of 68.8 gigabytes of paired-end raw data were sequenced containing 195,067,054 reads. Total sequenced reads spanned a coverage of 17X with genome size of 1.18 Gb. A large number of microsatellite markers (265,297) were mined in the T. affinis genome using Krait, and 50 most informative markers were identified and validated further. In-silico PCR results validated 47 markers. Of these 47 markers, five were randomly selected and validated in-vitro in twelve individuals of T. affinis. Genotyping data on these five loci estimated observed heterozygosity (H0) and expected heterozygosity (He) ratios between 0.333 - 0.833 and 0.851-0.906, respectively. Effective allele size ranged from 6.698 to 10.667, inbreeding coefficient of the population ranged from 0.080 to 0.631 and null allele frequency was calculated at 0.055 to 0.303. Polymorphic information content of all the five loci varied between 0.850 and 0.906. Probabilities of exclusion and identity across 5 loci was estimated to be 0.95 and 0.0036, respectively. All the loci showed significant adherence to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The microsatellite markers reported in this study will facilitate future population genetics studies on T. affinis and other congeneric species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trisha Mondal
- Department of Life Science, Central University of South Bihar, Gaya, 824236, India
| | - Prateek Dey
- Department of Life Science, Central University of South Bihar, Gaya, 824236, India,Corresponding author.
| | - Divya Kumari
- Department of Life Science, Central University of South Bihar, Gaya, 824236, India
| | - Swapna Devi Ray
- Department of Life Science, Central University of South Bihar, Gaya, 824236, India
| | - Goldin Quadros
- Wetland Ecology Division, Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Anaikatty, Coimbatore, 641108, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | | - Ram Pratap Singh
- Department of Life Science, Central University of South Bihar, Gaya, 824236, India,Corresponding author.
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30
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McKone MJ. Loss of Avian Intromittent Organs as a Sperm Competition Strategy: A Race to Be Last. Am Nat 2023; 201:138-153. [PMID: 36524937 DOI: 10.1086/722100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe loss of the intromittent organ (IO) in the majority of birds remains unexplained. Here, I propose that IO loss results from sperm competition in the context of the unique avian sperm storage system. The first stage of fertilization is the movement of sperm through the vagina from the site of ejaculation to the sperm storage tubules (SSTs) at the uterovaginal junction. In a second stage, sperm are released from the SSTs and move through the uterus to the site of fertilization in the infundibulum. Last-male fertilization precedence can occur if sperm that arrive later at the uterovaginal junction occupy uterus-side SSTs, which then have a head start in the race to the infundibulum with each ovulation. Under such "last-in, first-out" conditions, there is strong sperm competition to arrive later at the SSTs. Consequently, the optimal male strategy would be placement of the ejaculate at the cloacal opening to allow any other sperm in the vagina to reach the SSTs first. Cloacal placement is effectively achieved by loss of the IO. The evolution of altricial development in Neoaves, the largest clade that lacks IOs, created conditions that favor IO loss. Specifically, the smaller clutch sizes and hatching asynchrony of altricial birds increase the intensity of sperm competition for fertilization of early eggs in the laying sequence and thus the selective advantage of later arrival at the SSTs. The rarity of IO loss among all animals suggests that the complex mechanism of avian fertilization creates unique conditions for sperm competition.
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31
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Cramer ERA, Yilma ZB, Lifjeld JT. Selection on sperm size in response to promiscuity and variation in female sperm storage organs. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:131-143. [PMID: 36357998 PMCID: PMC10100110 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Sperm cells are exceptionally morphologically diverse across taxa. However, morphology can be quite uniform within species, particularly for species where females copulate with many males per reproductive bout. Strong sexual selection in these promiscuous species is widely hypothesized to reduce intraspecific sperm variation. Conversely, we hypothesize that intraspecific sperm size variation may be maintained by high among-female variation in the size of sperm storage organs, assuming that paternity success improves when sperm are compatible in size with the sperm storage organ. We use individual-based simulations and an analytical model to evaluate how selection on sperm size depends on promiscuity level and variation in sperm storage organ size (hereafter, female preference variation). Simulations of high promiscuity (10 mates per female) showed stabilizing selection on sperm when female preference variation was low, and disruptive selection when female preference variation was high, consistent with the analytical model results. With low promiscuity (2-3 mates per female), selection on sperm was stabilizing for all levels of female preference variation in the simulations, contrasting with the analytical model. Promiscuity level, or mate sampling, thus has a strong impact on the selection resulting from female preferences. Furthermore, when promiscuity is low, disruptive selection on male traits will occur under much more limited circumstances (i.e. only with higher among-female variation) than many previous models suggest. Variation in female sperm storage organs likely has strong implications for intraspecific sperm variation in highly promiscuous species, but likely does not explain differences in intraspecific sperm variation for less promiscuous taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R A Cramer
- Sex and Evolution Research Group, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Jan T Lifjeld
- Sex and Evolution Research Group, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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32
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Lavretsky P, Hoyt A, Musni VM, Howell D, Williams CK. Frequency and types of alternative breeding strategies employed by nesting American black ducks in North Carolina. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0278905. [PMID: 36809383 PMCID: PMC9942969 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Although most birds are considered to be at least partially monogamous, molecular evidence continues to uncover that many species can have multiple sexual mates. Many species of Waterfowl (Order Anseriformes) consistently deploy alternative breeding strategies, and although cavity nesting species have been well studied, few attempts to understand rates of alternative breeding strategies exist in the Anatini tribe. Here, we assay mitochondrial DNA and thousands of nuclear markers across 20 broods of American black ducks (Anas rubripes; "black duck") that included 19 females and 172 offspring to study population structure as well as types and rates of secondary breeding strategies in coastal North Carolina. First, we report high levels of relatedness among nesting black ducks and offspring and while 17 (of 19) females were of pure black duck descent, three were found to be black duck x mallard (A. platyrhynchos) hybrids. Next, we evaluated for mismatched mitochondrial DNA and paternity identities across each female's clutch to determine types and frequency of alternative or secondary breeding strategies. Although we report that nest parasitism occurred in two nests, 37% (7 of 19) of the sampled nests were multi-paternal as a result of extra-pair copulation. In addition to being part of a mix of strategies used to increase fecundity by successfully breeding females, we posit nest densities providing easier alternative mate access for males also explains high rates of extra-pair copulation among our sampled black ducks. Ultimately, however, while some proportion of females of many species engage in forms of secondary breeding strategies, we conclude that the decision to do so appears to be seasonally flexible for each individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Lavretsky
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Amanda Hoyt
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, United States of America
| | - Vergie M. Musni
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, United States of America
| | - Doug Howell
- North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Edenton, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Christopher K. Williams
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, United States of America
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33
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Combined roles for breeding synchrony, habitat and scale as predictors of extrapair paternity. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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34
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Characteristics of breeding habitat, genetic mating system, and determinants of male mating success in the sponge-dwelling goby Elacatinus lori. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03263-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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35
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Observation of an Attempted Forced Copulation within a Captive Flock of Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus). BIRDS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/birds3040025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Flamingos (Phoenicopteriformes) are obligate colonial species that nest in large colonies, with monogamous pairs rearing a single chick following a synchronised group courtship display. Within this relatively simplistic behavioural description, deviations from these social and reproductive norms are apparent. Same sex pairings, multi-bird relationships and extra pair copulations are documented in the literature. Flamingos display highly sexually selected characteristics of plumage colour, carotenoid accumulation and diversity of display movements that underpin mate choice decisions. The brightest birds in best body condition are more successful at breeding. Therefore, documented mate guarding of female birds by male partners, is a relevant response to maximise investment in a pair bond. Limited information that describes the action of forced copulation by the male flamingo and the response of the female bird is available in the literature. This paper describes an occurrence of an attempted forced copulation by an older male Greater Flamingo to a younger female bird. Such behaviour may be an artefact of the captive environment, and limited mate choice when compared to the sizes of wild flocks, or it could be regularly apparent in the wild and therefore worthy of more scrutiny and empirical study.
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36
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Lilie ND, Riyahi S, Kalinowski A, Salazar SM, Kaiser S, Schmoll T, Korsten P. Male social niche conformance? Effects of manipulated opportunity for extra-pair mating on behavior and hormones of male zebra finches. Horm Behav 2022; 146:105243. [PMID: 35998552 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Success in sperm competition is an important determinant of male fitness in mating systems with female multiple mating. Thus, sperm competition risk represents a key dimension of the male social environment to which individual males are expected to adaptively adjust their reproductive phenotype. Such adaptive phenotypic adjustment we here refer to as male social niche conformance. In this pre-registered study, we investigated how male zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, adjust their behavior to sperm competition risk. We experimentally manipulated the opportunity for extra-pair mating to create two levels of sperm competition risk: 1) Single-pair, no sperm competition risk; 2) Double-pair, sperm competition risk. We compared male courtship, mate guarding, copulation rates, and aggression between the treatment groups. To identify hormonal correlates of male behavioral adjustment, we measured plasma testosterone and corticosterone levels before and after the social treatment started. Contrary to our pre-registered predictions, males from the Double-pair treatment group decreased courtship rates compared to those from the Single-pair group, and Double-pair males responded less aggressively towards intruders than Single-pair males. Testosterone levels decreased over the breeding cycle, but social treatment had no effect on either testosterone or corticosterone levels. Our results indicate that male zebra finches do not intensify courtship or competitive reproductive behaviors, or upregulate key hormones when another breeding pair is present. Although we found no evidence for the predicted adaptive behavioral responses to sperm competition risk, we show that male zebra finches plastically adjust their behavior to their social environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navina D Lilie
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Sepand Riyahi
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Arne Kalinowski
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Stephen M Salazar
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Behavioural & Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestraße 13, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Tim Schmoll
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Peter Korsten
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
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37
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Neither paternity loss nor perceived threat of cuckoldry affects male nestling provisioning in grass wrens. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03253-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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38
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Schmitt CJ, Edwards SV. Passerine birds. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R1149-R1154. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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39
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Mating systems in birds. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R1115-R1121. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.066] [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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40
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Vandergast AG, Kus BE, Smith JG, Mitelberg A. Recent declines in genetic diversity with limited dispersal among coastal cactus wren populations in San Diego County, California. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Amy G. Vandergast
- Western Ecological Research Center U.S. Geological Survey San Diego California USA
| | - Barbara E. Kus
- Western Ecological Research Center U.S. Geological Survey San Diego California USA
| | - Julia G. Smith
- Western Ecological Research Center U.S. Geological Survey San Diego California USA
| | - Anna Mitelberg
- Western Ecological Research Center U.S. Geological Survey San Diego California USA
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41
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Thibault E, Mahoney SM, Briskie JV, Shaikh M, Reudink MW. Extra-pair paternity drives plumage colour elaboration in male passerines. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273347. [PMID: 35994495 PMCID: PMC9394826 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The elaborate ornamental plumage displayed by birds has largely been attributed to sexual selection, whereby the greater success of ornamented males in attaining mates drives a rapid elaboration of those ornaments. Indeed, plumage elaboration tends to be greatest in species with a high variance in reproductive success such as polygynous mating systems. Even among socially monogamous species, many males are extremely colourful. In their now-classic study, Møller and Birkhead (1994) suggested that increased variance in reproductive success afforded by extra-pair paternity should intensify sexual selection pressure and thus an elaboration of male plumage and sexual dichromatism, but the relatively few measures of extra-pair paternity at the time prevented a rigorous test of this hypothesis. In the nearly three decades since that paper’s publication, hundreds of studies have been published on rates of extra-pair paternity and more objective measures of plumage colouration have been developed, allowing for a large-scale comparative test of Møller and Birkhead’s (1994) hypothesis. Using an analysis of 186 socially monogamous passerine species with estimates of extra-pair paternity, our phylogenetically controlled analysis confirms Møller and Birkhead’s (1994) early work, demonstrating that rates of extra-pair paternity are positively associated with male, but not female, colouration and with the extent of sexual dichromatism. Plumage evolution is complex and multifaceted, driven by phylogenetic, ecological, and social factors, but our analysis confirms a key role of extra-pair mate choice in driving the evolution of ornamental traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Thibault
- Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sean M. Mahoney
- Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| | - James V. Briskie
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Mateen Shaikh
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Matthew W. Reudink
- Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
- * E-mail:
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42
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Batsuren E, Zhang X, Song M, Wan X, Li G, Liu J, Huang S, Zhang Z. Density‐dependent changes of mating system and family structure in Brandt's voles (
Lasiopodomys brandtii
). Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Erdenetuya Batsuren
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- College of Life Science University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Institute of Plant Protection Ulaanbaatar Mongolia
| | - Xin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- College of Life Science University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Mingjing Song
- Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Comparative Medicine Centre, Ministry of Health Peking Union Medical College Beijing China
| | - Xinru Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- College of Life Science University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Guoliang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Jing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- College of Life Science University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Shuli Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- College of Life Science University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
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43
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Mobbing for matings: dynamics, plumage correlates, and fitness impacts of conspicuous group extra-pair behaviors in the lark bunting. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03216-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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44
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Vedder O. Experimental extra-pair copulations provide proof of concept for fertility insurance in a socially monogamous bird. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220261. [PMID: 35642374 PMCID: PMC9156919 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Extra-pair paternity is common among socially monogamous birds, but whether females benefit from having extra-pair copulations remains unresolved. In this study, I staged single extra-pair copulations in captive pairs of socially monogamous Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and used extra-pair males of a different colour to identify extra-pair fertilizations. This eliminated among-female variation in extra-pair copulations as a source of variation in extra-pair fertilizations and tested whether a single extra-pair copulation would insure against infertility of the social male. Overall, the probability of extra-pair fertilization was 0.46 for the first egg that was fertilized after extra-pair copulation, but this rapidly declined over consecutive eggs in the laying sequence. However, a single extra-pair copulation was effective in ensuring fertilization of the majority of a typical clutch in the few cases where the social male was completely infertile. Hence, my results show that variation in extra-pair paternity can be independent from variation in extra-pair copulation behaviour and that a single, strategically timed, extra-pair copulation can largely insure against social male infertility. Among-female variation in extra-pair fertilizations, and their declining probability over the laying sequence, as typical for many bird species, can thus, in principle, be parsimoniously explained by a uniform female fertility insurance strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Vedder
- Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, D-26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
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45
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Undin M, Castro I. Predicting breeding systems to guide conservation strategies: A kiwi example. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Malin Undin
- Department of Natural Sciences Mid Sweden University Sundsvall Sweden
- Wildlife and Ecology Group, School of Agriculture and Environment Massey University Palmerston North New Zealand
| | - Isabel Castro
- Wildlife and Ecology Group, School of Agriculture and Environment Massey University Palmerston North New Zealand
- Wildbase Research Massey University Palmerston North New Zealand
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46
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LaPergola JB, Riehl C. Opportunity is not everything: genetic monogamy and limited brood parasitism in a colonial woodpecker. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03178-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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47
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Culina A, Brouwer L. No evidence of immediate fitness benefits of within-season divorce in monogamous birds. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210671. [PMID: 35538844 PMCID: PMC9091848 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0671] [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] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals of socially monogamous species can correct for suboptimal partnerships via two secondary mating strategies: divorce and extra-pair mating, with the former potentially providing both genetic and social benefits. Divorcing between breeding seasons has been shown to be generally adaptive behaviour across monogamous birds. Interestingly, some pairs also divorce during the breeding season, when constraints on finding a new partner are stronger. Despite being important for a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of social monogamy, whether within-season divorce is adaptive and how it relates to extra-pair mating remains unknown. Here, we meta-analysed 90 effect sizes on within-season divorce and breeding success, extracted from 31 studies on 24 species. We found no evidence that within-season divorce is adaptive for breeding success. However, the large heterogeneity of effect sizes and strong phylogenetic signal suggest social and environmental factors—which have rarely been considered in empirical studies—may play an important role in explaining variation among populations and species. Furthermore, we found no evidence that within-season divorce and extra-pair mating are complementary strategies. We discuss our findings within the current evidence of the adaptiveness of secondary mating strategies and their interplay that ultimately shapes the evolution of social monogamy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antica Culina
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology, NIOO-KNAW, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Ruder Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lyanne Brouwer
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.,Division of Ecology and Evolution of Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
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48
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Nomano FY, Matsui S, Senda M, Tsuchiya Y, Takagi M. Random mating and the lack of sex-biased kin clustering in an island population of the bull-headed shrike, Lanius bucephalus. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2022.2069159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fumiaki Y. Nomano
- Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, School of Advanced Sciences, Sokendai, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Hayama, Miura, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan
| | - Shin Matsui
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
- Department of Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Tokai University, Minamisawa 5-1-1-1, Minami-ku Hokkaido, Sapporo 005-8601, Japan
| | - Mariko Senda
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
- Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, Konoyama 115, Abiko, Chiba 270-1145, Japan
| | - Yuko Tsuchiya
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
| | - Masaoki Takagi
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
- Department of Natural History Science, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10, Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
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49
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Raj Pant S, Versteegh MA, Hammers M, Burke T, Dugdale HL, Richardson DS, Komdeur J. The contribution of extra-pair paternity to the variation in lifetime and age-specific male reproductive success in a socially monogamous species. Evolution 2022; 76:915-930. [PMID: 35325482 PMCID: PMC9322416 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
In socially monogamous species, extra-pair paternity (EPP) is predicted to increase variance in male reproductive success (RS) beyond that resulting from genetic monogamy, thus, increasing the "opportunity for selection" (maximum strength of selection that can act on traits). This prediction is challenging to investigate in wild populations because lifetime reproduction data are often incomplete. Moreover, age-specific variances in reproduction have been rarely quantified. We analyzed 21 years of near-complete social and genetic reproduction data from an insular population of Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis). We quantified EPP's contribution to lifetime and age-specific opportunities for selection in males. We compared the variance in male genetic RS vs social ("apparent") RS (RSap ) to assess if EPP increased the opportunity for selection over that resulting from genetic monogamy. Despite not causing a statistically significant excess (19%) of the former over the latter, EPP contributed substantially (27%) to the variance in lifetime RS, similarly to within-pair paternity (WPP, 39%) and to the positive WPP-EPP covariance (34%). Partitioning the opportunity for selection into age-specific (co)variance components, showed that EPP also provided a substantial contribution at most ages, varying with age. Therefore, despite possibly not playing the main role in shaping sexual selection in Seychelles warblers, EPP provided a substantial contribution to the lifetime and age-specific opportunity for selection, which can influence evolutionary processes in age-structured populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Raj Pant
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and EngineeringUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands,Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East Anglia, Norwich Research ParkNorwichUK,Department of BiologyLund UniversityLundSweden
| | - Maaike A. Versteegh
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and EngineeringUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Martijn Hammers
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and EngineeringUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands,Aeres University of Applied SciencesAlmereThe Netherlands
| | - Terry Burke
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Hannah L. Dugdale
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and EngineeringUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - David S. Richardson
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East Anglia, Norwich Research ParkNorwichUK,Nature SeychellesRoche CaimanMaheRepublic of Seychelles
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and EngineeringUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
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50
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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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