共查询到20条相似文献,搜索用时 187 毫秒
1.
Microsatellite markers were developed and employed to assess genetic maternity and paternity of embryos in nest-tended clutches of the Molly Miller (Scartella cristata), a marine fish in which alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) by males were recently described from behavioral and morphological evidence. Genetic data gathered for 1,536 surveyed progeny, from 23 barnacle-nest holes in a single Floridian population, indicate that on average about 5.5 females (range 3–9) contributed to the pool of progeny within a nest. With regard to paternity, the microsatellite data demonstrate that most of the surveyed nests (82.6%) contained at least some embryos that had not been sired by the nest-tending (bourgeois) male, and overall that 12.4% of offspring in the population had been sired via "stolen" fertilizations by other males. These are among the highest values of cuckoldry documented to date in nest-tending fishes, and they support and quantify the notion that the nest-parasitic ART is reproductively quite successful in this species despite what would otherwise seem to be highly defensible nesting sites (the restricted interior space of a barnacle shell). Our estimated cuckoldry rates in this population of the Molly Miller are compared to those previously reported for local populations in other nest-tending fish species, with results discussed in the context of ecological and behavioral variables that may influence relative frequencies of nest parasitism. 相似文献
2.
James H. Bandoli 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2006,59(5):606-613
Filial cannibalism is hypothesized to allow nest-guarding males to recoup energy lost during nest defense. Males in many species
of fishes occasionally defend broods containing both sired and foster eggs due to shifts in nest site ownership or cuckoldry.
Such males are predicted to consume primarily foster eggs if the ability to discriminate among eggs exists. In a previous
laboratory study, male spottail darters (Etheostoma squamiceps) consumed significantly more foster eggs than sired eggs, suggesting the existence of a mechanism for discrimination using
chemical or positional cues. This discrimination mechanism in the spottail darter was tested by creating nest sites with half
sired eggs and half foster eggs (n=15), or with all sired eggs with half positionally relocated (n=9). Males defended these nests for 2 days in the field, and cannibalism was determined by counting eggs lost during that
interval. Neither foster eggs nor relocated sired eggs were consumed in greater numbers or percentages of the original brood
sizes than the unchanged sired eggs, indicating that male spottail darters do not discriminate between foster and sired eggs
by olfaction or position. Alternatively, the hypothesis that males treat all eggs in nest sites in which they have spawned
as sired explains the results of both studies. 相似文献
3.
Ola Svensson Maria Lissåker Kenyon B. Mobley 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2010,64(8):1325-1331
When parental care is costly, parents should avoid caring for unrelated young. Therefore, it is an advantage to discriminate
between related and unrelated offspring so that parents can make informed decisions about parental care. In the present study,
we test the hypothesis that male sand gobies (Pomatoschistus minutus) recognize and differentially care for their own offspring when given a choice between a nest with sired eggs and a second
nest with eggs sired by an unrelated male. The sand goby is a species with exclusive and costly paternal care. Male parasitic
spawnings (e.g., sneaking) as well as nest takeovers by other males are common. Our results show that nests containing sired
eggs were preferred and received significantly more care, as measured by nest building and nest occupancy, than nests with
foreign eggs even when males cared for both nests. These findings suggest that males respond to paternity cues and recognize
their own clutches. Relative clutch size also had a significant effect on male parental care. When sired clutches were larger
than foreign clutches, males preferred to care for their own nest. In the few cases where males chose to take care of foreign
nests, the foreign clutch was larger than their own clutch. Taken together, our results provide evidence that both paternity
cues and clutch size influence parenting decisions among male sand gobies. 相似文献
4.
In cooperative breeders, mature males may compete for fertilizations. In this study, we measured the degree of multiple paternity
in a natural population of a cooperatively breeding fish. Neolamprologus pulcher (Perciformes: Cichlidae) is a highly social cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika. We used highly variable microsatellite loci
to survey 12 groups with an average number of 10.6 brood care helpers per group and a total of 43 offspring (mean 3.6 per
brood). In 11 of 12 groups, all young were assigned to the dominant female. The dominant male sired all offspring in three
groups, part of the offspring in four groups, and in five groups, he had no paternity at all. In total, 44.2% of young were
not fathered by the current male territory owner. Multiple paternity was found in 5 of 12 broods (41.7 %), with 8 of 35 young
(22.9 %) being sired by males other than the respective territory owners. This is an exceptionally high rate of extra-pair
paternity among cooperatively breeding vertebrates. Neither helpers present in these territories during collection nor neighbouring
males were unequivocally assigned to have sired these extra-pair young. However, behavioural observations suggest that male
helpers may have produced these young before being expelled from the territory in response to this reproductive parasitism.
We discuss these results in the light of reproductive skew theory, cooperative breeding in vertebrates and alternative reproductive
tactics in fish. 相似文献
5.
Susan L. Balenger L. Scott Johnson Brian S. Masters 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2009,63(3):403-411
Ornamental traits are thought to evolve because they give individuals an advantage in securing multiple mates. Thus, the presence
of ornamentation among males in many monogamous bird species presents something of a conundrum. Under certain conditions,
extra-pair paternity can increase the variance in reproductive success among males, thus increasing the potential for sexual
selection to act. We addressed this possibility in the mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides), a socially monogamous songbird in which males possess brilliant ultraviolet (UV)-blue plumage. Specifically, we asked whether
a male’s success at siring offspring within his own nest and within the nests of other males was related to his coloration.
In pairwise comparisons, males that sired extra-pair offspring were not more colorful than the males that they cuckolded.
However, males that sired at least one extra-pair offspring were, on average, brighter and more UV-blue than males that did
not sire extra-pair offspring. Brighter, more UV-blue males sired more offspring both with their own mate and tended to sire
more offspring with extra-pair mates and thus sired more offspring overall. Our results support the hypothesis that the brilliant
UV-blue ornamental plumage of male mountain bluebirds evolved at least in part because it provides males with an advantage
in fertilizing the eggs of multiple females. 相似文献
6.
James V. Briskie Robert Montgomerie Tarmo Põldmaa Peter T. Boag 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1998,43(3):181-190
In species where females copulate with more than one male during a single breeding attempt, males risk investing in offspring
that are not their own. In the polygynandrous Smith's longspur (Calcarius pictus), females copulate sequentially with one to three males for each clutch of eggs and most of these males later assist in feeding
the young. Using multilocus DNA profiling, we determined that there was mixed paternity in >75% of broods (n=31) but that few offspring (<1% of 114 nestlings) were sired by males outside the polygynandrous group. Male feeding rate
increased significantly with the number of young sired, with males siring four nestlings feeding the brood at double the frequency
of males siring only a single nestling. However, male Smith's longspurs appear to show a graded adjustment of paternal care
in response to paternity only when other males are available to compensate for reduced care: feeding rate did not vary in
relation to paternity when only one male provisioned young at the nest. There was no evidence that males could recognise their
own offspring within a brood and feed them preferentially. The number of offspring sired by each male was significantly correlated
with the number of days spent copulating with the attending female: on average, a male sired one offspring for every 2 days
of copulatory access. If males use their access to females to estimate paternity (and thereby decide on their subsequent level
of parental investment), a positive relationship is expected between the amount of female access and the subsequent feeding
rate to the nestlings. Nonetheless, male feeding effort was only weakly correlated with female access and more study is needed
to determine how males estimate their paternity in a brood.
Received: 1 June 1997 / Accepted after revision: 1 April 1998 相似文献
7.
Parental care is a costly part of reproduction. Hence, natural selection should favor males which avoid caring for unrelated
young. However, the decision to abandon or reduce care requires cues which are evaluated to give information on potential
reproductive value of the offspring. The prediction that male sand gobies, Pomatoschistus minutus, care for foreign eggs as long as they were spawned in their own nest and at least some of such cues are fulfilled was tested.
Egg-guarding males that had recently taken part in a spawning event were given a clutch of eggs that was sired either by themselves
or another male, in either their own or another male’s aquarium. Males that had not taken part in a spawning event were used
as controls and were given eggs sired by another male. We measured the amount of filial cannibalism and nest building. Control
group males did not care for eggs and ate them all before rebuilding the nest. In the other treatments, there were no significant
effects of paternity, though males moved to another male’s aquarium increased their clutch area threshold and completely consumed
larger clutches than males that were not moved. There was no intermediate response in any treatment in the form of increased
partial filial cannibalism or less well-constructed nests. Our results suggest that egg-guarding males cannot distinguish
between eggs sired by themselves and those sired by other males but are able to react to cues indicating paternity state.
Males do not adopt eggs to attract females in P. minutus. 相似文献
8.
Pair and extra-pair mating success relative to male quality in red-winged blackbirds 总被引:9,自引:0,他引:9
We tested whether the reproductive success of male red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) varied with male secondary sexual traits or with haematozoa prevalence, and whether these patterns were consistent with females preferring genetically superior males. We also determined whether the traits that correlated with male success on their own territories were also correlated with male success at siring young on other males territories. Our analysis included data from a 6-year study involving 617 nestlings for which paternity was determined by DNA profiling. Larger males sired more young on their territories, principally because they obtained larger harems. The success of larger males at acquiring more mates did not appear to be a consequence of larger males holding larger or better-quality territories. Older and longer-lived males sired more young by extra-pair fertilizations. Larger males sired the most offspring overall (on territory + off territory). Variation in epaulet size and color, responses to male and female models, nest defence and parasitism was not correlated with male success either on or off their territories or overall. Male success in a given year was significantly correlated with success the previous year, as expected if females were selecting genetically superior males. The male that was by far the most successful individual in this study was highly consistent from year to year. Because male body size is positively correlated with survival in this population (although not within the sample of males included in this study), female preference for larger males may have reflected a general preference for males with superior Survival ability. We propose that the direct advantage realized by older males in extra-pair matings might indicate that experience is important, such that experienced males are better at creating or exploiting the opportunities for extra-pair mating. This hypothesis is consistent with a pairwise analysis of cuckoldry that showed that cuckolders were most often older than the males they cuckolded. 相似文献
9.
Karen M. Cogliati Bryan D. Neff Sigal Balshine 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2013,67(3):399-408
In many mating systems, males adopt alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) to maximize reproductive success. In fishes, guarding males often invest more energy into courtship, defense, and paternal care, whereas cuckolding males forego such costs and steal fertilizations by releasing their sperm in the nest of a guarding male. These two tactics have been documented in the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus), yet the relative reproductive success of the guarding and cuckolding male tactics remains unknown. In this study, we used microsatellite markers to determine the level of paternity of the guarding type I males. We explored how paternity varied with male phenotype and across the breeding season. Our results revealed the lowest documented levels of paternity in a species with obligate paternal care. Although paternity remained consistently low, it did increase as the breeding season progressed. Male body size did not significantly predict paternity. The low paternity in this species may be explained, in part, by aspects of their reproductive ecology including the duration of parental care period, limited nest availability and competition for nests, as well as the occurrence of nest takeovers. Overall, our findings contribute to the understanding of the ultimate factors underlying ARTs in this species and highlight the importance of investigating reproductive success across the entire breeding season. 相似文献
10.
Mating system of the cooperatively breeding noisy miner Manorina melanocephala,as revealed by DNA profiling 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
In this study we examined parentage within broods of the cooperatively breeding noisy miner using multi-locus DNA profiling. Previous studies of noisy miners described them as highly promiscuous, leading to the suggestion that promiscuous mating behaviour was a tactic used by females to recruit males as provisioners to their nests (Dow 1978). At our study site in south-east Queensland, Australia, we found that both multiple and extra-group paternity (i.e. a female mating with a male outside the group of male provisioners at her nest) were rare. In nests where multiple paternity was possible (i.e. clutch size > 1) 97% of 31 broods were sired by only a single male. Overall, 96.5% of all nestlings (n = 85) were the result of monogamous matings. Also, at the vast majority of nests, the male that sired the nestlings was also the main provisioner among all male nest attendants. Our results show that the mating system of the noisy miner can no longer be considered cooperative polyandry (Brown 1987) but is clearly genetic monogamy. We discuss the implications of this finding for understanding the complex social system of this species. 相似文献
11.
Brady A. Porter Anthony C. Fiumera John C. Avise 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2002,51(4):350-359
In a variety of fish species with paternal care of offspring, females prefer to spawn in nests that already contain eggs.
This female preference has been hypothesized to explain egg thievery in male sticklebacks, allopaternal care of eggs in minnows,
and the evolution of egg-mimicking body features in male cichlids and darters. Here we employ microsatellite-based parentage
analyses to evaluate the reproductive success of striped darter (Etheostoma virgatum) males that appear to utilize two of these functionally related tactics to entice females to spawn in their nests. In an
isolated population (Clear Creek, Ky.), we observed that breeding males develop conspicuous white spots on their pectoral
fins. If these spots are egg mimics, as we suspect, then this represents the fourth independent evolutionary origin of egg
mimicry documented to date in darters, the first based on pigmentation (as opposed to physical structures), and the first
in which the egg mimics vary greatly in number among males. From direct counts of microsatellite genotypes in clutches of
embryos, at least 3.8 females contributed to the progeny within a typical nest, and females tended to spawn preferentially
with males that were larger and displayed more egg-mimic spots. In another population (Hurricane Creek, Tenn.) without egg
mimics, the multi-locus genetic data document that allopaternal care is common, especially among the smallest males who sometimes
tend nests containing their own as well as an earlier sire's offspring. Thus, these foster males had adopted egg-containing
nests and then successfully spawned with subsequent females. Overall, the genetic data on paternity and maternity, in conjunction
with field observations, suggest that egg mimicry and allopaternal care are two mate-attracting reproductive tactics employed
by striped darter males to exploit female preferences for spawning in nests with 'eggs'.
Electronic Publication 相似文献
12.
Emily R. A. Cramer Terje Laskemoen Oddmund Kleven Katie LaBarbera Irby J. Lovette Jan T. Lifjeld 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2013,67(11):1845-1853
Postcopulatory sexual selection (PCSS) in internally fertilizing vertebrates is a topic of great interest, yet relatively little is known about the characteristics of sperm and ejaculates that confer an advantage in PCSS. In this study, we investigated several measures of sperm morphology that potentially contribute to fertilization success under PCSS. We tested whether sperm morphology related to success in PCSS (via extra-pair paternity) in house wrens (Troglodytes aedon). We found no evidence that sperm morphology differed between extra-pair sires and the within-pair males they cuckolded, nor that sperm morphology correlated with the proportion of within-pair offspring sired, the number of extra-pair offspring sired, or the total annual reproductive success. Male behavioral strategies may affect the probability that their sperm compete with other males’ sperm and that their sperm succeed under competition. Effects of these behavioral strategies, as well as differences between males in sperm number, could mask the effects of sperm morphology on the outcome of PCSS. Despite moderate levels of extra-pair paternity, selection on sperm may be relatively weak in house wrens. Further work is needed to understand general patterns in how sperm morphology relates to fertilization success within species. 相似文献
13.
Historically, most mammals have been classified as polygynous; although recent molecular evidence suggests that many mammals
may be polygynandrous, particularly the ground-dwelling sciurids. We genotyped 351 round-tailed ground squirrels (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus) using seven microsatellite loci to determine paternity in 31 litters from 2004 to 2007. Polygyny was evident in all years
except in 2007, when the population size was reduced. Multiple paternity occurred in the majority of litters (55%) with 2.5 ± 0.26
sires/litter (n = 31). Forty-nine percent of resident males (n = 114) sired offspring, and of males that sired offspring (n = 56) 27% sired young in multiple litters in a single breeding season. Litter size was positively correlated with the number
of sires. Through an indirect analysis of paternity, we found 21 litters (68%) with an average relatedness of 0.5 or less.
Males had a greater opportunity for sexual selection (I
s = 1.60) than females (I
s = 0.40); Bateman’s gradient was also greater in males (1.07 ± 0.04, n = 56) than females (0.82 ± 0.08, n = 31). The mating system in round-tailed ground squirrels defined through genetic analyses and Bateman’s gradients is polygynandrous
compared to the previously suggested polygynous mating system as established by behavioral observations and fits within the
predictions of the ground squirrel sociality models. Upon evaluating the predictions of the sociality models among sciurid
species, we found a negative relationship between the level of sociality with litter size and the average percentage of multiple
paternity within a litter. Thus, recent genetic information and reclassification of mating systems support the predictions
of the ground-dwelling squirrel sociality models. 相似文献
14.
Although individuals in many fish species move to shallow waters to spawn, the California grunion (Leuresthes tenuis) is almost unique in its constitutive display of synchronous full-emergence beach spawning. During a spawning event, fish
ride large waves onshore to spawn on beach land, where their eggs incubate terrestrially. Here, we employ molecular markers
to ascertain how this unusual reproductive behavior impacts genetic parentage. We developed and utilized four highly polymorphic
microsatellite markers to assess maternal and paternal contributions in a total of 682 progeny from 17 nests of a natural
population of L. tenuis. Alleles deduced to be of paternal origin in progeny were used to determine the minimum number of sires per nest and to estimate
the true number of sires per nest via Bayesian analysis. We document the following: (a) no instances of multiple maternity
for progeny within a nest; (b) a high frequency of nests (88%) with multiple paternity; and (c) an appreciable fraction of
nests (18%) in which the estimated number of genetic sires (as many as nine) proved to be greater than the observed number
of male attendants, thus implicating occasional extra-group fertilization events. From these and other observations, we also
conclude that spawning behavior in grunions may involve site choice but not explicit mate choice. In addition to providing
the first analysis of molecular parentage in a beach-spawning fish, we compare our findings to those reported previously for
a beach-spawning arthropod, and we discuss the forces that may be maintaining this peculiar reproductive behavior. 相似文献
15.
In polygynous species, males appear to gain additional offspring by pairing with multiple females simultaneously. However, this may not be true if some females copulate outside of the social pair bond. Polygynous males could experience lower paternity because of trade-offs among gaining multiple social mates, guarding fertility with these mates, and pursuing extra-pair matings. Alternatively, polygynous males could simultaneously gain extra social mates and have high paternity, either because of female preferences or because of male competitive attributes. We tested four predictions stemming from these hypotheses in a facultatively polygynous songbird, the dickcissel (Spiza americana). Unlike most previous studies, we found that males with higher social mating success (harem size) also tended to have higher within-pair paternity and that the number of extra-pair young a male sired increased significantly with his social mating success. Females that paired with mated males were not more likely to produce extra-pair young. In contrast, extra-pair paternity was significantly lower in the nests of females whose nesting activity overlapped that of another female on the same territory. This pattern of mating was robust to differences in breeding density. Indeed, breeding density had no effect on either extra-pair mating or on the association between polygyny and paternity. Finally, nest survival increased with harem size. This result, combined with the positive association between polygyny and paternity, contributed to significantly higher realized reproductive success by polygynous male dickcissels. 相似文献
16.
Female control of extra-pair fertilization in tree swallows 总被引:4,自引:0,他引:4
Summary In a Canadian population of tree swallows, Tachycineta bicolor, DNA fingerprinting has previously shown that half of all broods contain many offspring resulting from extra-pair copulations (EPCs), whereas the other half contain only legitimate offspring. This bimodal pattern of extra-pair paternity might be due to variation in the effectiveness of male paternity guards, variation in female ability to resist EPCs, and/or variation in female pursuit of EPCs. Here we report experimental evidence for female control of copulations and fertilizations and the occurrence of two alternative copulation strategies among females in this population. Ten paired male tree swallows were removed on the day their mates laid the first egg. Replacement males took over the nestbox within 0.5–23 h and attempted to copulate with the widowed female. Assuming that eggs were fertilized approximately 24 h prior to laying, the first two eggs were fertilized before the male was removed, while the third and subsequent eggs could potentially be fertilized by the replacement male. Fingerprinting revealed that the first two eggs were sired by the resident males in five nests and by extra-pair males in the remaining five nests. The widows that had been faithful to their initially chosen mate rejected copulation attempts by the replacement male until most of the eggs had been laid. Consequently, nearly all eggs laid by these females were sired by the original male. The widows that had been unfaithful prior to male removal copulated sooner with the replacement male than females that were faithful to their mate. However, these replacement males also had a very low fertilization success; most eggs were sired by males that were not associated with the nest. This is consistent with the situation in non-experimental nests where unfaithful females copulate with their mate at the same rate as faithful females, yet unfaithful females have a majority of offspring sired by extra-pair males. We conclude that fertilization patterns to a large extent are determined by the female through active selection and rejection of copulation partners, though our results also allow some speculation that females have control over sperm competition. Female copulation tactics are probably determined some currently unknown fitness benefits of having the offspring sired by particular males.Correspondence to: Raleigh J. Robertson 相似文献
17.
James H. Bandoli 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2002,51(3):222-226
Male spottail darters (Etheostoma squamiceps) defend nest sites in which females deposit eggs over the course of several weeks. In laboratory experiments, I tested three predictions of the hypothesis that the presence of eggs increases the value of a nest site to male spottail darters: (1) males should preferentially defend nests with eggs over empty nests, and males that sired the eggs should (2) spend more time defending them and (3) consume less of their broods than should alloparent males. Parent males were tested using eggs they were guarding in the field; alloparents included males that were not defending eggs immediately prior to the experiment (inexperienced), and males that were defending eggs in the field when captured but were given eggs sired by a different male (experienced). In choice experiments in which males were offered nest sites differing only in the presence of eggs, males preferred to defend nest sites with eggs regardless of parental status. Parent males spent significantly more time defending eggs and consumed less of their broods than did inexperienced alloparent males. Experienced alloparent males were similar to parent males in brood defense but had levels of filial cannibalism similar to inexperienced males, suggesting that prior experience may influence brood defense but not egg consumption. 相似文献
18.
Sperm competition and sexual selection: a meta-analysis of paternity studies of birds 总被引:8,自引:0,他引:8
Sperm competition (the competition among the sperm of different males for fertilization of the eggs of a female) has been
suggested to be an important component of sexual selection, but no general assessment has been made of this proposition. We
used a meta-analytic approach to assess the extensive literature on paternity (the proportion of offspring in a focal nest
sired by an attending male) in birds based on allozyme and molecular techniques. The relative variance in male mating success
was on average increased by a factor of 4.6 over the variance in apparent male success. Males with more extravagant secondary
sexual characters had higher paternity in their own nests than less adorned males. There was a weak effect of male age being
positively associated with paternity in own nests. Male body size measured as the length of wing and tarsus was weakly positively
associated with paternity in own nests. Male survival prospect was positively associated with paternity in own nests. Polygynous
males generally had decreased paternity of their broods compared to monogamous males. Paternity of the resident male decreased
with increasing population density and breeding asynchrony. The intensity of paternity guards such as within-pair copulation
rate and mate guarding were not significantly related to extra-pair paternity. Sperm competition was thus an important component
of sexual selection by increasing the variance in male mating success, and by being associated with the expression of secondary
sexual characters, in particular in dense and asynchronously breeding populations of birds.
Received: 12 February 1998 / Accepted after revision: 31 May 1998 相似文献
19.
A growing number of studies conducted on diverse taxa have shown that extra-pair/group paternity is higher than what would
be predicted from behavioral observations alone. While it may be beneficial for females to mate with multiple males, this
often results in offspring not sired by the behavioral father, which could influence offspring survival, especially in social
mammals. Feral horses (Equus caballus) maintain stable social relationships over several years, usually with one stallion defending a harem band of unrelated mares
against other males. Sneak copulations by subordinate males have been observed and mares sometimes change bands, both of which
can result in foals sired by males other than the dominant band stallion. We measured female fidelity in free-ranging feral
horses in 23 bands, with 51 foals over four foaling seasons and tested offspring paternity against parental behaviors. We
used 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci and the program CERVUS 2.0 to determine and exclude potential sires. The majority
of mares remained in the band with the sire of their foal resulting in most foals being sired by the band stallion. Most foals
that were not sired by the band stallion were born in the year after a round-up and we could not determine if they were the
result of band changing or sneak copulations. Foals born into a band without their sire had lower survival rates and mothers
were significantly more protective of foals not sired by the band stallion. These findings suggest that band stability increases
the reproductive success of mares and support the importance of infanticide risk in equid social structure. 相似文献
20.
Arild Johnsen Henrik Pärn Frode Fossøy Oddmund Kleven Terje Laskemoen Jan T. Lifjeld 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2008,62(11):1761-1767
Extra-pair paternity is common in birds and much research has focussed on the selective advantage of extra-pair matings for
both sexes. In contrast, little attention has been given to the fact that in most species the majority of offspring are sired
by the social male. We investigated whether extra-pair matings of female bluethroats (Luscinia svecica) are constrained by the presence of the pair male, by detaining males in cages on their territories for one morning during
the peak of female fertility. The proportion of offspring sired by extra-pair males was higher in broods where males had been
detained (35%) than in control broods (16%), while the proportion of broods that had at least one extra-pair offspring did
not differ significantly between experimental (65%) and control broods (44%). Within the experimental group, levels of extra-pair
paternity were not related to the day of experiment in relation to start of egg laying, but males caught early in the morning
lost more paternity than males caught later on. Our results show that pair males exert constraints on the frequency of extra-pair
paternity by being present during the period of peak fertility, which could be a direct effect of their mate guarding effort
and/or due to an advantage in sperm competition for pair males. 相似文献