Current analyses do not resolve whether extra-pair paternity is male or female driven |
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Authors: | Sigrunn Eliassen Hanna Kokko |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biology, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, 5020 Bergen, Norway;(2) Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland;(3) School of Botany and Zoology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia |
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Abstract: | Recent studies question the importance of indirect genetic effects in explaining female benefits of extra-pair matings in
socially monogamous species. Compiling data on 14 wild bird species, Arnqvist and Kirkpatrick (Am Nat 165:S26–S37, 2005) estimated
the average direct cost in terms or reduced parental care to be an order of magnitude larger than the potential effect of
genetic benefits. This study has sparked a debate regarding potential confounding factors but no consensus appears to have
been reached. Here we focus on the implicit assumption that all individuals face the same selective pressures and argue that
this assumption is probably too strong in most cases. Using a theoretical model we show that when the amount of resources
that a male provides depends on territory quality, his physical condition or prospects for alternative breeding opportunities,
a female may respond to such differences by altering her mating behaviour. Such confounding factors may lead to direct fitness
effects that result in negative correlations between paternal care and paternity even if females that produce extra-pair young
experience a net benefit. Negative correlations can also result when males forcefully seek copulations and females resist
them. We discuss the studies included in the analysis in this light, and conclude that current analyses on the net selective
pressures remain uninformative. In addition to considering average effects across individuals and species we suggest giving
attention to individual differences and the influence of ecological factors such as territory quality and predation pressures
on female mating behaviour. |
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Keywords: | Extra-pair paternity Parental care Mate choice Sexual selection |
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