Do common eiders nest in kin groups? Microgeographic genetic structure in a philopatric sea duck

Sonsthagen, Sarah A.; Talbot, Sandra L.; Lanctot, Richard B.; McCracken, Kevin G.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-294x.2009.04495.x

Cited by 27 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Consequently, the average degree of relatedness between individuals drawn randomly from this population cannot be expected to be high. The mean relatedness between the 14 mothers in our sample, -0.04, was within the lower range so far obtained in DNA fingerprinting studies on other Eider populations (Ö st et al 2005;Sonsthagen et al 2010), indicating low kinship. Notwithstanding the wide annual variation in the observational rate of first-order kin, there was little evidence of individuals actively seeking out their relatives and harmonizing their laying schedules according to kin.…”

Section: Parametersupporting

confidence: 54%

“…The comparatively low values of host-parasite relatedness found in Eiders so far may imply that (1) the ability of kin recognition is low, (2) kin are mainly avoided, or (3) female kin aggregation in colonies is low or stochastic (Sonsthagen et al 2010). Another puzzling feature is that protein fingerprinting may also lead to underestimation of relatedness (Anderholm et al 2009b;Jaatinen 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Kin structure and choice of brood care in a Common Eider (Somateria m. mollissima) population

Hario¹,

Koljonen²,

Rintala³

2012

J Ornithol

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We investigated the presence of kin-biased cooperative breeding in the Common Eider (Somateria m. mollissima), a colonial seaduck commonly presumed to have a high rate of natal philopatry. Based on a 23-yearlong time series of individually marked mothers and daughters, we found that on average 18% of the study population consisted of first-order relatives: mothers, daughters, and female siblings. However, there were years with no or only a few first-order kin pairs present. This was due to the overall low duckling survival in this species and the high rate of natal dispersal in this population. There was no apparent tendency for timely nesting relatives (laying within 3 days of each other) to approach each other, indicating no firm kin recognition. In a 3-year sampling of DNA from egg shell membranes, the annual rate of intraspecific brood parasitism in the population varied between 25 and 67%. However, becoming parasitized had no effect on the subsequent choice of brood tending tactics, i.e., whether to tend alone or communally. Neither was the choice of brood tending tactics affected by the number of own eggs in the clutch or by the female body condition. However, becoming a communal brood-tender was jointly contributed by the presence of alien eggs in the nest and the presence of first-order kin in the colony during early breeding. The greatest effect on females favoring communal brood care instead of rearing alone was due to the number of similar-aged broods nearby at the time of nest exodus. We found no evidence of firm kin recognition among individuals in our study population. ZusammenfassungVerwandtschaftsstruktur und Brutpflegetaktik in einer Population der Europäischen Eiderente (Somateria m. mollissima)Wir haben das Auftreten von verwandtschaftsbasiertem kooperativem Brüten bei der Europäischen Eiderente (Somateria m. mollissima) untersucht, einer koloniebrütenden Meerente, bei der im Allgemeinen eine ausgeprägte Geburtsortstreue angenommen wird. Basierend auf einer 23 Jahre währenden Zeitreihe individuell markierter Mütter und Töchter fanden wir, dass durchschnittlich 18% der untersuchten Population aus Verwandten ersten Grades bestanden: Müttern, Töchtern und Schwestern. Es gab jedoch Jahre, in denen nur wenige Verwandtschaftspaare ersten Grades anwesend waren. Dies war auf die insgesamt niedrige Ü berlebensrate der Entenküken bei dieser Art und die hohe Rate der Abwanderung vom Geburtsort in dieser Population zurückzuführen. Verwandte, die innerhalb von drei Tagen mit der Eiablage begannen, zeigten keine offensichtliche Tendenz, sich einander zu nähern, was darauf hindeutet, dass Verwandte nicht sicher erkannt werden. Die Entnahme von DNA-Proben aus der Eischalenmembran über einen Zeitraum von drei Jahren zeigte, dass die jährliche Rate von intraspezifischem Brutparasitismus in der Population zwischen 25 und 67% variierte. Ob ein Nest parasitiert wurde oder nicht, hatte jedoch keinen Einfluss darauf, ob Communicated by P

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Section: Parametersupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Kin structure and choice of brood care in a Common Eider (Somateria m. mollissima) population

Hario¹,

Koljonen²,

Rintala³

2012

J Ornithol

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“…Gene flow in the opposite direction is likely occuring at substantially lower levels relative to mutation. Given that the number of effective immigrants is not high, it is thus no surprise that differention was found in mtDNA and other loci, particularly as female waterfowl have been repeatedly shown to exhibit high levels of philopatry and breeding site fidelity [64], [65]. In sum, speckled teal inhabiting the Falkland Islands likely comprise a distinct demographic unit, and while significant numbers of immigrants probably arrive from Argentina annually, gene flow is likely restricted and it may be that the Falkland Islands population is predominantly resident and non-migratory.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gene Flow and Hybridization between Numerically Imbalanced Populations of Two Duck Species in the Falkland Islands

McCracken

Wilson

2011

PLoS ONE

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Interspecific hybridization is common in plants and animals, particularly in waterfowl (Anatidae). One factor shown to contribute to hybridization is restricted mate choice, which can occur when two species occur in sympatry but one is rare. The Hubbs principle, or “desperation hypothesis,” states that under such circumstances the rarer species is more likely to mate with heterospecifics. Here we report interspecific hybridization between two waterfowl species that coexist in broad sympatry and mixed flocks throughout southern South America. Speckled teal (Anas flavirostris) and yellow-billed pintails (Anas georgica) are abundant in continental South America, but in the Falkland Islands speckled teal outnumber yellow-billed pintails approximately ten to one. Using eight genetic loci (mtDNA and 7 nuclear introns) coupled with Bayesian assignment tests and relatedness analysis, we identified a speckled teal x yellow-billed pintail F1 hybrid female and her duckling sired by a male speckled teal. Although our sample in the Falkland Islands was small, we failed to identify unequivocal evidence of hybridization or introgression in a much larger sample from Argentina using a three-population “isolation with migration” coalescent analysis. While additional data are needed to determine if this event in the Falkland Islands was a rare singular occurrence, our results provide further support for the “desperation hypothesis,” which states that scarcity in one population and abundance of another will often lead to hybridization.

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“…There is no genetic differentiation between islands, suggesting that strict natal philopatry to nesting islands does not occur for this population (Ö st et al 2005). However, kin-based clusters, within which breeding dispersal may be constrained, may still occur on the within-island scale, as has been shown in two other eider populations (McKinnon et al 2006, Sonsthagen et al 2010. Elucidating the role of personality and microgeographic genetic structure may narrow the remaining gaps in our knowledge of the factors driving individual dispersal decisions.…”

Section: Consequences Of Breeding Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Additional factors such as personality (Dingemanse et al 2003) and non-random genetic structuring (Sonsthagen et al 2010) may also affect dispersal. There is no genetic differentiation between islands, suggesting that strict natal philopatry to nesting islands does not occur for this population (Ö st et al 2005).…”

Section: Consequences Of Breeding Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes and consequences of fine-scale breeding dispersal in a female-philopatric species

et al. 2010

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The potentially confounded effects of factors affecting breeding dispersal have rarely been simultaneously examined. The consequences of breeding dispersal are even less studied, presenting a paradox: breeding dispersal seldom seems to improve breeding success, despite its presumed adaptiveness. We studied the causes and consequences of breeding dispersal in female-philopatric eiders (Somateria mollissima) in relation to the spatiotemporal predictability of nest success. Previous nest fate, breeding experience, and breeding density simultaneously affected breeding dispersal. Dispersal distances were longer among inexperienced breeders and after failed breeding. Individual dispersal distances decreased with increasing nest-site-specific breeding density, whereas island-specific nesting success peaked at intermediate densities. The fate of neighbouring nests ('public information') did not influence dispersal. Breeding dispersal was unrelated to subsequent hatching success, controlling for individual quality (body condition, breeding experience, previous nest fate), while it delayed hatch date, which is likely to impair reproductive success. This delay may result from the loss of acquired information of local breeding conditions, prolonging nest prospecting and establishment, also helping explain why breeding dispersal did not increase at high breeding densities, despite a potential reduction in nesting success. In long-lived species, however, dispersal-induced reductions in reproductive output in one season could be offset by improved parental survival prospects. Careful nest prospecting may be profitable, because overall nest success had a strong island-specific component but showed weak temporal variation, and successive individual nest fates were predictable between years. Once a safe nest site is found, females may breed at the same place successfully for many years.

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Do common eiders nest in kin groups? Microgeographic genetic structure in a philopatric sea duck

Cited by 27 publications

References 57 publications

Kin structure and choice of brood care in a Common Eider (Somateria m. mollissima) population

Kin structure and choice of brood care in a Common Eider (Somateria m. mollissima) population

Gene Flow and Hybridization between Numerically Imbalanced Populations of Two Duck Species in the Falkland Islands

Causes and consequences of fine-scale breeding dispersal in a female-philopatric species

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