Egg rejection and clutch phenotype variation in the plain prinia<i>Prinia inornata</i>

Wang, Longwu; Liang, Wei; Yang, Canchao; Cheng, Shun-Jen; Hsu, Yu-Cheng; Lü, Xin

doi:10.1111/jav.00786

Cited by 16 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…Clutch size of the Yellow-bellied Prinia is usually five, incubation period lasts for 11-14 days, and their brood period lasts for 11-12 days. The chickens of the Yellow-bellied Prinia are altricial (Ding et al 2007(Ding et al , 2016(Ding et al , 2017Yang et al 2013Yang et al , 2014Wang et al 2016).…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brood sex ratio in the Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris)

Ding¹,

Fang²,

Huang

et al. 2017

Avian Res

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Background: The adjustment of sex ratios in birds can occur at the egg and nestling stages. Previous studies showed that the sex ratio was affected by environmental factors and parental condition; it may result in seasonal and ecosystem differences. Methods:In this study, the brood sex ratio of the Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris) in the Nonggang area, Guangxi, southwestern China, was investigated during the breeding season from May to June in 2013 using PCR amplification from whole-genome DNA extracted from blood samples. A total of 31 nests of Yellow-bellied Prinia, including 132 brood fledglings and 31 pairs, were sampled. Results:The results showed that the brood sex ratio of the Yellow-bellied Prinia was 1:1, and sex ratios of different nests were evenly distributed within the study area. No significant relationship was found between parental quality and nest characteristics with the brood sex ratio. Conclusions:The present study indicated that no brood sex ratio bias in the Yellow-bellied Prinia highlighted the complexity of sex ratio adjustment in birds. In spite of our negative results, the lack of an association between brood sex ratio and parental quality and environmental factors in the Yellow-bellied Prinia provides valuable information on the adjustment of sex ratios in birds.

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Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brood sex ratio in the Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris)

Ding¹,

Fang²,

Huang

et al. 2017

Avian Res

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“…Both island and mainland populations of plain prinias are grasp-type egg rejecters. However, the island population rejected only 4.76% of all white model eggs, compared to the 63.64% rejected by the mainland population [11]. In this study, the eggs of yellow-bellied prinia (Prinia flaviventris) were used as parasitic eggs for both mainland and island populations of the plain prinia.…”

Section: Parasitic Eggsmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…A recent study showed that the rejection of nonmimetic model eggs by the Taiwanese plain prinia population was 4.8%, considerably lower than the rejection rate of the mainland population (63.6%) [11]. Based on these previous results using model eggs [11], we used various real eggs for our artificial parasitism experiments. Both island and mainland populations of plain prinias are grasp-type egg rejecters.…”

Section: Parasitic Eggsmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Model eggs fail to detect egg recognition in host populations after brood parasitism is relaxed

et al. 2020

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Background: Obligate brood parasites exert strong selective pressure on target hosts. In response, hosts typically evolve anti-parasitism strategies, of which egg recognition is one of the most efficient. Generally, host egg-recognition capacity is determined using model eggs. Previous studies have shown that some host species, which are capable of detecting parasite eggs, do not reject model eggs. However, it is unknown that whether the reaction to model eggs varies among distinct populations of the same host in relation to the degree of parasitism pressure. Results: Here, we compared the rejection frequencies of model eggs and real eggs between mainland and island populations of the plain prinia (Prinia inornata), which are respectively sympatric and allopatric with their brood parasite, the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). Our results indicated that the mainland and island populations rejected real eggs at similar rates, but rejected model eggs, which were similar in size to real eggs but heavier, at significantly different rates: the island population rejected fewer model eggs, possibly because the rejection motivation of this population was lower due to absence of parasitism. Conclusions: Our results indicated that some factors affecting the decision to reject, such as rejection motivation, varied according to the degree of parasitism pressure, and thus influenced the frequency of egg rejection. Furthermore, our results suggested that model eggs should be used with caution in comparative studies of egg recognition abilities among species or populations subjected to different intensities of brood parasitism. That is, model eggs may fail to accurately detect egg recognition in host populations with little to no risk of parasitism.

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“…Two Prinia species exist that are closely related to the rufescent prinia in South China: the plain prinia ( P. inornata ) and the gray‐breasted prinia ( P. hodgsonii ). The plain prinia lays white or blue eggs with reddish spots (Wang et al., ), seemingly a subset of the four egg types observed in the rufescent prinia. Egg phenotype of the gray‐breasted prinia is unknown.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How can distinct egg polymorphism be maintained in the rufescent prinia (Prinia rufescens)–plaintive cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) interaction—a modeling approach

Liang

Yang

Takasu

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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In avian brood parasitism, both the host and the parasite are expected to develop various conflicting adaptations; hosts develop a defense against parasitism, such as an ability to recognize and reject parasitic eggs that look unlike their own, while parasites evolve egg mimicry to counter this host defense. Hosts may further evolve to generate various egg phenotypes that are not mimicked by parasites. Difference in egg phenotype critically affects the successful reproduction of hosts and parasites. Recent studies have shown that clear polymorphism in egg phenotype is observed in several host–parasite interactions, which suggests that egg polymorphism may be a more universal phenomenon than previously thought. We examined the mechanism for maintaining egg polymorphism in the rufescent prinia (Prinia rufescens) that is parasitized by the plaintive cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) from a theoretical viewpoint based on a mathematical model. The prinia has four distinct egg phenotypes: immaculate white, immaculate blue, white with spots, and blue with spots. Only two egg phenotypes, white with spots and blue with spots, are found in the cuckoo population. We show that the observed prinia and cuckoo phenotypes cannot be at an equilibrium and that egg polymorphism can be maintained either at stationary equilibrium or with dynamic, frequency oscillations, depending on the mutation rates of the background color and spottiness. Long‐term monitoring of the prinia–cuckoo interaction over a wide geographic range is needed to test the results of the model analyses.

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Egg rejection and clutch phenotype variation in the plain priniaPrinia inornata

Cited by 16 publications

References 50 publications

Brood sex ratio in the Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris)

Brood sex ratio in the Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris)

Model eggs fail to detect egg recognition in host populations after brood parasitism is relaxed

How can distinct egg polymorphism be maintained in the rufescent prinia (Prinia rufescens)–plaintive cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) interaction—a modeling approach

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