Extrapair paternity and egg hatchability in tree swallows: evidence for the genetic compatibility hypothesis?

Kempenaers, Bart; Congdon, Bradley C.; Boag, Peter T.; Robertson, Raleigh J.

doi:10.1093/beheco/10.3.304

Cited by 206 publications

(132 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

123

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In other species, this value averages around 60% but can range up to 100% in individual harems (Storz et al 2001b;Ortega et al 2003). In comparison, male birds, such as tree swallows, remain socially monogamous in spite of 70% or more extra-pair copulations by the females (Kempenaers et al 1999). Thus, our estimate of 46% falls well within the range reported from other species.…”

Section: Male Point Of Viewsupporting

confidence: 83%

Mating system of a Neotropical roost-making bat: the white-throated, round-eared bat, Lophostoma silvicolum (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)

Dechmann

Kalko

König

et al. 2005

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The vast majority of bats strongly depend on, but do not make, shelters or roosts. We investigated Lophostoma silvicolum, which roosts in active termite nests excavated by the bats themselves, to study the relationship between roost choice and mating systems. Due to the hardness of the termite nests, roost-making is probably costly in terms of time and energy for these bats. Video-observations and capture data showed that single males excavate nests. Only males in good physical condition attracted females to the resulting roosts. Almost all groups captured from excavated nests were single male-multifemale associations, suggesting a harem structure. Paternity assignments based on ten polymorphic microsatellites, revealed a high reproductive success of 46% by nest-holding males. We suggest that the mating system of L. silvicolum is based on a resource-defense polygyny. The temperatures in the excavated nests are warm and stable, and might provide a suitable shelter for reproductive females. Reproductive success achieved by harem males appears to justify the time and effort required to excavate the nests. Reproductive success may thus have selected on an external male phenotype, the excavated nests, and have contributed to the evolution of an otherwise rare behavior in bats.

show abstract

Section: Male Point Of Viewsupporting

confidence: 83%

Mating system of a Neotropical roost-making bat: the white-throated, round-eared bat, Lophostoma silvicolum (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)

Dechmann

Kalko

König

et al. 2005

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In distinguishing between two of the major classes of indirect genetic benefits, the avoidance of genetic incompatibility and the acquisition of ''good genes'' (review in Zeh and Zeh 2003), it has become customary to attribute any increase in hatching success resulting from polyandry to a reduction in genetic incompatibility, whereas any increases in offspring viability and performance are typically attributed to genes obtained from superior sires (e.g., Tregenza and Wedell 1998;Kempenaers et al 1999;Simmons 2001;Sakaluk et al 2002). However, this distinction is probably overly simplistic because the effects of genetic incompatibility and ''good genes'' can be manifest at any stage of reproduction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polyandry Promotes Enhanced Offspring Survival in Decorated Crickets

2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Although female multiple mating is ubiquitous in insects, its adaptive significance remains poorly understood. Benefits to multiple mating can accrue via direct material benefits, indirect genetic benefits, or both. We investigated the effects of multiple mating in the decorated cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus, by simultaneously varying the number of times that females mated and the number of different males with which they mated, measuring aspects of female fecundity and elements of offspring performance and viability. Multiple matings resulted in enhanced female fitness relative to single matings when females mated with different partners, but not when females mated repeatedly with the same male. Specifically, polyandrous females produced significantly more offspring surviving to reproductive maturity than did monogamous females mating once or mating repeatedly with the same male. These results suggest that the benefit females gain from multiple mating is influenced primarily by genetic and not material benefits.

show abstract

“…The potential benefits that females may receive from extrapair mates include: (ii) direct benefits such as resources or increased paternal care provided by helpers at the nest (direct benefits hypothesis ;Wolf 1975;Burke et al 1989;Colwell & Oring 1989) or (iii) indirect genetic reproductive benefits including obtaining 'good genes' for their offspring (genetic quality hypothesis ;Møller 1988;Hamilton 1990;Westneat et al 1990;Birkhead & Møller 1992;Gray 1997), maximizing genetic diversity among their offspring (genetic diversity hypothesis; Westneat et al 1990) or maximizing genetic compatibility between themselves and the father of the offspring (genetic compatibility hypothesis; Zeh & Zeh 1996; Kempenaers et al 1999;Tregenza & Wedell 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female extrapair mate choice in a cooperative breeder: trading sex for help and increasing offspring heterozygosity

Rubenstein

2007

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sexual conflict between males and females over mating is common. Females that copulate with extrapair mates outside the pair-bond may gain (i) direct benefits such as resources or increased paternal care, (ii) indirect genetic benefits for their offspring, or (iii) insurance against infertility in their own social mate. Few studies have been able to demonstrate the different contexts in which females receive varying types of benefits from extrapair mates. Here, I examined sexual conflict, female extrapair mate choice, and patterns of extrapair paternity in the cooperatively breeding superb starling Lamprotornis superbus using microsatellite markers. Although extrapair paternity was lower than many other avian cooperative breeders (14% of offspring and 25% of nests), females exhibited two distinct mating patterns: half of the extrapair fertilizations were with males from inside the group, whereas half were with males from outside the group. Females with few potential helpers copulated with extrapair mates from within their group and thereby gained direct benefits in the form of additional helpers at the nest, whereas females paired to mates that were relatively less heterozygous than themselves copulated with extrapair mates from outside the group and thereby gained indirect genetic benefits in the form of increased offspring heterozygosity. Females did not appear to gain fertility insurance from copulating with extrapair mates. This is the first study to show that individuals from the same population mate with extrapair males and gain both direct and indirect benefits, but that they do so in different contexts.

show abstract

Extrapair paternity and egg hatchability in tree swallows: evidence for the genetic compatibility hypothesis?

Cited by 206 publications

References 47 publications

Mating system of a Neotropical roost-making bat: the white-throated, round-eared bat, Lophostoma silvicolum (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)

Mating system of a Neotropical roost-making bat: the white-throated, round-eared bat, Lophostoma silvicolum (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)

Polyandry Promotes Enhanced Offspring Survival in Decorated Crickets

Female extrapair mate choice in a cooperative breeder: trading sex for help and increasing offspring heterozygosity

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About