Female choice for genetic complementarity in birds: a review

Abstract

Data from avian species have played a prominent role in developing and testing theories of female mate choice. One of the most prominent models of sexual selection, the "good genes" model, emphasizes the indirect benefits of female preferences for male ornaments as indicators of a potential sire's additive genetic quality. However, there is growing interest in non-additive sources of genetic quality and mate choice models for self-referential disassortative mating based on optimal levels of genetic dissimilarity. We reviewed the empirical evidence for genetic-complementarity-based female mate choice among birds. We found the evidence for such choice is mixed but in general against the genetic complementarity hypothesis. The lack of evidence for genetic complementarity in many birds may be due to an inability to make the fine distinctions among potential mates based on genes, possibly due to the comparative anosmatic nature of avian sensory system. For some species however there is compelling evidence for genetic complementarity as a criterion used in female mate choice. Understanding the ubiquity of female mate choice based on genetic complementarity and the variation in this source of female preference among and within species remains a challenge.

Extrapair Copulations Predict Extrapair Fertilizations in the American Crow

“…Certain females, such as those paired to a low-quality male, might have been more likely to accept EPCs (Jennions and Petrie 2000, Kempenaers 2007, Mays et al 2008. Certain males might have been less able to adequately guard their females if they were in poor condition, if a large number of adult male auxiliaries competed with them for paternity, and/or if they were continually harassed by one or more extrapair males from outside of the group.…”

“…Although in some species there is evidence suggesting that females might seek their extrapair partners (Neudorf et al 1997, Double and Cockburn 2000, Pedersen et al 2006), relatively few extrapair copulations (EPCs) have actually been documented, and some of these appear to be unsolicited, or even resisted, by females (reviewed in Westneat and Stewart 2003). Across taxa, evidence for genetic benefits of EPP derived by females is mixed (Akcay and Roughgarden 2007, Kempenaers 2007, Mays et al 2008, and in general the degree to which we might expect EPP to be sought by females for its fitness benefits is debatable (Arnqvist and Kirkpatrick 2005, Griffith 2007. Available data appear insufficient to resolve the issue (Eliassen and Kokko 2008).…”

How multiple mating by females affects sexual selection

“…While post-mating sexual selection within this zone may behave like a lottery [8,10] rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org Phil Trans R Soc B 368: 20120046 numbers are likely to be self-reinforcing. This zone identifies a scenario that could be called WFO; a mating system, which, as mentioned, describes situations now known as genetic complementarity [49,109,110]. When Cov C (m,o) is positive and Cov F (m,o) is negative, post-mating sexual selection is likely to be weak because females will seek multiple matings but males will not (figure 2b).…”

Behavioural defences in animals against pathogens and parasites: parallels with the pillars of medicine in humans

“…This paper will also not address the currently active field of sexual selection for disease resistance, which has become quite complex over the past one or two decades (e.g. [4,5]). …”