Male extraterritorial behavior predicts extrapair paternity pattern in blue tits,<i>Cyanistes caeruleus</i>

Schlicht, Lotte; Vâlcu, Mihai; Kempenaers, Bart

doi:10.1093/beheco/arv076

Cited by 36 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Sheldon () hypothesized that female chaffinch ( Fringilla coelebs ) performed solicitation displays to signal their fertility to neighboring extra‐pair males, and female reed warblers ( Acrocephalus scirpaceus ) that exhibited solicitation behavior toward extra‐pair males were more likely to have extra‐pair offspring in their broods (Hoi, Krištofík, & Darolová, ). Although our results are consistent with sex steroids mediating rates of extra‐pair paternity by influencing the extra‐pair copulation behavior of females, further studies that combine observations of female behavior in aviaries (Drevon & Slagsvold, ) with new technologies in the field to track extra‐territorial forays (Celis‐Murillo et al., ; Schlicht, Valcu, & Kempenaers, ) would greatly improve our understanding of the behavioral mechanisms that underlie variation in extra‐pair paternity among females.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Experimentally altering pre‐breeding sex steroids reduces extra‐pair paternity in female tree swallows

2018

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Extra‐pair paternity commonly occurs in many socially monogamous animal species, yet the reasons why females mate with males outside the social pair bond remain poorly understood. Because sex steroids mediate aggressive and sexual behaviors that peak prior to egg laying in female birds, we tested whether they also influence the rate of extra‐pair paternity in nests of female tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). In one treatment, we experimentally elevated testosterone (T) using implants containing exogenous T, and in another treatment, we blocked the estrogenic and androgenic actions of T using implants containing 1,4,6‐androstatrien‐3,17‐dione in combination with flutamide (ATD+F). Females with empty implants served as controls. Nests of females treated with T and those with ATD+F were less likely to contain extra‐pair offspring and had a lower proportion of extra‐pair offspring, compared to control females. Treating females with T also delayed clutch initiation dates and disrupted incubation behavior, as found in previous studies, but clutch sizes of T females did not differ from controls. Females treated with ATD+F tended to lay larger clutches than control and T‐treated females, which may be due to their clutch sizes not declining with later initiation dates as found in the T and control treatments; however, after controlling for brood size, ATD+F females produced nestlings that were lighter at day 16 than control females. Although the effect of T on extra‐pair paternity that we observed in tree swallows is consistent with previous studies in female birds, our results demonstrate that blocking the estrogenic and/or androgenic actions of T during pre‐breeding also lowers extra‐pair paternity. Overall, our study suggests that extra‐pair paternity in tree swallows is mediated by sex steroids of females.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Experimentally altering pre‐breeding sex steroids reduces extra‐pair paternity in female tree swallows

2018

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“…Fortunately, an increasing number of bird populations are now equipped with devices allowing automated or remote detection of individuals (Aplin et al 2012, Farine et al 2015, and this will make it easier to study brood failure and extra-pair behaviour of males and females. For example, a recent study using passive integrative transponder (PIT) tags showed that both male and female blue tits made frequent forays in the territories of their first-order neigbhours throughout the breeding season, which suggests that close neighbours interact in a number of ways that yet remain to be investigated (Schlicht et al 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlates of complete brood failure in blue tits: could extra‐pair mating provide unexplored benefits to females?

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Charmantier

Jørgensen

et al. 2018

Journal of Avian Biology

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Behavioural ecologists have for decades investigated the adaptive value of extra‐pair copulation (EPC) for females of socially monogamous species. Despite extensive effort testing for genetic benefits, there now seems to be a consensus that the so‐called ‘good genes’ effects are at most weak. In parallel the search for direct benefits has mostly focused on the period surrounding egg laying, thus neglecting potential correlates of EPC that might be expressed at later stages in the breeding cycle. Here we used Bayesian methods to analyse data collected over four years in a population of blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus, where no support was previously found for ‘good genes’ effects. We found that broods with mixed paternity experienced less brood failure at the nestling stage than broods with single paternity, and that females having experienced complete brood failure in their previous breeding attempt had higher rates of mixed paternity than either yearling or previously successful females. To better understand these observations we also explored relationships between extra‐pair mating, male and female phenotype, and local breeding density. We found that in almost all cases the sires of extra‐pair offspring were close neighbours, and that within those close neighbourhoods extra‐pair sires were older than other males not siring extra‐pair offspring. Also, females did not display consistent EPC status across years. Taken together our results suggest that multiple mating might be a flexible female behaviour influenced by previous breeding experience, and motivate further experimental tests of causal links between extra‐pair copulation and predation.

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“…This explains why increased perceived predation risk often leads to decreases in clutch size (Doligez & Clobert, 2003;Julliard, McCleery, Clobert, & Perrins, 1997) or in investment in parental care (Lima, 2009;Ydenberg, 1994) in systems with transitory predators. In these situations, individuals should also decrease investment in extrapair reproduction because it requires movement across territories (Schlicht, Valcu, & Kempenaers, 2015), increasing the probability of encountering a predator. In contrast, in systems where the detection of predators is indicative of a long-term increase in predation risk, or where there is a high probability of death between breeding seasons, individuals should shift their investment towards current reproduction as an adaptive "terminal investment" strategy (Clutton-Brock, 1984;Hõrak, Tummeleht, & Talvik, 2006) or disperse to breed in lower-risk areas (Chalfoun & Martin, 2010).…”

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confidence: 99%

Does perceived predation risk affect patterns of extra‐pair paternity? A field experiment in a passerine bird

et al. 2018

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Non‐consumptive predator effects have been shown to influence a wide range of behavioural, life history and morphological traits. Extra‐pair reproduction is widespread among socially monogamous birds and may incur predation costs. Consequently, altered rates of extra‐pair reproduction are expected in circumstances characterized by increased adult perceived predation risk. In addition, extra‐pair reproduction is expected to be most affected for birds with phenotypes that generally increase predation risk (such as more active individuals). In two consecutive years, perceived predation risk was manipulated for great tits Parus major breeding in 12 nest‐box plots by broadcasting sounds of their main predator (European sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus; six plots). As a control treatment, sounds of a sympatric, avian non‐predator species were broadcast (Eurasian blackbird Turdus merula; six plots). Levels of extra‐pair paternity did not differ between plots with different predation risk treatments. Males that moved more in a novel environment (more active or “faster exploring”) tended to have offspring with fewer partners, but this effect did not vary with predation risk treatment. From an adaptive viewpoint, predation costs associated with extra‐pair reproduction may be small and may not outweigh the benefits of extra‐pair behaviour. Research on a broader range of taxa with different mating strategies is now needed to confirm the generality of our findings. A http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.13052/suppinfo is available for this article.

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Male extraterritorial behavior predicts extrapair paternity pattern in blue tits,Cyanistes caeruleus

Cited by 36 publications

References 42 publications

Experimentally altering pre‐breeding sex steroids reduces extra‐pair paternity in female tree swallows

Experimentally altering pre‐breeding sex steroids reduces extra‐pair paternity in female tree swallows

Correlates of complete brood failure in blue tits: could extra‐pair mating provide unexplored benefits to females?

Does perceived predation risk affect patterns of extra‐pair paternity? A field experiment in a passerine bird

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