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Anders Pape Moller - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Extrapair Paternity and the evolution of bird song
Behavioral Ecology, 2004Co-Authors: László Zsolt Garamszegi, Anders Pape MollerAbstract:Bird song is usually considered to have evolved in the context of sexual selection. Because extrapair Paternity is a major component of sexual selection, mating advantages at the social level for males that produce songs of high quality may be transformed into higher success in extrapair Paternity. Therefore, males with longer and more complex songs should suffer less from extrapair Paternity intraspecifically, whereas species with high rates of extrapair Paternity, reflecting intense sperm competition, should produce more elaborate songs. Although some intraspecific studies demonstrated a negative link between features of songs and extrapair Paternity in own nest, others failed to detect such a relationship. Contrary to expectation, a meta-analysis of all studies revealed no significant intraspecific evidence for songs being associated with extrapair Paternity. In addition, in comparative analyses based on generalized least squares (GLS) models, we found that no measures of song complexity and temporal output were significantly related to extrapair Paternity interspecifically, even when potentially confounding factors such as social mating system, life history, migration, habitat, or sexual dichromatism were held constant. Only plumage dichromatism was significantly related to extrapair Paternity. The absence of both intra- and interspecific relationships between measures of song variability and extrapair Paternity suggests that factors other than postmating sexual selection have been the important evolutionary forces shaping differences in song. Copyright 2004.
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The evolution of Paternity and paternal care in birds
Behavioral Ecology, 2000Co-Authors: Anders Pape Moller, José Javier CuervoAbstract:Paternity has been hypothesized to be related to the evolution of paternal care because (1) there should be selection for males not to invest in broods with an uncertain parentage, or (2) male extrapair activity is traded against paternal care. We used interspecific comparisons to discriminate between these alternatives. Male participation in three kinds of parental care (nest building, incubation, provisioning of offspring) increased with high Paternity in their own nests. Male parental activities at some stages of the breeding cycle were significantly correlated. A multivariate analysis taking this intercorrelation between different components of care and potentially confounding variables such as precociality, polyandry, and sexual dichromatism into account revealed that Paternity was significantly positively related to offspring provisioning, while male participation in the other components of parental care did not explain a significant amount of interspecific variation in Paternity. Analyses of evolutionary transitions between different dichotomized states of Paternity and paternal care provided no clear conclusions concerning evolutionary scenarios. However, theoretical arguments and the results of the contrast analyses suggest that male provisioning of offspring evolved in response to Paternity.
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breeding synchrony and Paternity in the barn swallow hirundo rustica
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 1999Co-Authors: Nicola Saino, Craig R. Primmer, Hans Ellegren, Anders Pape MollerAbstract:The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a socially monogamous passerine which usually breeds in colonies where extra-pair copulations are frequent. Males intensively guard their mates during the female fertile period. Since males are more likely to be available for extra-pair copulations when their mate is not fertile, synchrony in timing of breeding may affect Paternity of individual males. In this study, we analysed the change in mate-guarding rate by males in relation to the fertility condition of the female, and the relationships between breeding synchrony and density with Paternity in first broods of 52 male barn swallows. Paternity (proportion of nestlings fathered in own brood) was assessed by typing of three highly polymorphic microsatellite loci. Mate guarding by males peaked during the fertile period of their mates. Paternity increased as breeding synchrony in the colony increased. Paternity of barn swallows is positively associated with the degree of exaggeration of male tail ornaments. The relationship between male ornamentation and Paternity was partly mediated by an effect of ornament size on breeding synchrony. We suggest that females might delay breeding with low-quality males to enhance their opportunities for being fertilised by high-quality extra-pair males.
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sperm competition and sexual selection a meta analysis of Paternity studies of birds
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 1998Co-Authors: Anders Pape Moller, Paola NinniAbstract:Sperm competition (the competition among the sperm of different males for fertilization of the eggs of a female) has been suggested to be an important component of sexual selection, but no general assessment has been made of this proposition. We used a meta-analytic approach to assess the extensive literature on Paternity (the proportion of offspring in a focal nest sired by an attending male) in birds based on allozyme and molecular techniques. The relative variance in male mating success was on average increased by a factor of 4.6 over the variance in apparent male success. Males with more extravagant secondary sexual characters had higher Paternity in their own nests than less adorned males. There was a weak effect of male age being positively associated with Paternity in own nests. Male body size measured as the length of wing and tarsus was weakly positively associated with Paternity in own nests. Male survival prospect was positively associated with Paternity in own nests. Polygynous males generally had decreased Paternity of their broods compared to monogamous males. Paternity of the resident male decreased with increasing population density and breeding asynchrony. The intensity of Paternity guards such as within-pair copulation rate and mate guarding were not significantly related to extra-pair Paternity. Sperm competition was thus an important component of sexual selection by increasing the variance in male mating success, and by being associated with the expression of secondary sexual characters, in particular in dense and asynchronously breeding populations of birds.
John C. Avise - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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1984 DNA Fingerprinting and Mating Systems
Conceptual Breakthroughs in Evolutionary Genetics, 2020Co-Authors: John C. AviseAbstract:Mating systems are what they seem. Mating systems (such as monogamy, polygyny, polyandry, polygynandry, and promiscuity) traditionally were assessed by field observations of who mated with whom (or, in plants, by monitoring pollinator movements). This kind of information was difficult to obtain (especially for secretive species) and at best yielded only the “social mating system” of a population. Ideally, however, researchers would like to know the genetic mating system because this would reveal who actually had mated with whom to transmit genes to the next generation. In the 1960s, the deployment of protein-electrophoretic methods for the first time enabled evolutionary biologists to begin to assess genetic parentage (maternity and Paternity) based on molecular polymorphisms in nature, and thereby characterize a population’s actual genetic mating system. The general approach involved comparing multi-locus genotypes of candidate parents against those of progeny in focal broods, and then accumulating such information for multiple clutches in each population of interest. In 1984, a related breakthrough was the invention of methods for “DNA fingerprinting” based on hypervariable “minisatellite” regions of eukaryotic genomes.
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Cuckoldry rates in the Molly Miller (scartella cristata; blenniidae), a hole-nesting marine fish with alternative reproductive tactics
Marine Biology, 2005Co-Authors: Mark Mackiewicz, Brady A. Porter, Elizabeth E. Dakin, John C. AviseAbstract:Microsatellite markers were developed and employed to assess genetic maternity and Paternity of embryos in nest-tended clutches of the Molly Miller ( Scartella cristata ), a marine fish in which alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) by males were recently described from behavioral and morphological evidence. Genetic data gathered for 1,536 surveyed progeny, from 23 barnacle-nest holes in a single Floridian population, indicate that on average about 5.5 females (range 3–9) contributed to the pool of progeny within a nest. With regard to Paternity, the microsatellite data demonstrate that most of the surveyed nests (82.6%) contained at least some embryos that had not been sired by the nest-tending (bourgeois) male, and overall that 12.4% of offspring in the population had been sired via "stolen" fertilizations by other males. These are among the highest values of cuckoldry documented to date in nest-tending fishes, and they support and quantify the notion that the nest-parasitic ART is reproductively quite successful in this species despite what would otherwise seem to be highly defensible nesting sites (the restricted interior space of a barnacle shell). Our estimated cuckoldry rates in this population of the Molly Miller are compared to those previously reported for local populations in other nest-tending fish species, with results discussed in the context of ecological and behavioral variables that may influence relative frequencies of nest parasitism.
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molecular genetic dissection of spawning parentage and reproductive tactics in a population of redbreast sunfish lepomis auritus
Evolution, 1998Co-Authors: Andrew J Dewoody, Dean E Fletcher, David S Wilkins, William S Nelson, John C. AviseAbstract:Despite a great diversity of reproductive behaviors in fishes, few studies have examined the genetic con- sequences of alternative reproductive tactics. Here we develop and employ microsatellite markers to assess genetic Paternity and maternity of progeny cohorts in a population of redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus), a species in which males build and tend nests. Nearly 1000 progeny from 25 nests, plus nest-attendant males and nearby adults, were genotyped at microsatellite loci that displayed more than 18 alleles each. The genetic data demonstrate that multiple females (at least two to six) spawned in each nest, their offspring were spatially dispersed across a nest, and more than 90% of the young were sired by the attendant male. However, about 40% of the nests also showed genetic evidence of low-level reproductive parasitism, and two nests were tended by males that had fathered none of the sampled offspring. Genetically deduced reproductive behaviors in this population of redbreast sunfish contrast with those reported previously in bluegill sunfish (L. macrochirus) wherein heteromorphic males specialized for parasitism or for parental care coexist in high frequency. Thus, nest-parasitic reproductive behaviors in fishes appear to be evolutionary labile.
Rodolfo Jaffé - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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An Updated Guide to the Study of Polyandry in Social Insects
Sociobiology, 2014Co-Authors: Rodolfo JafféAbstract:In spite of the importance of understanding the adaptive significance of polyandry in the social Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps), little consensus exists regarding the terminology employed, the use of different Paternity estimates, the calculation of such estimates and their associated error measures, and the way Paternity should be treated in comparative studies. Here I summarize previous methodological contributions to the study of polyandry in social insects, hoping that such a compendium will serve as an updated guide to future researchers. I first revise the estimates describing queen mating behavior and Paternity outcomes in polyandrous social insects, outlining appropriate methods for calculating them. I then address the errors associated to Paternity estimates and explain how to account for them. Finally I discuss in which cases Paternity should be treated as a continuous or a categorical variable, and provide an insight into the distribution of Paternity across the social Hymenoptera. This technical review highlights the importance of standardizing research methods to prevent common errors, raise confidence in the reported data, and facilitate comparisons between studies, to help shed light into many unanswered questions.
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patterns of Paternity skew among polyandrous social insects what can they tell us about the potential for sexual selection
Evolution, 2012Co-Authors: Rodolfo Jaffé, Francisco Garciagonzalez, Susanne Den P A Boer, Leigh W Simmons, Boris BaerAbstract:Monogamy results in high genetic relatedness among offspring and thus it is generally assumed to be favored by kin selection. Female multiple mating (polyandry) has nevertheless evolved several times in the social Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps), and a substantial amount of work has been conducted to understand its costs and benefits. Relatedness and inclusive fitness benefits are, however, not only influenced by queen mating frequency but also by Paternity skew, which is a quantitative measure of Paternity biases among the offspring of polyandrous females. We performed a large-scale phylogenetic analysis of Paternity skew across polyandrous social Hymenoptera. We found a general and significant negative association between Paternity frequency and Paternity skew. High Paternity skew, which increases relatedness among colony members and thus maximizes inclusive fitness gains, characterized species with low Paternity frequency. However, species with highly polyandrous queens had low Paternity skew, with Paternity equalized among potential sires. Equal Paternity shares among fathers are expected to maximize fitness benefits derived from genetic diversity among offspring. We discuss the potential for postcopulatory sexual selection to influence patterns of Paternity in social insects, and suggest that sexual selection may have played a key, yet overlooked role in social evolution.
Carl D. Soulsbury - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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genetic patterns of Paternity and testes size in mammals
PLOS ONE, 2010Co-Authors: Carl D. SoulsburyAbstract:Background: Testes size is used as a proxy of male intrasexual competition, with larger testes indicative of greater competition. It has been shown that in some taxa, social mating systems reflect variance in testes size, but results are not consistent, and instead it has been suggested that genetic patterns of mating may reflect testes size. However, there are different measures of genetic patterns of mating. Multiple Paternity rates are the most widely used measure but are limited to species that produce multi-offspring litters, so, at least for group living species, other measures such as loss of Paternity to males outside the social group (extra group Paternity) or the proportion of offspring sired by the dominant male (alpha Paternity) might be appropriate. This study examines the relationship between testes size and three genetic patterns of mating: multiple Paternity, extragroup Paternity and alpha Paternity. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using data from mammals, phylogenetically corrected general linear models demonstrate that both multiple Paternity and alpha Paternity, but not extra group Paternity, relate to testes size. Testes size is greater in species with high multiple Paternity rates, whereas the converse is found for alpha Paternity. Additionally, length of mating season, ovulation mode and litter size significantly influenced testes size in one model. Conclusions/Significance: These results demonstrate that patterns of mating (multiple Paternity and alpha Paternity rates) determined by genetic analysis can provide reliable indicators of male postcopulatory intrasexual competition (testes size), and that other variables (length of mating season, ovulation mode, litter size) may also be important.
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Ovulation mode modifies Paternity monopolization in mammals
Biology Letters, 2010Co-Authors: Carl D. SoulsburyAbstract:There are two forms of ovulation: spontaneous and induced. As copulation triggers ovulation for induced ovulators, males can predict the timing of ovulation and may have greater Paternity monopolization than spontaneous ovulators. However, this prediction has never, to my knowledge, been tested. Using a cross-species comparison I examined the percentage of offspring sired within a litter (single Paternity) and in social species the percentage of offspring sired by the dominant male (alpha Paternity). My results indicate that ovulation mode alters the ability of males to monopolize Paternity, with males of induced ovulators having higher single Paternity and greater alpha Paternity where male-female association is intermittent.
Boris Baer - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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patterns of Paternity skew among polyandrous social insects what can they tell us about the potential for sexual selection
Evolution, 2012Co-Authors: Rodolfo Jaffé, Francisco Garciagonzalez, Susanne Den P A Boer, Leigh W Simmons, Boris BaerAbstract:Monogamy results in high genetic relatedness among offspring and thus it is generally assumed to be favored by kin selection. Female multiple mating (polyandry) has nevertheless evolved several times in the social Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps), and a substantial amount of work has been conducted to understand its costs and benefits. Relatedness and inclusive fitness benefits are, however, not only influenced by queen mating frequency but also by Paternity skew, which is a quantitative measure of Paternity biases among the offspring of polyandrous females. We performed a large-scale phylogenetic analysis of Paternity skew across polyandrous social Hymenoptera. We found a general and significant negative association between Paternity frequency and Paternity skew. High Paternity skew, which increases relatedness among colony members and thus maximizes inclusive fitness gains, characterized species with low Paternity frequency. However, species with highly polyandrous queens had low Paternity skew, with Paternity equalized among potential sires. Equal Paternity shares among fathers are expected to maximize fitness benefits derived from genetic diversity among offspring. We discuss the potential for postcopulatory sexual selection to influence patterns of Paternity in social insects, and suggest that sexual selection may have played a key, yet overlooked role in social evolution.
