La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	Mate fidelity in a population of Island Canaries (Serinus canaria) in the Madeiran Archipelago
Auteurs :	C. Voigt, Auteur ; S. Leitner, Auteur ; M. Gahr, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Journal of Ornithology (144(1) 2003)
Article en page(s) :	86-92
Langues:	Anglais
Résumé :	Previous studies have shown that extra-pair paternity occurs less frequently in island populations than in mainland populations. This is thought to be due mainly to the low genetic variability in island populations but non-genetic factors have also been discussed. Here we report the results of a parentage analysis in a population of island canaries (Serinus canaria ) on a small uninhabited island in the Madeiran archipelago. Island canaries are socially monogamous, non-migratory seasonal breeders where biparental care is essential for offspring survival. Multilocus DNA-fingerprinting provided no evidence of extra-pair-paternity in 15 families comprising 45 juveniles. The band sharing coefficient for presumably unrelated breeding pairs was low (0.17 +/- 0.03), an indication that genetic variability within the population is similar to most non-island populations of other species. Females did not seek extra-pair copulations and actively rejected sexual approaches from males other than their mate. We propose that female island canaries assess the quality of males during a period outside the breeding season and optimise their mate choice according to learned preferences.

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