| Titre : | Consequences of being unfaithful - Costs and benefits of extra pair copulations in birds. (2005) |
| Auteurs : | Tbornas Lubjuhn, Auteur |
| Type de document : | Article |
| Dans : | Vogelwarte (43(1) JAN, 2005) |
| Article en page(s) : | 3-13 |
| Langues: | Allemand |
| Résumé : | The most important discovery with respect to avian mating systems in the last three decades was the finding that extra-pair paternity occurs regularly in over 80% of all passerine bird species that were cursorily classified as monogamous in the past. Not surprisingly, this insight entailed an impressive body of research focussing on different aspects of this behavioural pattern. Besides analyses of the variation in the frequency of extra-pair paternity particularly potential costs and benefits of extra-pair copulations for (individual) males and females had been analysed. Some results of this effort and the rationales behind it are exemplified here, by detailing own work that was performed to investigate the genetic mating systems of socially monogamous great and coal tits (Parus major and R ater). Costs of extra-pair copulations for females potentially involve a decrease in paternal care, since the number of own offspring and therefore the reproductive value of a brood decreases for cuckolded males. In agreement with this hypothesis we found, that nest defence of male great tits was related to the number of offspring fathered by themselves, but not to brood size per se. Furthermore, cuckolded males fed their broods less frequently than non-cuckolded males. Since extra-pair matings seem to be costly to females, also some benefits of extra-pair copulations have to be postulated, as otherwise selection should act against its occurrence. While male great and coal tits benefit through extra-pair paternity by directly increasing their reproductive success, the benefits for females are far less clear. By studying a large number of coal tit broods, we were unable to provide evidence that "good genes" models can explain the benefits resulting from extra-pair copulations for females. Neither survival probability nor first year reproductive performance of extra-pair young and their maternal half-siblings differed, indicating that females cannot increase their reproductive success by obtaining "higher quality" or "more compatible" paternal genes through extra-pair matings. Based on these and other results it is argued, that "good genes" models alone can hardly explain the occurrence and maintenance of extra-pair paternity in birds in general and that presumably more than a single selective pressure has shaped the evolution of female multiple mating in birds. |
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