Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lifield, J. T.
Right arrow Articles by Slagsvold, T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Lifield, J. T.
Right arrow Articles by Slagsvold, T.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1990 International Society for Behavioral Ecology

research-article

Manipulations of male parental investment in polygynous pied flycatchers, Ficedula hypoleuca

Jon T. Lifield and Tore Slagsvold

Zoological Museum, University of Oslo Sars gt. 1, N-0562 Oslo 5, Norway

Address reprint requests to J. T. Lifjeld, who is now at the Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6.

ABSTRACT

We designed three experiments to identify important cues as to how bigamous male pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) apportion nestling feeding between their broods. Normally, males give priority to their primary brood, that is, the brood of their first-acquired mate. In the first experiment, we reversed the hatching order of primary and secondary broods by substituting eggs. Males responded by reallocating their efforts in favor of secondary broods. Males thus favored the brood that hatched first, irrespective of female mating order. In the second experiment, carried out on the same males when the younger brood was 4 or 5 days old, we transferred the older brood to the nest of the younger, and vice versa; the males changed their investment pattern accordingly, still giving priority to the older brood. In the third experiment, primary and secondary broods were made to hatch on the same day. In these cases, males divided their nestling feeding efforts fairly equally between the broods. The results reveal a remarkable flexibility of male investment decisions, which is discussed in light of parental investment theory. The fact that the degree of male assistance to secondary mates is variable and that it is to a large extent predictable from the nest initiation asynchrony of the two females has important implications for our understanding of the polyterritorial mating system of this species.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
G. Hegyi, B. Rosivall, E. Szollosi, R. Hargitai, M. Eens, and J. Torok
A role for female ornamentation in the facultatively polygynous mating system of collared flycatchers
Behav. Ecol., November 1, 2007; 18(6): 1116 - 1122.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
C.A. Hinde
Negotiation over offspring care?--a positive response to partner-provisioning rate in great tits
Behav. Ecol., January 1, 2006; 17(1): 6 - 12.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
G. B. Gronstol, I. Byrkjedal, and O. Fiksen
Predicting polygynous settlement while incorporating varying female competitive strength
Behav. Ecol., March 1, 2003; 14(2): 257 - 267.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
T. W. P. Friedl and G. M. Klump
Nest and mate choice in the red bishop (Euplectes orix) : female settlement rules
Behav. Ecol., July 1, 2000; 11(4): 378 - 386.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.