© 1995 International Society for Behavioral Ecology
research-article |
Strategic paternity assurance in the sex-role reversed Eurasian dotterel (Charadrius morinellus): behavioral and genetic evidence
Department of Zoology, University of Leicester Leicester LE1 7RH, UK 1Uplands and Peatlands Branch, Research and Advisory Service Scottish Natural Heritage, 2/5 Anderson Place, Edinburgh EH6 5NP, UK 2Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, and Department of Genetics and Biometry, University College London, London NW1 2HE, UK
ABSTRACT
Sex role reversal in birds is usually associated with paternal care of both eggs and chicks. This pattern of care typically leads to the potential rate of reproduction of males being lower than that of females. Hence, operational sex-ratio theory predicts that each male should be under strong selection to avoid being cuckolded. A male should, therefore, guard his female partner(s) from extrapair copulation attempts by other males. Furthermore, the sexual conflict theory of copulation behavior predicts that in species with extensive paternal care the male should control the temporal pattern of copulations—copulations should occur both frequently and throughout the prelaying period. We tested these predictions in the Eurasian dotterel (Charadrius morinsllus), in which the male usually provides all the parental care. In accordance with the first prediction, male dotterels did "guard" their pair-female prior to egg-laying. Contrary to the second prediction, however, copulations were not frequent and did not occur throughout the pre-laying phase-despite frequent solicitation by the female, copulations only occurred immediately prior to egg-laying. Nevertheless, male-initiated courtship was both coincident with the pattern of copulations and more likely than female-initiated courtship to result in copulation. Our results do, therefore, appear to agree with the central prediction of the sexual conflict theory that males should control the pattern of copulations. We suggest that male dotterels will copulate only after several days of being paired because they face a duel risk of cuckoldry from both extrapair copulation and rapid mate switching. We tested the realized incidence of cuckoldry using DNA fingerprinting. Only 4.6% (2/44) of chicks were not the genetic offspring of the caring male corresponding to 9.1% (2/22) broods affected. The rate of extrapair paternity in the dotterel is, therefore, relatively low compared to that in many other avian species. We conclude that male dotterels successfully protect their paternity of the brood for which they care through a combined strategy of mate guarding and strategic timing of copulations.
Key words: Charadrius morinellus, Eurasian dotterel, extrapair copulation, paternal care. [Behav Ecol 6:14–21 (1995)].
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  C. Spottiswoode and A. P. Moller Extrapair paternity, migration, and breeding synchrony in birds Behav. Ecol., January 1, 2004; 15(1): 41 - 57. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. M. Haig, T. R. Mace, and T. D. Mullins Parentage and Relatedness in Polyandrous Comb-Crested Jacanas Using ISSRs J. Hered., July 1, 2003; 94(4): 302 - 309. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. P. Moller and J. J. Cuervo The evolution of paternity and paternal care in birds Behav. Ecol., September 1, 2000; 11(5): 472 - 485. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|