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Social mating systems and extrapair fertilizations in passerine birds

Hasselquist, Dennis LU and Sherman, P W (2001) In Behavioral Ecology 12(4). p.457-466
Abstract
Two alternative hypotheses have been proposed to explain how social and genetic mating systems are interrelated in birds. According to the first (male trade-off) hypothesis, social polygyny should increase extrapair fertilizations because when males concentrate on attracting additional social mates, they cannot effectively protect females with whom the); have already paired from being sexually assaulted. According to the second (female choice) hypothesis, social polygyny should decrease extrapair fertilizations because a substantial proportion of females can pair with the male of their choice, and males can effectively) guard each mate during her fertile period. To discriminate these alternatives, we comprehensively reviewed information on... (More)
Two alternative hypotheses have been proposed to explain how social and genetic mating systems are interrelated in birds. According to the first (male trade-off) hypothesis, social polygyny should increase extrapair fertilizations because when males concentrate on attracting additional social mates, they cannot effectively protect females with whom the); have already paired from being sexually assaulted. According to the second (female choice) hypothesis, social polygyny should decrease extrapair fertilizations because a substantial proportion of females can pair with the male of their choice, and males can effectively) guard each mate during her fertile period. To discriminate these alternatives, we comprehensively reviewed information on social mating systems and extrapair fertilizations in temperate zone passerine birds. We found significant inverse relationships between proportions of socially polygynous males and frequencies of extrapair young, whether each species was considered as an independent data point (using parametric statistics) or phylogenetically related species were treated as nonindependent (using contrasts analyses). When social mating systems were dichotomized, extrapair chicks were twice as frequent in monogamous as in polygynous species (0.23 vs. 0.11). We hypothesize that in socially polygynous species, (1) there is less incentive for females and males to pursue extrapair matings and (2) females incur higher costs for sexual infidelity (e.g., due to physical retaliation or reduction of paternal efforts) than in socially monogamous species. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Behavioral Ecology
volume
12
issue
4
pages
457 - 466
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:0034943738
ISSN
1045-2249
DOI
10.1093/beheco/12.4.457
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b04decd0-cfe1-4013-9d54-1be9eeeb7f11 (old id 145779)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:01:33
date last changed
2022-04-28 23:28:43
@article{b04decd0-cfe1-4013-9d54-1be9eeeb7f11,
  abstract     = {{Two alternative hypotheses have been proposed to explain how social and genetic mating systems are interrelated in birds. According to the first (male trade-off) hypothesis, social polygyny should increase extrapair fertilizations because when males concentrate on attracting additional social mates, they cannot effectively protect females with whom the); have already paired from being sexually assaulted. According to the second (female choice) hypothesis, social polygyny should decrease extrapair fertilizations because a substantial proportion of females can pair with the male of their choice, and males can effectively) guard each mate during her fertile period. To discriminate these alternatives, we comprehensively reviewed information on social mating systems and extrapair fertilizations in temperate zone passerine birds. We found significant inverse relationships between proportions of socially polygynous males and frequencies of extrapair young, whether each species was considered as an independent data point (using parametric statistics) or phylogenetically related species were treated as nonindependent (using contrasts analyses). When social mating systems were dichotomized, extrapair chicks were twice as frequent in monogamous as in polygynous species (0.23 vs. 0.11). We hypothesize that in socially polygynous species, (1) there is less incentive for females and males to pursue extrapair matings and (2) females incur higher costs for sexual infidelity (e.g., due to physical retaliation or reduction of paternal efforts) than in socially monogamous species.}},
  author       = {{Hasselquist, Dennis and Sherman, P W}},
  issn         = {{1045-2249}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{457--466}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Behavioral Ecology}},
  title        = {{Social mating systems and extrapair fertilizations in passerine birds}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/beheco/12.4.457}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/beheco/12.4.457}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2001}},
}