Heritability of the extra-pair mating behaviour of the pied flycatcher in Western Siberia

Males and females take part in extra-pair copulations in most socially monogamous bird species. The mechanisms leading to the frequent occurrence of extra-pair offspring in socially monogamous couples are strongly debated and unresolved, and they are often difficult to distinguish from one another....

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Main Authors: Grinkov, Vladimir G. (Author) , Bauer, Andreas (Author) , Sternberg, Helmut (Author) , Wink, Michael (Author)
Format: Article (Journal)
Language:English
Published: 31 July 2020
In: PeerJ
Year: 2020, Volume: 8, Pages: e9571
ISSN:2167-8359
DOI:10.7717/peerj.9571
Online Access:Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9571
Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://peerj.com/articles/9571
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Author Notes:Vladimir G. Grinkov, Andreas Bauer, Helmut Sternberg and Michael Wink
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Summary:Males and females take part in extra-pair copulations in most socially monogamous bird species. The mechanisms leading to the frequent occurrence of extra-pair offspring in socially monogamous couples are strongly debated and unresolved, and they are often difficult to distinguish from one another. Most hypotheses explaining the evolution of extra-pair reproduction suggest selective and adaptive scenarios for their origination and persistence. Is extra-pair paternity a heritable trait? We evaluated the heritability of extra-pair paternity in the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) nesting in Western Siberia. Estimated heritability was low: depending on the model used, the point estimate of the heritability (mode) varied from 0.005 to 0.11, and the bounds of the 95% confidence interval are [0-0.16] in the widest range. Thus, it seems that extra-pair mating behaviour in the pied flycatchers is a plastic phenotypic mating tactic with a small or no genetic component. Our data can help to understand the evolution of extra-pair mating behaviour in socially monogamous species.
Item Description:Gesehen am 15.10.2020
Physical Description:Online Resource
ISSN:2167-8359
DOI:10.7717/peerj.9571