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. 2007 Nov 22;274(1627):2865-71.
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0799.

Reed bunting females increase fitness through extra-pair mating with genetically dissimilar males

Stefan M Suter  1 , Martin Keiser, Raoul Feignoux, Dietrich R Meyer
Affiliations

Reed bunting females increase fitness through extra-pair mating with genetically dissimilar males

Stefan M Suter et al. Proc Biol Sci. .

Abstract

Females of many socially monogamous species accept or even actively seek copulations outside the social pair bond. As females cannot increase the number of offspring with promiscuous behaviour, the question arises why they engage in extra-pair mating. We used microsatellite data to determine paternity, heterozygosity and genetic relatedness in the reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus), a species with high levels of extra-pair paternity (EPP). We found that extra-pair young (EPY) were more heterozygous than within-pair young (WPY). The high heterozygosity of the EPY resulted from a low genetic similarity between females and their extra-pair mates. EPY were heavier and larger when compared with their maternal half-siblings shortly before they left the nest. Recapture data indicated a higher fledgling survival of EPY compared with WPY. Our data suggest that reed bunting females increase the viability of their offspring and thus fitness through extra-pair mating with genetically dissimilar males.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean standardized individual heterozygosity (SIH) of female's offspring over different brood categories and paternities (mean values at the top, number of females at the bottom of the bars). Different brood categories are: a, entire within-pair broods; b, mixed broods; c, entire extra-pair broods. Mixed broods are separated by paternity: within-pair young (WPY) and extra-pair young (EPY). Offspring of a female may occur in more than one brood category, in total 117 different mothers are included.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The percentage of fledglings recaptured in different years. In all years a larger percentage of EPY (grey bars) compared with WPY (white bars) was recaptured. Pooled data over all years show that more EPY were recaptured (WPY 3.4% (13/385), EPY 7.6% (20/264); Fisher's exact test p=0.02). The numbers above bars are the number of ringed nestlings.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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