Adoption and cuckoldry lead to alloparental care in the tessellated darter (Etheostoma olmstedi), a non-group-living species with no evidence of nest site limitation

Stiver, Kelly A.; Wolff, Stephen; Alonzo, Suzanne H.

doi:10.1007/s00265-012-1334-3

Cited by 5 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Sneaking and nest abandonment both contribute to mixed brood paternity [35]. However, genetic data reveal that smaller territorial males also father a portion of the young that subsequently receive alloparental care [36], and we have on rare occasion observed group spawning and multiple territorial males apparently sharing a nest (about 5 and 2 observations of each respectively; KAS, SHA, pers obs). Thus, male nest sharing could also account for a portion of the documented mixed paternity, an interesting possibility in a species that is known to engage in non-social adoptive alloparental care.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…Females do not provide care for young and breed repeatedly throughout the season at various nests [41]. As outlined above, the mating strategies of male tessellated darters result in both cuckoldry- and adoption-based alloparental care [33], [34], [36]. The benefit of egg adoption arises as a result of female mating preferences for eggs with nests; thus, site abandonment and subsequent alloparental care does not necessitate social interaction between the two males ([33], [34], [36], [37], [39]).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We experimentally examined nest sharing in the tessellated darter ( Etheostoma olmstedi ), a congener to E. blennoides . These males are known to display alternative mating tactics (which, as noted above, in other species can involve mutual tolerance or cooperation), and also occasionally care for non-descendant young (alloparental care; which occurs without social contact between males [33]–[36]). As a result, examining potential sharing in E. olmstedi is a valuable addition to the general study of the evolution of sociality (see also [26]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Territorial males guard and spawn at nests, and the degree of parental care they provide varies with male size: larger territorial males spawn at and abandon nests, while smaller territorial males move into abandoned nests and care for existing eggs while spawning with females note that this alloparental care does not involve social contact between the genetic father and the adoptive father [33]; [34], [36]. Other smaller males sneak spawn as female mimics [33], [34].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Male displacement at sites occurs in accordance with size (large males displace smaller males, often without any direct aggression), and active aggression is less common than such passive displacement ([33], [34] KAS, SHA pers obs). As female tessellated darters more commonly spawn with large males [37], sharing between larger/dominant and smaller/subordinate males may be most expected: large males can more easily displace smaller partners if necessary in the future, while smaller males may potentially gain from the attractiveness and defensive abilities of the largest males (more so than larger males who have inherently higher attractiveness and defensive abilities [15], [21], [33], [34], [36], [37]. Site sharing may also be a method by which subordinates increase their defensive ability and access to females, particularly if females prefer the presence of multiple males [15], [18], [38], in which case we might expect sharing to more commonly involve intermediate or smaller sized individuals (due to their decreased access to females based solely on their own size [37].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sharing of Potential Nest Sites by Etheostoma olmstedi Males Suggests Mutual Tolerance in an Alloparental Species

2013

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When reproductive competitors tolerate or cooperate with one another, they may gain particular benefits, such as collectively guarding resources or attracting mates. Shared resources may be those essential to reproduction, such as a breeding site or nest. Using the tessellated darter, a species where males but not females compete over potential nest sites, we examined site use and sharing under controlled conditions of differing competitor density. Sharing was observed even when competitor density was low and individuals could have each occupied a potential nest site without same-sex sharing. Males were more likely to share a nest site with one other when the difference in size between them was larger rather than smaller. There was no evidence that female sharing was dependent on their relative size. Fish were generally more likely to use and share larger sites, in accordance with the greater relative surface area they offered. We discuss how one or both sharing males may potentially benefit, and how male sharing of potential nest sites could relate to female mating preferences. Tessellated darter males are known to provide alloparental care for eggs but this occurs without any social contact between the alloparent and the genetic father of the young. Thus, the suggestion that they may also share sites and maintain social contact with reproductive competitors highlights the importance of increased focus on the potential complexity of reproductive systems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Sharing of Potential Nest Sites by Etheostoma olmstedi Males Suggests Mutual Tolerance in an Alloparental Species

2013

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Strategies for determining kinship in wild populations using genetic data

Städele

Vigilant

2016

Ecology and Evolution

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Knowledge of kin relationships between members of wild animal populations has broad application in ecology and evolution research by allowing the investigation of dispersal dynamics, mating systems, inbreeding avoidance, kin recognition, and kin selection as well as aiding the management of endangered populations. However, the assessment of kinship among members of wild animal populations is difficult in the absence of detailed multigenerational pedigrees. Here, we first review the distinction between genetic relatedness and kinship derived from pedigrees and how this makes the identification of kin using genetic data inherently challenging. We then describe useful approaches to kinship classification, such as parentage analysis and sibship reconstruction, and explain how the combined use of marker systems with biparental and uniparental inheritance, demographic information, likelihood analyses, relatedness coefficients, and estimation of misclassification rates can yield reliable classifications of kinship in groups with complex kin structures. We outline alternative approaches for cases in which explicit knowledge of dyadic kinship is not necessary, but indirect inferences about kinship on a group‐ or population‐wide scale suffice, such as whether more highly related dyads are in closer spatial proximity. Although analysis of highly variable microsatellite loci is still the dominant approach for studies on wild populations, we describe how the long‐awaited use of large‐scale single‐nucleotide polymorphism and sequencing data derived from noninvasive low‐quality samples may eventually lead to highly accurate assessments of varying degrees of kinship in wild populations.

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Alloparental Care in the African Striped Mouse Rhabdomys pumilio is Age‐Dependent and Influences the Development of Paternal Care

Rymer

Pillay

2013

Ethology

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Alloparents contribute to offspring care and alleviate the workload of breeders. The help provided varies with the age and/or experience of helpers, but it is not known whether breeders vary their investment based on the age of helpers by adjusting the parental care they provide. We studied the alloparental care provided by juvenile and subadult philopatric daughters in biparental African striped mice Rhabdomys pumilio with and without the mother as a measure of alleviation of maternal workload. We showed in a previous study that alleviation of maternal workload directly affects the development of paternal care in their sons, so we studied the expression of paternal care in young males raised by helpers as a proxy of the long-term consequences of helping. Both juvenile and subadult daughters provided care but the level of alloparental care and concomitant alleviation of maternal care was age-dependent. In the absence of the mother, juvenile daughters provided just 6% of care compared with 24% of subadult daughters. Sons raised by mothers and juvenile helpers displayed the expected exaggerated levels of care also observed when mothers raise litters on their own. While our results show the direct value of subadult daughters, juvenile daughters could contribute indirectly (e.g. nest maintenance) to alleviating maternal workload. The development of paternal care indicates that mothers do distinguish between the care provided by different aged helpers. Overall, the type of alloparental care provided by female striped mice is expected to change over their lifetimes, resulting in increased inclusive fitness through caring for siblings and acquisition of parenting skills.

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Adoption and cuckoldry lead to alloparental care in the tessellated darter (Etheostoma olmstedi), a non-group-living species with no evidence of nest site limitation

Cited by 5 publications

References 51 publications

Sharing of Potential Nest Sites by Etheostoma olmstedi Males Suggests Mutual Tolerance in an Alloparental Species

Sharing of Potential Nest Sites by Etheostoma olmstedi Males Suggests Mutual Tolerance in an Alloparental Species

Strategies for determining kinship in wild populations using genetic data

Alloparental Care in the African Striped Mouse Rhabdomys pumilio is Age‐Dependent and Influences the Development of Paternal Care

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