Ejaculate quality and the success of extra-pair copulations in the zebra finch

Birkhead, T. R.; Fletcher, F.; Pellatt, E. J.; Staples, A.

doi:10.1038/377422a0

Cited by 115 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Inseminations during different parts of the fertile period may differ in fertilization probability, especially if there is sperm competition (24,25). An early insemination can potentially fertilize an entire clutch, but the probability of fertilization declines during the laying sequence because of passive sperm loss.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In control pairs, females could be inseminated by both pair and extra-pair males. Key determinants of the outcome of sperm competition are the timing of pair and extra-pair copulations, the proportion of sperm transferred by the pair and the extra-pair male (23)(24)(25), and relative sperm quality (26). We estimated these variables by counting sperm on the inner perivitelline layer of eggs laid by females in the two groups (27,28).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Experimental analysis of sperm competition mechanisms in a wild bird population

Michl

Török

Griffith

et al. 2002

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

107

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Recent work on wild birds has revealed the importance of sperm competition as a source of sexual selection, but behavioral and paternity studies have previously provided only indirect evidence for mechanisms of sperm competition in wild birds. In a field study of collared flycatchers Ficedula albicollis we used a previously uncharacterized method to determine the frequency and timing of extra-pair inseminations. By counting the number of sperm trapped on the perivitelline layer of eggs, we determined the timing of inseminations and estimated, on a day-to-day basis, the amount of sperm females stored. Our results showed that female collared flycatchers preferentially engaged in extra-pair copulations when mated to an unattractive male with a small white forehead patch. These copulations were timed for the middle part of their fertile period, at least 2 days after the last within-pair insemination. Although the mean number of extra-pair insemination events was only 1.33 per cuckolding female, the ratio between the number of sperm from extra-pair and pair inseminations was at least 5 to 1. Thus a single, well timed extra-pair insemination caused by female behavior could greatly bias fertilization probability in favor of an attractive extra-pair male. Our results suggest a possible behavioral mechanism for female control of sperm competition.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental analysis of sperm competition mechanisms in a wild bird population

Michl

Török

Griffith

et al. 2002

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

107

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“…Most males respond with phallic tumescence, at which time the handler gently squeezes the cloaca, expressing semen through the external papilla of the ductus deferens. Collecting semen in this fashion from small passerines is relatively easy [23]. During the reproductive season, most songbirds have a well-developed cloacal protuberance; a pea-like swelling on the dorsal cloacal lip where the semen is stored [24].…”

Section: Semen Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, in the Bengalese finch, 95-99% of deposited semen leaks almost immediately from the vagina and is lost [23]. Therefore, deep intravaginal AI is the best approach for achieving high fertility, as long as depth of insertion does not completely by-pass the uterovaginal SST.…”

Section: Depth Of Inseminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementing artificial insemination as an effective tool for ex situ conservation of endangered avian species

Blanco¹,

et al. 2009

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“…Sperm number and characteristics as well as ejaculate properties mediate that conflict for males, whereas sperm storage structures and reproductive tract secretions play a role in mediating the conflict over fertilization success for females (Birkhead et al 1993;Briskie and Montgomerie 1993). Males thus have the opportunity to adjust sperm number or ejaculate size specifically in the context of pursuing EPP (Parker 1990;Birkhead and Fletcher 1992;Birkhead et al 1995;Pizzari et al 2003).…”

Section: Sexual Conflict From Extrapair Matings In Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Conflict Arising from Extrapair Matings in Birds

Chaine

Montgomerie

Lyon

2015

Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol

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The discovery that extrapair copulation (EPC) and extrapair paternity (EPP) are common in birds led to a paradigm shift in our understanding of the evolution of mating systems. The prevalence of extrapair matings in pair-bonded species sets the stage for sexual conflict, and a recent focus has been to consider how this conflict can shape variation in extrapair mating rates. Here, we invert the causal arrow and consider the consequences of extrapair matings for sexual conflict. Extrapair matings shift sexual conflict from a simple two-player (male vs. female) game to a game with three or more players, the nature of which we illustrate with simple diagrams that highlight the net costs and benefits of extrapair matings to each player. This approach helps identify the sorts of traits that might be under selection because of sexual conflict. Whether EPP is driven primarily by the extrapair male or the within-pair female profoundly influences which players are in conflict, but the overall pattern of conflict varies little among different mating systems. Different aspects of conflict are manifest at different stages of the breeding cycle and can be profitably considered as distinct episodes of selection caused by conflict. This perspective is illuminating both because conflict between specific players can change across episodes and because the traits that evolve to mediate conflict likely differ between episodes. Although EPP clearly leads to sexual conflict, we suggest that the link between sexual conflict and multiple paternity might be usefully understood by examining how deviations from lifetime sexual monogamy influence sexual conflict.T he development of genetic tools for determining parentage fundamentally altered our understanding of animal mating systems (Jeffreys et al. 1985;Avise 1996;Reynolds 1996) and provided invaluable insights into the consequences and causes of females mating with more than one male. Particularly for the study of birds, these methods revealed that social pair bonds often fail to match the actual patterns of copulations that produced offspring (Gowaty and Karlin 1984;Birkhead and Møller 1992;Reynolds 1996;Petrie and Kempenaers 1998), revolutionizing the study of avian mating systems. Extensive research and two recent reviews point out the progress we have made in this field and show how little we still understand extrapair behavior (Griffith et al. 2002;Westneat and Stewart 2003).

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Ejaculate quality and the success of extra-pair copulations in the zebra finch

Cited by 115 publications

References 16 publications

Experimental analysis of sperm competition mechanisms in a wild bird population

Experimental analysis of sperm competition mechanisms in a wild bird population

Implementing artificial insemination as an effective tool for ex situ conservation of endangered avian species

Sexual Conflict Arising from Extrapair Matings in Birds

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