Female collared flycatchers choose neighbouring and older extra‐pair partners from the pool of males around their nests

Abstract

Extra‐pair copulation is common among passerine birds. Females might engage in this behavior to obtain direct or indirect benefits. They may choose extra‐pair males with larger ornaments, especially if they are costly to produce. Here we studied extra‐pair paternity in the collared flycatcher. Genetic analysis allowed us to identify the presence or absence of extra‐pair young in the focal nests, and to identify extra‐pair fathers. We also identified potential males available as extra‐pair sires around the nests of females who had extra‐pair young. First, we tested the relationship between paternity in own nest and ornament size (wing patch and/or forehead patch), morphological traits and age of social males and females. Second, we compared the same suite of traits among social mates, extra‐pair males and all potential extra‐pair mates. Finally, we investigated the effect of the size of ornaments on the distance between the social nest and that of nest the extra‐pair father. Contrary to our prediction, males with larger ornaments and longer wings lost more paternity in their nests. We also found that early breeders lost less paternity in their nests. Extra‐pair males were older and had longer wings than social and potential extra‐pair males. Females mainly obtained extra‐pair mates near their nests but the distance did not vary according to ornamentation. These results could potentially be explained by differences in mate guarding strategy as older males may be more experienced in guarding their mate and attract other females more easily. More data about mate guarding and prospecting are needed to increase our understanding of mechanisms underlying the extra‐pair paternity in birds.

Age‐dependent changes in infidelity in Seychelles warblers

“…Age is a key phenotypic trait that appears to underlie considerable individual variation in extra‐pair reproduction (Hamilton & Zuk, 1982; Hsu, Schroeder, Winney, Burke, & Nakagawa, 2015; Morton, Forman, & Braun, 1990; Westneat & Stewart, 2003). Numerous single‐species studies have shown a positive association between male age and within‐ or extra‐pair paternity success, or both (e.g., Edme, Munclinger, & Krist, 2016; Kempenaers, Verheyen, & Dhondi, 1997; Richardson & Burke, 1999; Westneat, 1990). Furthermore, meta‐analyses have shown that, across species, extra‐pair sires are often older than the males they cuckold (Ackay & Roughgarden, 2007; Hsu et al., 2015) and that EPP success is positively related to male age (Cleasby & Nakagawa, 2012).…”

Gene expression changes in male accessory glands during ageing are accompanied by reproductive decline in Drosophila melanogaster

“…Although there are possible benefits that older males might provide to their mates (Brooks & Kemp, ; Edme, Munclinger, & Krist, ; Jones, Balmford, & Quinnell, ), males suffer from reduced reproductive success as they age in many species (Bonduriansky & Brassil, ; Ramasamy, Chiba, Butler, & Lamb, ; Schafer & Uhl, ; Sharma et al., ). There are various causes for the decline in reproductive output in males, for example, the accumulation of (often deleterious) mutations in a male's germ line during ageing (Pizzari, Dean, Pacey, Moore, & Bonsall, ) and resulting female choice acting against older males (Radwan, Michalczyk, & Prokop, ).…”

Low level of extra-pair paternity between nearest neighbors results from female preference for high-quality males in the yellow-rumped flycatcher (Ficedula zanthopygia)

“…Females that are mated to high-quality social partners will likely need to travel farther away to find even better extra-pair males [31], and males surrounded by neighbors of lower quality can increase their opportunities to obtain extra-pair copulations [34]. Studies on extra-pair copulation have provided a great deal of evidence for female preference for high-quality males [55].…”

“…Males have developed pre- and post-copulatory strategies to decrease the risk of paternity loss in their own nests, such as mate guarding, frequent within-pair copulation, and direct physical punishment of the female [ 19 – 22 ]. The effectiveness of male paternity assurance strategies, however, can be affected by either individual female and male qualities, e.g., a male’s ability to guard and a female’s ability to evade her mate [ 1 , 23 – 25 ], or by the male’s costs of paternity assurance [ 26 – 28 ] and female experience [ 29 – 31 ]. Additionally, the effectiveness of male paternity assurance strategies can be precluded by ecological or social factors, such as intense nest site competition [ 32 – 34 ].…”

“…Several studies have shown that females breeding in their natal neighborhood are more likely to be surrounded by close male relatives, and the females would traverse greater distances to obtain extra-pair copulations [ 53 , 54 ]. Females that are mated to high-quality social partners will likely need to travel farther away to find even better extra-pair males [ 31 ], and males surrounded by neighbors of lower quality can increase their opportunities to obtain extra-pair copulations [ 34 ]. Studies on extra-pair copulation have provided a great deal of evidence for female preference for high-quality males [ 55 ].…”