Pair fidelity in long-lived parrots: genetic and behavioural evidence from the Crimson Rosella (<i>Platycercus elegans</i>)

Eastwood, Justin R.; Berg, Mathew L.; Ribot, Raoul F. H.; Stokes, Helena S.; Martens, Johanne M.; Buchanan, Katherine L.; Walder, Ken; Bennett, Andrew T. D.

doi:10.1080/01584197.2018.1453304

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Studies on extra‐pair paternity in parrots are few and the findings are diverse. Some parrot species appear to be genetically monogamous, such as the burrowing parrot ( Cyanoliseus patagonus , Masello et al., 2002), the blue and yellow macaw ( Ara ararauna , Caparroz et al., 2011) and the crimson rosella ( Platycercus elegans , Eastwood et al., 2018), whereas others show varying levels of extra‐pair paternity (EPP), such as the green‐rumped parrotlet ( Forpus passerines , 14% of nests with EPP; Beissinger, 2008), the monk parakeet ( Myiopsitta monachus , 40% of nests with EPP; Martínez et al., 2013) and the swift parrot (50.5% of nests with EPP; Heinsohn et al., 2019). Additionally, a study looking into sperm morphology of 62 parrot species showed that sperm length (a proxy of sperm competition) was related to sexual dichromatism, indicating that these species potentially have higher levels of extra‐pair paternity (Carballo et al., 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With a few exceptions, the mating system of parrots is social monogamy (Toft & Wright, 2015), which implies lower levels of sexual selection. The few studies exploring extra‐pair paternity in parrots have found that some species are indeed genetically and socially monogamous (Caparroz, Miyaki, & Baker, 2011; Eastwood et al., 2018; Masello, Sramkova, Quillfeldt, Epplen, & Lubjuhn, 2002), whereas others show varying levels of extra‐pair paternity (Beissinger, 2008; Heinsohn, Olah, Webb, Peakall, & Stojanovic, 2019; Martínez, de Aranzamendi, Masello, & Bucher, 2013). Furthermore, a recent study showed considerable variation in sperm length in parrots, with sexually dichromatic and gregarious species having longer sperm (Carballo et al., 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Body size and climate as predictors of plumage colouration and sexual dichromatism in parrots

Carballo

Delhey

Vâlcu

et al. 2020

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Psittaciformes (parrots, cockatoos and lorikeets) comprise one of the most colourful clades of birds. Their unique pigments and safe cavity nesting habits are two potential explanations for their colourful character. However, plumage colour varies substantially between parrot species and sometimes also between males and females of the same species. Here, we use comparative analyses to evaluate what factors correlate with colour elaboration, colour diversity and sexual dichromatism. Specifically, we test the association between different aspects of parrot colouration and (a) the intensity of sexual selection and social interactions, (b) variation along the slow‐fast life‐history continuum and (c) climatic variation. We show that larger species and species that live in warm environments display more elaborated colours, yet smaller species have higher levels of sexual dichromatism. Larger parrots tend to have darker and more blue and red colours. Parrots that live in wetter environments are darker and redder, whereas species inhabiting warm regions have more blue plumage colours. In general, each of the variables we considered explain small to moderate amounts of variation in parrot colouration (up to 15%). Our data suggest that sexual selection may be acting more strongly on males in small, short‐lived parrots leading to sexual dichromatism. More elaborate colouration in both males and females of the larger, long‐lived species with slow tropical life histories suggests that mutual mate choice, social selection and reduced selection for crypsis may be important in these species, as has been shown for passerines.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body size and climate as predictors of plumage colouration and sexual dichromatism in parrots

Carballo

Delhey

Vâlcu

et al. 2020

J of Evolutionary Biology

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“…In parrot species with multi-male breeding systems, extra-pair fertilizations have been suggested in the Echo Parakeet Psittacula eques (Taylor and Parkin 2009), confirmed in Eclectus Parrot Eclectus roratus (Heinsohn et al 2007), and confirmed in 100% of nests of Vasa Parrot Caracopsis vasa (Ek-strom et al 2007). However, in other species such as the Burrowing Parrot Cyanoliseus patagonus (Masello et al 2002) and Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans; Eastwood et al 2018) there is no evidence of extra-pair fertilization.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breeding site fidelity, and breeding pair infidelity in the endangered Carnaby’s Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus latirostris

Saunders

White

Dawson³

et al. 2018

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The ecology and behaviour of the endangered Carnaby’s Cockatoo Calyptorhynchuslatirostris have been studied in detail at Coomallo Creek in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia from 1969 until the present. Results of research on this breeding population conducted on individually marked birds from 1970 to 1990 were compared with results from analyses of DNA taken from nestlings in the study area from 2003, 2005, and each year from 2009 to 2013. Analyses of DNA confirmed earlier findings about the stability of adult breeding pairs, and that females used the same breeding hollow they used previously, provided the hollow was not occupied when they returned to breed. When moving to another hollow, they chose a hollow in the same vicinity of the previous hollow. Analyses in 22 cases where DNA was obtained from both nestlings of a breeding attempt revealed that in six (27.3%) cases, the second egg was fertilised by a male not paired with the female. These extra-pair copulations were not suspected during the earlier study based on observations of individually marked birds.

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“…This group of birds is also characterized by social monogamy with lifelong pair bonds, even though there are exceptions (Toft & Wright, 2015). These traits suggest a low intensity of sexual selection, but few studies have used genetic markers to confirm genetic monogamy (Eastwood et al, 2018;Masello, Sramkova, Quillfeldt, Epplen, & Lubjuhn, 2002).…”

Section: ) Insectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This group of birds is also characterized by social monogamy with lifelong pair bonds, even though there are exceptions (Toft & Wright, ). These traits suggest a low intensity of sexual selection, but few studies have used genetic markers to confirm genetic monogamy (Eastwood et al, ; Masello, Sramkova, Quillfeldt, Epplen, & Lubjuhn, ). On the other hand, Bublat et al () showed that socially monogamous macaws (species from the genera Ara , Diopsittaca and Primolius ) had much lower sperm density compared with polygynandrous Eclectus parrots ( Eclectus roratus ), which might be an adaptation to intense sperm competition in the latter.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sperm morphology and evidence for sperm competition among parrots

Carballo

Battistotti

Teltscher

et al. 2019

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Sperm competition is an important component of post‐copulatory sexual selection that has shaped the evolution of sperm morphology. Previous studies have reported that sperm competition has a concurrently directional and stabilizing effect on sperm size. For example, bird species that show higher levels of extrapair paternity and larger testes (proxies for the intensity of sperm competition) have longer sperm and lower coefficients of variation in sperm length, both within and between males. For this reason, these sperm traits have been proposed as indexes to estimate the level of sperm competition in species for which other measures are not available. The relationship between sperm competition and sperm morphology has been explored mostly for bird species that breed in temperate zones, with the main focus on passerine birds. We measured sperm morphology in 62 parrot species that breed mainly in the tropics and related variation in sperm length to life‐history traits potentially indicative of the level of sperm competition. We showed that sperm length negatively correlated with the within‐male coefficient of variation in sperm length and positively with testes mass. We also showed that sperm is longer in sexually dichromatic and in gregarious species. Our results support the general validity of the hypothesis that sperm competition drives variation in sperm morphology. Our analyses suggest that post‐copulatory sexual selection is also important in tropical species, with more intense sperm competition among sexually dichromatic species and among species that breed at higher densities.

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Pair fidelity in long-lived parrots: genetic and behavioural evidence from the Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans)

Cited by 10 publications

References 35 publications

Body size and climate as predictors of plumage colouration and sexual dichromatism in parrots

Body size and climate as predictors of plumage colouration and sexual dichromatism in parrots

Breeding site fidelity, and breeding pair infidelity in the endangered Carnaby’s Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus latirostris

Sperm morphology and evidence for sperm competition among parrots

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