Preen secretions encode information on MHC similarity in certain sex-dyads in a monogamous seabird

Leclaire, Sarah; Dongen, Wouter F. D. van; Voccia, Steeve; Merkling, Thomas; Ducamp, Christine; Hatch, Scott A.; Blanchard, Pierrick; Danchin, Étienne; Wagner, Richard H.

doi:10.1038/srep06920

Cited by 63 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…) and other odours linked to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC; Gerlach & Lysiak ; Havlicek & Roberts ; Leclaire et al . ). Banded mongooses use scent from anal gland secretions to communicate both within and between groups (Müller & Manser ; Jordan et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Banded mongooses avoid inbreeding when mating with members of the same natal group

et al. 2015

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Inbreeding and inbreeding avoidance are key factors in the evolution of animal societies, influencing dispersal and reproductive strategies which can affect relatedness structure and helping behaviours. In cooperative breeding systems, individuals typically avoid inbreeding through reproductive restraint and/or dispersing to breed outside their natal group. However, where groups contain multiple potential mates of varying relatedness, strategies of kin recognition and mate choice may be favoured. Here, we investigate male mate choice and female control of paternity in the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo), a cooperatively breeding mammal where both sexes are often philopatric and mating between relatives is known to occur. We find evidence suggestive of inbreeding depression in banded mongooses, indicating a benefit to avoiding breeding with relatives. Successfully breeding pairs were less related than expected under random mating, which appeared to be driven by both male choice and female control of paternity. Male banded mongooses actively guard females to gain access to mating opportunities, and this guarding behaviour is preferentially directed towards less closely related females. Guard–female relatedness did not affect the guard's probability of gaining reproductive success. However, where mate‐guards are unsuccessful, they lose paternity to males that are less related to the females than themselves. Together, our results suggest that both sexes of banded mongoose use kin discrimination to avoid inbreeding. Although this strategy appears to be rare among cooperative breeders, it may be more prominent in species where relatedness to potential mates is variable, and/or where opportunities for dispersal and mating outside of the group are limited.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Banded mongooses avoid inbreeding when mating with members of the same natal group

et al. 2015

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“…For instance, in species as diverse as humans, bank voles (Myodes glareolus), sand lizards (Lazerta agilis) and house mice (Mus musculus), females prefer the scent of MHC-dissimilar males [6,10,11,13]. In birds, although European storm petrels (Hydrobates pelagicus), Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) and zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) can discriminate kinship based on odour cues [14][15][16] and the scent secretions of black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) covary with MHC similarity [17], the ability of birds to assess MHC similarity using olfactory cues has not yet been explored.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Odour-based discrimination of similarity at the major histocompatibility complex in birds

et al. 2017

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Many animals are known to preferentially mate with partners that are dissimilar at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in order to maximize the antigen binding repertoire (or disease resistance) in their offspring. Although several mammals, fish or lizards use odour cues to assess MHC similarity with potential partners, the ability of birds to assess MHC similarity using olfactory cues has not yet been explored. Here we used a behavioural binary choice test and high-throughput-sequencing of MHC class IIB to determine whether blue petrels can discriminate MHC similarity based on odour cues alone. Blue petrels are seabirds with particularly good sense of smell, they have a reciprocal mate choice and are known to preferentially mate with MHC-dissimilar partners. Incubating males preferentially approached the odour of the more MHC-dissimilar female, whereas incubating females showed opposite preferences. Given their mating pattern, females were, however, expected to show preference for the odour of the more MHC-dissimilar male. Further studies are needed to determine whether, as in women and female mice, the preference varies with the reproductive cycle in blue petrel females. Our results provide the first evidence that birds can use odour cues only to assess MHC dissimilarity.

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“…Proximate mechanisms functioning in MHC‐mediated mate choice typically include odour signals in many animals, as MHC molecules can be bound to volatile chemicals that are excreted via the skin, urine or faeces thus can contribute to body odours (Carroll, Penn, & Potts, ; Milinski, Croy, Hummel, & Boehm, ; Milinski et al., ; Olsson et al., ; Penn, ). In birds, chemical signalling is still poorly recognized, but the secretion of the uropygial gland or feather microflora have recently been implicated as a potential source of scent cue for MHC signalling (Leclaire et al., ; Slade et al., ; Strandh et al., ), while olfactory perception has also been described at least in some species (Fracasso, Tuliozi, Hoi, & Griggio, ; Griggio, Fracasso, Mahr, & Hoi, ). In animals that only partially rely on olfactory cues, condition‐dependent visual or behavioural traits can signal genetic resistance, because only males with high immunocompetence (as determined by their MHC genotype) can bear the costs of elaborated sexual displays (Folstad & Karter, ; Hamilton & Zuk, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

MHC‐mediated sexual selection on birdsong: Generic polymorphism, particular alleles and acoustic signals

et al. 2018

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Several hypotheses predict that the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) drives mating preference in females. Olfactory, colour or morphological traits are often found as reliable signals of the MHC profile, but the role of avian song mediating MHC-based female choice remains largely unexplored. We investigated the relationship between several MHC and acoustic features in the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis), a European passerine with complex songs. We screened a fragment of the class IIB second exon of the MHC molecule, of which individuals harbour 4-15 alleles, while considerable sequence diversity is maintained at the population level. To make statistical inferences from a large number of comparisons, we adopted both null-hypothesis testing and effect size framework in combination with randomization procedures. After controlling for potential confounding factors, neither MHC allelic diversity nor the presence of particular alleles was associated remarkably with the investigated qualitative and quantitative song traits. Furthermore, genetic similarity among males based on MHC sequences was not reflected by the similarity in their song based on syllable content. Overall, these results suggest that the relationship between features of song and the allelic composition and diversity of MHC is not strong in the studied species. However, a biologically motivated analysis revealed that individuals that harbour an MHC allele that impairs survival perform songs with broader frequency range. This finding suggests that certain aspects of the song may bear reliable information concerning the MHC profile of the individuals, which can be used by females to optimize mate choice.

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Preen secretions encode information on MHC similarity in certain sex-dyads in a monogamous seabird

Cited by 63 publications

References 48 publications

Banded mongooses avoid inbreeding when mating with members of the same natal group

Banded mongooses avoid inbreeding when mating with members of the same natal group

Odour-based discrimination of similarity at the major histocompatibility complex in birds

MHC‐mediated sexual selection on birdsong: Generic polymorphism, particular alleles and acoustic signals

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