Mate guarding and territorial aggression vary with breeding synchrony in golden whistlers (Pachycephala pectoralis)
Male paternity assurance behaviour during the female fertile period has been widely documented amongst birds. In contrast, how sex-specific behavioural strategies vary with local breeding synchrony levels remains largely unknown. This is important because, in many species, intrapopulation patterns of extra-pair fertilisation rates, and hence cuckoldry risk, are known to vary with the number of simultaneously fertile females. Each sex may therefore differ in how they behave towards male conspecifics during different degrees of breeding synchrony. Here I provide evidence of such sex-specific differences in the golden whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis), a species in which within-pair paternity assurance is negatively associated with breeding synchrony. Via simulated territorial intrusions using decoy males, I show that males, but not females, increase levels of aggression to male intruders during periods of low synchrony, possibly because cuckoldry risk is greatest during this period. In addition, males appear to invest more effort into mate guarding after, but not before, territorial intrusions during this period. These inter-sexual differences may reflect conflicts in interest between the sexes, with females consistently showing interest in males during the fertile period regardless of synchrony levels and males investing more resources into expelling intruders when the risk of paternity loss is greatest. This study thus provides evidence that males may be able to detect variation in breeding synchrony and cuckoldry risk and adjust their paternity assurance behaviour accordingly.
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Artículo de revista biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SPRINGER
2008-06
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| Subjects: | Breeding synchrony, |
| Online Access: | https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/120025 |
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| Summary: | Male paternity assurance behaviour during the
female fertile period has been widely documented amongst
birds. In contrast, how sex-specific behavioural strategies
vary with local breeding synchrony levels remains largely
unknown. This is important because, in many species, intrapopulation
patterns of extra-pair fertilisation rates, and
hence cuckoldry risk, are known to vary with the number of
simultaneously fertile females. Each sex may therefore
differ in how they behave towards male conspecifics during
different degrees of breeding synchrony. Here I provide
evidence of such sex-specific differences in the golden
whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis), a species in which
within-pair paternity assurance is negatively associated with
breeding synchrony. Via simulated territorial intrusions
using decoy males, I show that males, but not females,
increase levels of aggression to male intruders during
periods of low synchrony, possibly because cuckoldry risk
is greatest during this period. In addition, males appear to
invest more effort into mate guarding after, but not before,
territorial intrusions during this period. These inter-sexual
differences may reflect conflicts in interest between the
sexes, with females consistently showing interest in males
during the fertile period regardless of synchrony levels and
males investing more resources into expelling intruders
when the risk of paternity loss is greatest. This study thus
provides evidence that males may be able to detect
variation in breeding synchrony and cuckoldry risk and
adjust their paternity assurance behaviour accordingly. |
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