scholarly journals Pair bond endurance promotes cooperative food defense and inhibits conflict in coral reef butterflyfishes

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica P. Nowicki ◽  
Stefan P. W. Walker ◽  
Darren J. Coker ◽  
Andrew S. Hoey ◽  
Katia J. Nicolet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Energy Reserves ◽  
Pair Bonding ◽  
Cooperative Strategies ◽  
Territory Defence ◽  
Direct Benefits ◽  
Prey Resources

AbstractPair bonding is generally linked to monogamous mating systems, where the reproductive benefits of extended mate guarding and/or of bi-parental care are considered key adaptive functions. However, in some species, including coral reef butterflyfishes (f. Chaetodonitidae), pair bonding occurs in sexually immature and homosexual partners, and in the absence of parental care, suggesting there must be non-reproductive adaptive benefits of pair bonding. Here, we examined whether pair bonding butterflyfishes cooperate in defense of food, conferring direct benefits to one or both partners. Pairs of Chaetodon lunulatus and C. baronessa use contrasting cooperative strategies. In C. lunulatus, both partners mutually defend their territory, while in C. baronessa, males prioritize territory defence; conferring improvements in feeding and energy reserves in both sexes relative to solitary counterparts. We further demonstrate that partner fidelity contributes to this function by showing that re-pairing invokes intra-pair conflict and inhibits cooperatively-derived feeding benefits, and that partner endurance is required for these costs to abate. Overall, our results suggest that in butterflyfishes, pair bonding enhances cooperative defense of prey resources, ultimately benefiting both partners by improving food resource acquisition and energy reserves.

scholarly journals Group living facilitates the evolution of duets in barbets

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 20200399
Author(s):  
Masayo Soma ◽  
Henrik Brumm
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Type ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Pair Bonding ◽  
Territory Defence ◽  
The Social ◽  
Subordinate Group ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Group Members

The duets of birds have intrigued biologists for a long time, yet much remains unknown about the evolution of these striking collective displays. This is partly because previous studies on duet evolution have been biased to songbirds and neglected other bird groups. In songbirds, the absence of migration has been found to predict the occurrence of duetting, indirectlysupporting the idea that duet communication is linked with pair bonding. Here, we used phylogenetic comparative analyses in a sedentary clade of non-songbirds, the barbets (Capitonidae), to reveal new correlates of duet evolution. We found (i) that duets evolved several times independently in different barbet lineages and (ii) that duetting evolved in association with group living (i.e. the presence of helpers or non-breeding adults during the breeding period), but not with sexual monochromatism or habitat type. Our findings are consistent with a duet function in mate guarding and dominance against subordinate group members as well as joint territory defence. Altogether, the results highlight the importance of the social environment for the evolution of collective signalling.

Division of parental duties confirms a need for bi-parental care in a precocial bird, the mute swan Cygnus olor

2015 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radosław Włodarczyk ◽  
Piotr Minias
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Time Budget ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
European Population ◽  
Mute Swan ◽  
Cygnus Olor ◽  
Territory Defence ◽  
Male Activity ◽  
Reproductive Activities

Parental investment is much reduced in precocial species when compared with altricial species, which may explain a predominance of uni-parental care in this group of birds. In precocial wildfowl, bi-parental care is mostly restricted to arctic-breeding species, where the short reproductive season forces mates to cooperate in caring for the young, but a temperate breeding mute swan Cygnus olor is one of the few notable exceptions. In order to explain a need for bi-parental care in this species, we collected data on the time-budget of eleven swan breeding pairs from a Central European population. We found sex-related differences in the mean time allocated to incubation, movement, feeding, resting and aggression. Others behaviours (nest maintenance, alert and comfort) changed along the breeding season, but did not differ between sexes. Females were primarily responsible for providing care to the brood, whereas male activity focused on territory defence and family guarding. Females were exclusively responsible for incubation and they covered 85% of the total time allocated by parents to feeding cygnets. Nearly constant incubation in females limited possibilities for other activities, including foraging. Males allocated significantly more time than females to aggressive interactions, directed mainly towards other breeding pairs and non-breeders. A clear division of parental duties between sexes gave empirical support for the presence of bi-parental care in the mute swan, despite the fact that reproductive activities of this species are not constrained by the short length of the breeding season, as in arctic-breeding wildfowl.

Influence of food availability on mate-guarding behaviour of ladybirds

2018 ◽  
Vol 108 (6) ◽  
pp. 800-806
Author(s):  
D.D. Chaudhary ◽  
G. Mishra ◽  
Omkar
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
The Other ◽  
Egg Viability ◽  
Influence Of Food ◽  
Food Conditions ◽  
Resource Conditions ◽  
Mating Conditions ◽  
Copulatory Behaviour

AbstractA recent study on ladybird,Menochilus sexmaculatus(Fabricius) demonstrates that males perform post-copulatory mate guarding in the form of prolonged mating durations. We investigated whether food resource fluctuation affects pre- and post-copulatory behaviour ofM. sexmaculatus. It has not been studied before in ladybirds. For this, adults were subjected to prey resource fluctuations sequentially at three levels: post-emergence (Poe; 10 days), pre-mating (Prm; 24 h) and post-mating (Pom; 5 days; only female). The food resource conditions at each level could be any one of scarce, optimal or abundant. Pre-copulatory and post-copulatory behaviour, and reproductive output were assessed. Post-emergence and pre-mating nutrient conditions significantly influenced the pre-copulatory behaviour. Males reared on scarce post-emergence conditions were found to require significantly higher number of mating attempts to establish mating unlike males in the other two food conditions. Under scarce post-emergence and pre-mating conditions, time to commencement of mating and latent period were high but opposite result was obtained for mate-guarding duration. Fecundity and per cent egg viability were more influenced by post-mating conditions, with scarce conditions stopping oviposition regardless of pre-mating and post-emergence conditions. Present results indicate that pre- and post-copulatory behaviour of ladybird is plastic in nature in response to food resource fluctuations.

scholarly journals Evolution of male strategies with sex-ratio–dependent pay-offs: connecting pair bonds with grandmothering

2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1729) ◽  
pp. 20170041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara L. Loo ◽  
Kristen Hawkes ◽  
Peter S. Kim
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Paternal Care ◽  
Multiple Mating ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Pair Bonding ◽  
Pair Bonds

Men's provisioning of mates and offspring has been central to ideas about human evolution because paternal provisioning is absent in our closest evolutionary cousins, the great apes, and is widely assumed to result in pair bonding, which distinguishes us from them. Yet mathematical modelling has shown that paternal care does not readily spread in populations where competition for multiple mates is the common male strategy. Here we add to models that point to the mating sex ratio as an explanation for pairing as pay-offs to mate guarding rise with a male-biased sex ratio. This is of interest for human evolution because our grandmothering life history shifts the mating sex ratio from female- to male-biased. Using a difference equation model, we explore the relative pay-offs for three competing male strategies (dependant care, multiple mating, mate guarding) in response to changing adult sex ratios. When fertile females are abundant, multiple mating prevails. As they become scarce, mate guarding triumphs. The threshold for this shift depends on guarding efficiency. Combined with mating sex ratios of hunter–gatherer and chimpanzee populations, these results strengthen the hypothesis that the evolution of our grandmothering life history propelled the shift to pair bonding in the human lineage. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Adult sex ratios and reproductive decisions: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies’.

Breeding habitat selection in an obligate beach bird: a test of the food resource hypothesis

2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (9) ◽  
pp. 841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Cuttriss ◽  
Grainne S. Maguire ◽  
Glenn Ehmke ◽  
Michael A. Weston
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Marine Pollution ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Kelp Harvesting ◽  
Bird Breeding ◽  
Prey Resources ◽  
Resource Hypothesis ◽  
A Site

The food resource hypothesis of breeding habitat selection in beach-nesting birds suggests that birds breed at sites with more prey to meet the increased energetic requirements associated with breeding. We compare prey resources using pitfall traps and core samples at breeding sites and absence sites of the eastern population of hooded plover, Thinornis rubricollis rubricollis, which, in this part of its range, is a threatened obligate beach bird. Breeding sites had higher abundances, equivalent species richness, and different assemblages of invertebrate prey compared with absence sites. Assemblages at breeding sites were characterised by more isopods, and fewer beetles of the family Phycosecidae. Breeding habitat selection by plovers appears to be associated with selection for sites with more food, and any process that degrades food resources at a site (e.g. kelp harvesting or marine pollution events) may reduce the likelihood of occupancy of that site by breeding birds.

scholarly journals What makes Hemidactylus invasions successful? A case study on the island of Curaçao

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
April D. Lamb ◽  
Catherine A. Lippi ◽  
Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell ◽  
Andrew Jones ◽  
Dan Warren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Resource Competition ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Morphometric Analyses ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
Prey Resources ◽  
Hemidactylus Mabouia

AbstractHemidactylus spp. (House geckos) rank among the most successful invasive reptile species worldwide. Hemidactylus mabouia in particular has become ubiquitous across tropical urban settings in the Western Hemisphere. H. mabouia’s ability to thrive in close proximity to humans has led to the rapid displacement of native geckos in urban areas, however the mechanisms driving this displacement remain understudied. Here we combine data from nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes, stomach contents, and morphometric analyses of traits associated with feeding and locomotion to test alternate hypotheses of displacement between H. mabouia and a native gecko, Phyllodactylus martini, on the island of Curaçao. Consistent with expectations of direct food resource competition, we demonstrate substantial overlap of invertebrate prey resources between the species. Additionally, we found strong evidence from both diet content and stable isotope analyses that H. mabouia acts as a vertebrate predator, preying upon P. martini as well as other native and non-native reptiles. Finally, we show that H. mabouia possesses several morphological advantages, including larger sizes in feeding-associated traits and limb proportions that could offer a propulsive locomotor advantage on vertical surfaces. Together, these findings suggest the successful establishment of H. mabouia likely involves a combination of both exploitative interspecific competition and predation. Given the ubiquity of H. mabouia, illuminating the role of this species as both a competitor and a predator casts new concerns on the ecological and demographic impacts of this widespread urban invader.

scholarly journals Lonely hearts or sex in the city? Density-dependent effects in mating systems

2006 ◽  
Vol 361 (1466) ◽  
pp. 319-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Kokko ◽  
Daniel J Rankin
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Sex Role ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Mating Strategies ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Density Dependent ◽  
Basic Ideas

Two very basic ideas in sexual selection are heavily influenced by numbers of potential mates: the evolution of anisogamy, leading to sex role differentiation, and the frequency dependence of reproductive success that tends to equalize primary sex ratios. However, being explicit about the numbers of potential mates is not typical to most evolutionary theory of sexual selection. Here, we argue that this may prevent us from finding the appropriate ecological equilibria that determine the evolutionary endpoints of selection. We review both theoretical and empirical advances on how population density may influence aspects of mating systems such as intrasexual competition, female choice or resistance, and parental care. Density can have strong effects on selective pressures, whether or not there is phenotypic plasticity in individual strategies with respect to density. Mating skew may either increase or decrease with density, which may be aided or counteracted by changes in female behaviour. Switchpoints between alternative mating strategies can be density dependent, and mate encounter rates may influence mate choice (including mutual mate choice), multiple mating, female resistance to male mating attempts, mate searching, mate guarding, parental care, and the probability of divorce. Considering density-dependent selection may be essential for understanding how populations can persist at all despite sexual conflict, but simple models seem to fail to predict the diversity of observed responses in nature. This highlights the importance of considering the interaction between mating systems and population dynamics, and we strongly encourage further work in this area.

Mate guarding in relation to seasonal changes in the energy reserves of two freshwater amphipods (Gammarus fossarumandG. pulex)

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 372-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOCHEN BECKER ◽  
CHRISTIAN ORTMANN ◽  
MARKUS A. WETZEL ◽  
CAROLA WINKELMANN ◽  
JOCHEN H. E. KOOP
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Energy Reserves ◽  
Freshwater Amphipods

scholarly journals Females don’t always sing in response to male song, but when they do, they sing to males with higher pitched songs

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander N. G. Kirschel ◽  
Zacharo Zanti ◽  
Zachary T. Harlow ◽  
Edgar E. Vallejo ◽  
Martin L. Cody ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Territorial Disputes ◽  
Male Song ◽  
Female Song ◽  
Territory Defence ◽  
Strong Negative Relationship ◽  
Ancestral Function ◽  
Courtship Displays

AbstractThe long-held view that bird song is exclusively a male trait has been challenged recently by a number of studies and reviews highlighting the prevalence of female song. In spite of that, there remains a lack of knowledge on the function of female song, with most evidence thus far focusing on females performing duets with males in courtship displays, typically for joint territory defence or mate guarding purposes. Here we show in a tracheophone suboscine passerine Formicarius moniliger, a sexually monomorphic species in which both sexes sing, that females may participate in both intrasexual and intersexual territory defence. Females sing more in response to females than to males, suggesting they consider females more of a threat to their territory. Yet, females also demonstrate an unexpected pattern of singing back to playback of males singing higher frequency song than themselves. Unlike males, who respond indiscriminately to playback of any song performed by either sex, females appear to discern not only the sex, but perhaps also the size of the presumed intruder. There is a strong negative relationship between body mass and frequency, and females responding only to higher frequency male song suggests they will only engage in territory defence with males when they expect those males to be weaker than they are. While our results are consistent with expectations of a shared ancestral function of song in territory defence, they also suggest females may suffer greater costs in engaging in territorial disputes and thus limit their vocal contribution according to the perceived threat.

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