| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication: | 1994 |
| Authors: | Haig, SM, Walters, JR, Plissner, JH |
| Journal: | Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |
| Volume: | 34 |
| Issue: | 4 |
| Date Published: | 1994 |
| ISBN Number: | 03405443 |
| Keywords: | Picidae, Picoides, Picoides borealis |
| Abstract: | We examined the genetic relationship among putative parents, offspring, and helpers in 224 red-cockaded woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) from the Sandhills of North Carolina. Comparison of DNA similarity with a pedigree constructed from 3,823 individually-marked birds observed from 1979 to 1992 provided verification of observed relatedness in the sampled population (R2 = 0.87, df = 14, P < 0.001). In this population, breeding pairs may or may not have helpers, most of which are males that remain on their natal territory. Our sample included helpers assisting their parents, helpers assisting a related male and an unrelated female, and helpers assisting an unrelated pair. Band by band comparison and examination of similarity among DNA profiles indicated that all offspring from non-helped nests were sired by their putative parents (n = 28 families). Similarly, all but one offspring in helped nests were also sired by their putative parents (n = 16 families). In the exceptional case, the offspring evidently was sired by a male external to the group. Analysis of similarity values supported the conclusion that matings by helpers or extra-group males are rare or non-existent. Our results indicate that in this species advantages gained by individuals remaining on their natal territories as helpers do not generally include siring offspring. |
| URL: | http://www.jstor.org/stable/4600945 |
| Short Title: | Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |
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