AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Reproductive Success of Dunnocks, Prunella modularis, in a Variable Mating System. II. Conflicts of Interest Among Breeding Adults

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1986
Authors:Davies, NB, Houston, AI
Journal:Journal of Animal Ecology
Volume:55
Issue:1
Date Published:1986
ISBN Number:00218790
Keywords:Prunella, Prunella modularis, Prunellidae
Abstract:(1) Male dunnocks have greatest reproductive success with polygyny and least with cooperative polyandry. The reverse is true for females, who have least success with polygyny and greatest with cooperative polyandry. (2) These measures of reproductive success make good sense of the observed conflicts in behaviour seen between individuals. (3) We suggest that the variable mating system reflects different outcomes of sexual conflict. In polygyny, males gain an advantage at the expense of females. In cooperative polyandry, females gain at the expense of males. Monogamy and polygynandry are mating systems in which neither sex is able to gain an advantage at the expense of the other. (4) In polyandry, we consider whether an alpha male should allow a beta male to copulate with the female. The benefit of cooperation is increased production of young; the cost is shared paternity. We conclude that cooperation is unstable because an alpha male cannot enforce a limit on the beta male's share of paternity and, because survival is low, the same two individuals do not have sufficient repeated interactions for cooperation to evolve.
URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/4698
Short Title:Journal of Animal Ecology
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith