Size does not matter – no evidence for assortative mating by body size in the Mute Swan Cygnus olor

• Autorzy: Wlodarczyk R. , Minias P. , Janiszewski T.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

Finding a mate of high quality is of key importance for reproducing birds, and thus positive assortative mating is commonly observed in avian populations. Although assortative mating by age, body size, condition or ornamental traits was reported for many bird taxa, there is a scarcity of empirical evidence for such mating patterns in wildfowl. We studied mating patterns in the Mute Swan Cygnus olor from the Central-European population. We analysed four body measurements (total wing length, forearm length, head length, foot web width) in 91 different breeding pairs. Contrary to our expectations, we found no evidence for assortative mating by any of the collected biometrical measurements and by overall structural size (PC1 from all measured skeletal traits). Further, Mute Swans mated randomly by the size of bill knob, which is considered a sexually selected ornament in this species. We suggest that in the species with long-term pair bonds and monogamous breeding system, such as the Mute Swan, the benefits from large size of mates may be less important for positive reproductive output than other individual traits, e.g., age or previous breeding experience.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

age; body size; ornamental bird; Mute Swan; Cygnus olor; sexual ornament; morphological trait

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Polish Journal of Ecology
• Rocznik: 2016
• Tom: 64
• Numer: 2
• Opis fizyczny: p.296-301,fig.,ref.

Twórcy

autor

Wlodarczyk R.

• Department of Biodiversity Studies and Bioeducation, University of Lodz, Banacha 1/3, 90-237 Lodz, Poland

autor

Minias P.

• Department of Biodiversity Studies and Bioeducation, University of Lodz, Banacha 1/3, 90-237 Lodz, Poland

autor

Janiszewski T.

• Department of Biodiversity Studies and Bioeducation, University of Lodz, Banacha 1/3, 90-237 Lodz, Poland

Bibliografia

• Andersson M, 1994 - Sexual selection - Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 624 pp.
• Auld J.R., Perrins Ch.M., Charmantier A. 2013 - Who wears the pants in a mute swan pair? Deciphering the effects of male and female age and identity on breeding success - J. Anim. Ecology, 82: 826–835.
• Baker K. 1993 - Identification guide to European non-passerines - BTO Guide 24, pp. 1–332.
• Beekman J.H. 1991 - Laying date and clutch size in relation to body weight in the Mute Swan Cygnus olor - Proceedings of the 3rd IWRB International Swan Symposium, Wildfowl (Suppl. 1): 279–287.
• Birkhead M., Perrins Ch. 1986 - The Mute Swan - Croom Helm, London, pp.1–157.
• Black J.M., Owen M. 1995 - Reproductive performance and assortative pairing in relation to age in barnacle geese - J. Anim. Ecol. 64: 234–244.
• Bradley J.S., Wooller R.D., Skira I.J., Serventy D.L. 1990 - The influence of mate retention and divorce upon reproductive success in short-tailed shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris - J. Anim. Ecol. 59: 487–496.
• Bradley J.S., Wooller R.D., Skira I.J. 1995 - The relationship of pair-bond formation and duration to reproductive success in short-tailed shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostirs - J. Anim. Ecol. 64: 31–38.
• Burley N. 1981 - Mate choice by multiple criteria in a monogamous species - Am. Nat. 117: 515–528.
• Coleman A.E., Coleman J.T., Coleman P.A., Minton C.D.T. 2001 - A 39 year study of a Mute Swan Cygnus olor population in the English Midlands - Ardea, 89: 123–133.
• Cooke F., Finney G.H., Rockwell R.F. 1976 - Assortative mating in Lesser Snow Geese (Anser caerulescens) - Behav. Genet. 6: 127–140.
• Choudhury S., Black J.M., Owen M. 1992 - Do barnacle geese pair assortatively? Lessons from a long-term study - Anim. Behav. 44: 171–173.
• De Cara M.A.R., Barton N.M., Kirkpatrick M. 2008 - A model for the evolution of assortative mating - Am. Nat. 171: 580–596.
• Edward D.A., Chapman T. 2011 - The evolution and significance of male mate choice - Trends Ecol. Evol. 26: 647–654.
• Ferns P.N., Reed J.P., Gregg E.D., O'Hara C., Lang A., Sinkowski G.R. 2005 - Bill knob size and reproductive effort in Common Shelducks Tadorna tadorna - Wildfowl, 55: 49–60.
• Helfenstein F., Danchin E., Wagner R.H. 2004 - Assortative mating and sexual size dimorphism in Black-legged Kittiwakes - Waterbirds, 27: 350–354.
• Heitmeyer M. E. 1995 - Influence of age, body condition, and structural size on mate selection by dabbling ducks - Can. J. Zoolog. 73: 2251–2258.
• Horrocks N., Perrins Ch., Charmantier A. 2009 - Seasonal changes in male and female bill knob size in the mute swan Cygnus olor - J. Avian Biol. 40: 511–519.
• Houtman A.M., Falls J.B. 1994 - Negative assortative mating in the white-throated sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis: the role of mate choice and intra-sexual competition - Anim. Behav. 48: 377–383.
• Jiang Y., Bolnick D.I., Kirkpatrick M. 2013 - Assortative mating in animals - Am. Nat. 181: E125–E138.
• Jawor J.M., Linville S.U., Beall S.M., Breitwisch R. 2003 - Assortative mating by multiple ornaments in northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) - Behav. Ecol. 14: 515–520.
• Jönsson P.E. 1987 - Sexual size dimorphism and disassortative mating in the Dunlin Calidris alpina schinzii in southern Sweden - Ornis Scand. 18: 257–264.
• Kirkpatrick M., Ravigné V. 2002 - Speciation by natural and sexual selection: models and experiments - Am. Nat. 159 (suppl.): 22–35.
• Kokko H., Monaghan P. 2001 - Predicting the direction of sexual selection - Ecol. Lett. 4: 159–165.
• Kondrashov A.S., Shpak M. 1998 - On the origin of species by means of assortative mating - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 265: 2273–2278
• Kraaijeveld K., Gregurke J., Hall C., Komdeur J., Mulder R.A. 2003 - Mutual ornamentation, sexual selection, and social dominance in the black swan - Behav. Ecol. 15: 380–389.
• Lüps P. 1990 - Wozu besitzen Höckerschwäne Höcker? - Der Ornithologische Beobachter, 87: 1–11.
• Mathiasson S. 2005 - Biometrics and structures of the Mute swan, Cygnus olor parameters and technique used in a Swedish project - Göteborgs Naturhistirska Museum Årstryck: 77–86.
• McKinney F. 1992 - Courtship, pair formation, and signal systems (In: Ecology and management of breeding waterfowl, Eds. B.D.J. Batt, A.D. Afton, M.G. Anderson, C.D. Ankney, D.H. Johnson, J.A. Kadlec, G.L. Kraup) - University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, pp. 214–250.
• Omland K.E. 1996 - Female mallard mating preferences for multiple male ornaments. I. Natural variation - Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 39: 353–360.
• Partridge L. 1983 - Non-random mating and offspring fitness (In: Mate choice, Ed: P. Bateson) - Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, pp. 227–255.
• Perrins C.M., McCleery R.H., Ogilvie M.A. 1994 - A study of the breeding Mute Swans Cygnus olor at Abbotsbury - Wildfowl, 45: 1–14.
• Perrins C.M., McCleery R.H. 1997 - Pairing behaviour in a colony of Mute Swans Cygnus olor - Wildfowl, 42: 31–41.
• Rees E.C., Lievesley P., Pettifor R.A., Perrins Ch. 1996 - Mate fidelity in swans: and interspecific comparison (In: Partnership in birds: the study of monogamy, Ed. J. Black) - Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp.118–138.
• StatSoft, Inc. 2011. STATISTICA (data analysis software system), version 10. ww.statsoft.com
• Taborsky B., Guyer L., Demus P. 2014 - Prudent habitat choice': a novel mechanism of size-assortative mating - J. Evol. Biol. 27: 1217–1228.
• Wieloch M., Włodarczyk R., Czapulak A. 2004 - The Mute Swan Cygnus olor - BWP Update, vol. 6: 1–38.
• Włodarczyk R., Janiszewski T. 2007 - [Number and distribution of the Mute Swan Cygnus olor in Łódź region] - Not. Orn. 48: 82–91 (in Polish).
• Włodarczyk R., Wieloch M., Czyż S., Dolata P., Minias P. 2013 - Natal and breeding dispersal in Mute Swan Cygnus olor: influence of sex, mate switching and reproductive success - Acta Ornithol. 48: 237–244.
• Włodarczyk R., Minias P. 2015 - Division of parental duties confirms a need for bi-parental care in a precocial bird, the mute swan Cygnus olor - Anim Biol. 65: 163–176.

Identyfikatory

DOI

10.3161/15052249PJE2016.64.2.013