| Extreme sequential polyandry insures against nest failure in a frog. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 18782745 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Sequential polyandry may evolve as an insurance mechanism to reduce the risk of choosing a mate that is infertile, closely related, genetically inferior or incompatible, but polyandry also might insure against nest failure in unpredictable environments. Most animals are oviparous, and in species where males provide nest sites whose quality varies substantially and unpredictably, polyandrous females might insure offspring success by distributing their eggs across multiple nests. Here, we test this hypothesis in a wild population of an Australian terrestrial toadlet, a polyandrous species, where males construct nests and remain with broods. We found that females partitioned their eggs across the nests of two to eight males and that more polyandrous females gained a significant increase in mean offspring survivorship. Our results provide evidence for the most extreme case of sequential polyandry yet discovered in a vertebrate and also suggest that insurance against nest failure might favour the evolution of polyandry. We propose that insurance against nest failure might be widespread among oviparous taxa and provide an important explanation for the prevalence of sequential polyandry in nature. |
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Authors:
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Phillip G Byrne; J Scott Keogh |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society Volume: 276 ISSN: 0962-8452 ISO Abbreviation: Proc. Biol. Sci. Publication Date: 2009 Jan |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2008-11-21 Completed Date: 2009-02-25 Revised Date: 2010-09-21 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 101245157 Medline TA: Proc Biol Sci Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 115-20 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia. phillip.byrne@sci.monash.edu.au |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Anura / genetics, physiology* Female Male Microsatellite Repeats Nesting Behavior* Ovum / growth & development, physiology Sexual Behavior, Animal* |
| Comments/Corrections | |
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