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Pairing patterns in relation to body size, genetic similarity and multilocus heterozygosity in a tropical monogamous bird species

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Abstract

The relative influence of genetic and phenotypic quality on pairing status and mating patterns in socially monogamous species remains poorly documented. We studied social status and pairing patterns in relation to genetic similarity and multilocus heterozygosity (MLH) estimates from 11 microsatellite markers, and both tarsus length and wing chord (as a measure of competitive ability in territorial defence) in a socially monogamous tropical bird species where individuals defend territories year-round, alone or in pairs, the Zenaida dove, Zenaida aurita. Tarsus length and wing chord did not differ between unpaired territorial birds and paired ones in either sex, whereas paired females, but not paired males, tended to be more heterozygous than unpaired ones. Among 84 pairs, we found no evidence for assortative mating for tarsus length, wing chord, MLH or genetic similarity. However, within pairs, male wing chord was positively related to female MLH and female tarsus length was positively related to male MLH, with no evidence for local effects, suggesting assortative mating by individual quality. Although the observed pattern of mating in Zenaida doves may be the product of mutual mate choice, further assessment of this hypothesis requires direct investigation of both mating preference in each sex and lifetime reproductive success in relation to body size and MLH.

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Acknowledgments

We thank three anonymous referees for very helpful comments on an earlier version. We are particularly grateful to Mr. Steve Devonish, Director of Natural Heritage, and Kim Downes Agard for granting us the permission to capture and ring Zenaida doves and to Cyril Bhola for hospitality. We thank Karine Monceau, Nicole Atherley, Laurent Brucy, Carla Daniel, Jérôme Moreau and Sébastien Motreuil, for their help in catching and banding birds, and Christine Dubreuil and Maria Gaillard for their help in genotyping. Patrice David provided very helpful comments on the manuscript. The study was funded by the Agence Nationale pour la Recherche (ANR, Programme Blanc “Monogamix”) and the Conseil Régional de Bourgogne. AQ was supported by a doctoral grant from the Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standards

Research was conducted under permit from the National Heritage Department (Division of Ministry of Environment and Drainage of Barbados). The experiments comply with the current laws of Barbados.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR CNRS 6282 Biogéosciences, Université de Bourgogne, 6 boulevard Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France

    Aurélie Quinard, François-Xavier Dechaume-Moncharmont & Frank Cézilly

  2. Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France

    Frank Cézilly

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  1. Aurélie Quinard
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  2. François-Xavier Dechaume-Moncharmont
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  3. Frank Cézilly
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Correspondence to Frank Cézilly.

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Communicated by M. Hughes

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Quinard, A., Dechaume-Moncharmont, FX. & Cézilly, F. Pairing patterns in relation to body size, genetic similarity and multilocus heterozygosity in a tropical monogamous bird species. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 68, 1723–1731 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-014-1780-1

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