Abstract
Thraupidae (Tanagers and allies) show a remarkable array of behaviors, ecologies, morphologies and plumage colors, offering a great opportunity to investigate the evolution of avian mating strategies. We characterize the population genetics and mating system of Sicalis flaveola pelzelni, a socially monogamous Neotropical songbird with biparental care. We found moderate to high levels of neutral genetic variation, similar across three breeding seasons, consistent with large and stable populations, and no temporal genetic structure. Parentage analyses of 114 adults and 198 nestlings (54 nests) revealed 31.8% of extra-pair offspring (EPO) and 51.8% of broods with at least one extra-pair chick. Extra-pair paternity (EPP) rates varied across seasons and were significantly higher in 2014/2015. Neither breeding synchrony nor pair genetic relatedness was significantly associated to EPP rates. Males paired with females in nests with and without EPO were equally heterozygous, and EPO were significantly less heterozygous than within-pair offspring, not supporting the ‘indirect genetic benefits’ hypotheses. Females were more related to their extra-pair mates than to their social mates, not supporting the ‘inbreeding avoidance’ hypothesis. The non-monogamous genetic mating system uncovered here seems not to lower the effective size of the population, which was higher than the sample size of adult breeders. We report and discuss possible cases of quasi-parasitism, as indicated by maternity exclusion patterns. We contribute novel information to expand the knowledge about the largely unexplored genetic mating systems of Thraupidae. Our findings also set the stage for further studies examining if plumage coloration or song traits predict paternity gain or loss in Saffron Finches.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the authorities and personnel of the Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (INTECH-CONICET) for permission to work and reside on its premises. We are grateful to the reviewer and the Editor for their valuable comments which helped us improve the manuscript. This work was supported through Research Grants awarded to VM by ConsejoNacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas—CONICET, Argentina (PIP 2014-2017:#11220130100342CO) and Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBACyT2014-2017: #20020130100772BA). MJBS acknowledges the Doctoral Scholarship awarded by CONICET (#4370/2012). Initial conceptualization of this study started while CIM was a Postdoctoral Researcher at IEGEBA (UBA/CONICET) supported by CONICET (#10520120101473/2012). CIM thanks Sergio and Indio Quintana for their love, time and patience.
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All the field work of this study followed the Guidelines for Ethical Research on Laboratory and Farm Animals and Wildlife Species of the ConsejoNacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina (CONICET, Resolution No. 1047 ANNEX II, 2005). All methods employed related to capturing, handling, and banding of the birds comply with the guidelines of the Dirección de Flora y Fauna (Buenos Aires province, Argentina) and the Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research (Fair et al. 2010; https://www.aaalac.org/accreditation/RefResources/SS_WildBirds.pdf). Specific permits to handle the birds were obtained from the Dirección de Flora y Fauna de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (permits No. 142/2013, 153/2014 and 65/2015). No animals were harmed during capture, and neither anesthesia nor euthanasia was required. The field studies did not involve endangered or protected species.
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Benítez Saldívar, M.J., Miño, C.I. & Massoni, V. Genetic mating system, population genetics and effective size of Saffron Finches breeding in southern South America. Genetica 147, 315–326 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-019-00072-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-019-00072-4