2016-02-25 19:14:00

论文题目：
Breeding experience, but not mate retention, determines the breeding performance in a passerine bird
作者：
Lei Lv
文章摘要：

Individuals that retain their former partners often perform better than conspeci cs that switch partners. This may be due to high- quality individuals being more faithful to their partners and more productive. Investigations of the  tness bene ts of mate retention that also control for potential confounding effects of individuals are scarce. We studied the in uence of mate retention and breeding experience on breeding performance of the hair-crested drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus) by carrying out both cross-sectional and longi- tudinal analyses. Pairs with longer pair-bond duration did not  edge more young or  edglings of better body condition nor did they pro- duce more or better  edglings than newly formed pairs consisting of at least 1 experienced breeder, that is, individuals that had bred before. Individuals produced fewer  edglings when they were paired with an inexperienced breeder, especially when females were paired with inexperienced males. Although clutch size was not affected by mate retention or breeding experience, pairs consisting of inexperienced breeder(s) had a relatively higher predation rate of eggs and/or nestlings because they may be less effective in nest defense. The onset of breeding was advanced in the year following mate retention, but not in the second year thereafter, when pairs still remained together. Furthermore, only the breeding experience of the male determined the onset of breeding: Pairs consisting of inexperienced males bred later in the season. Our results suggest that breeding experience, and particularly the breeding experience of the male, but not mate retention, is important in determining the breeding performance of hair-crested drongos.

发表年度：
2016
刊物名称：
Behavioral Ecology
通讯作者：
Zhengwang Zhang