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1 August 2011 Infrequent Extra-Pair Paternity in the Banded Wren, a Synchronously Breeding Tropical Passerine
Emily R. A. Cramer, Michelle L. Hall, Selvino R. De Kort, Irby J. Lovette, Sandra L. Vehrencamp
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Abstract

Many species of socially monogamous birds engage in extra-pair copulations, but the extent of extra-pair paternity varies considerably by species. The ecological conditions contributing to interspecific variation in rates of extra-pair paternity remain unclear. We used a combination of single-nucleotide polymorphisms and microsatellites to document extra-pair paternity in the Banded Wren (Thryothorus pleurostictus), a socially monogamous neotropical passerine that lives in a highly seasonal environment. The rate of extra-pair paternity was relatively low, with extra-pair males siring 4% of offspring in 10% of nests. This low rate is consistent with current hypotheses predicting low rates of extra-pair paternity in nonmigratory species in which survivorship of adults is high, and it is contrary to the pattern predicted by hypotheses linking synchronous breeding with high rates of extra-pair paternity. Extra-pair males sang better and were more genetically similar to females than the males they cuckolded, though our sample size for this comparison was limited. Our data will be useful for future comparative studies examining ecological correlates of extra-pair paternity. This study also demonstrates the utility of genotyping by single-nucleotide polymorphisms as a powerful alternative to microsatellites for assessing genetic mating systems.

© 2011 by The Cooper Ornithological Society. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press's Rights and Permissions website, http://www.ucpressjournals.com/reprintInfo.asp.
Emily R. A. Cramer, Michelle L. Hall, Selvino R. De Kort, Irby J. Lovette, and Sandra L. Vehrencamp "Infrequent Extra-Pair Paternity in the Banded Wren, a Synchronously Breeding Tropical Passerine," The Condor 113(3), 637-645, (1 August 2011). https://doi.org/10.1525/cond.2011.100233
Received: 22 November 2011; Accepted: 1 January 2011; Published: 1 August 2011
KEYWORDS
Breeding synchrony
extra-pair paternity
heterozygosity
single-nucleotide polymorphisms
tropical ecology
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