Multiple Maternity and Paternity in Single Broods of Apparently Monogamous Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis)

In an effort to assess genealogical relationships between breeding adults and their putative offspring, we collected and analyzed blood from 257 wild, uniquely color-banded eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis). Electrophoretic analysis of the protein products of two loci, esterase-2 (EST-2) and nucleos...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioral ecology and sociobiology 1984-07, Vol.15 (2), p.91-95
Main Authors: P. A. Gowaty, Karlin, A. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Bird nesting
Blood
Female animals
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genetic loci
Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution
Male animals
Mating behavior
Mating systems
Parasitism
Parentage
Population genetics, reproduction patterns
Wild birds
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Summary:In an effort to assess genealogical relationships between breeding adults and their putative offspring, we collected and analyzed blood from 257 wild, uniquely color-banded eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis). Electrophoretic analysis of the protein products of two loci, esterase-2 (EST-2) and nucleoside phosphorylase (NSP), revealed that at least 5% of adult males and 15% of adult females were caring for at least one offspring not their own. Multiple parentage was evident in 9% of all broods sampled. Twenty-five percent of complete families sampled evidenced multiple parentage. Biparental care of nestlings by adult eastern bluebirds is not necessarily a reflection of the genetic kinship between putative parents and their offspring. The consort pattern among eastern bluebirds does not completely correlate with the pattern of gametic contributions, leading to a reconsideration of their mating system as possibly polygamous. This is among the first unambiguous observations of multiple patenity in a wild bird population, and of multiple maternity in a wild passerine.
ISSN:0340-5443
1432-0762
DOI:10.1007/BF00299374