Riederer, Jana (2020) Nuptial gifts in a cooperative breeder. Master's Research Project 2, Ecology and Evolution.
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Abstract
Nuptial gift giving in general, and courtship feeding in particular, is a behaviour poised between sexual cooperation and sexual conflict: nuptial gifts can act as an indirect paternal investment into shared young between the sexes, or as part of the male’s mating effort trying to ensure access to reproduction. I explore courtship feeding in the cooperative breeder Malurus coronatus coronatus, testing 2 research questions in 3 datasets (focal observations in 2020; long-term datasets 2006–2009 & 2016–2020): How does cooperative breeding affect courtship feeding – is there load-lightening for the dominant male, or increased cumulative investment for the dominant female? What role does courtship feeding play - paternal investment or mating effort? Dominant male courtship feeding effort was reduced in the presence of subordinates, and dominant females received fewer feeds with increasing subordinate number in 2006–2009. This indicates load-lightening for the dominant male, and may represent adaptive undercompensation or a cost of group living. Reproductive output and copulation rate were not affected by courtship feeding, there is thus no direct evidence for courtship feeding acting as either paternal investment or mating effort. Indirect evidence for the mating effort hypothesis comes from the timing of courtship feeding, which is observed with greater frequency before nest building starts, indicating that courtship feeding may incentivize the dominant female to start breeding.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master's Research Project 2) |
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| Supervisor name: | Komdeur, J. |
| Degree programme: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Thesis type: | Master's Research Project 2 |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Sep 2020 13:59 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Sep 2020 13:59 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/23315 |
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