The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Sex ratio variation among broods of great reed warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus

På svenska

Author

Summary, in English

The sex of 746 great reed warbler fledglings (from 175 broods) was determined by the use of single primer polymerase-chain reaction. The reliability of the technique was confirmed as 104 of the fledglings were subsequently recorded as adults of known sex. The overall sex ratio did not differ from unity. Variation in sex ratios between broods was larger than expected from a binomial distribution. Female identity explained some of the variation of brood sex ratio indicating that certain females consistently produced sex ratios that departed from the average value in the population. The theory of sex allocation predicts that parents should adjust the sex ratio of their brood to the relative value of sons and daughters and this may vary in relation to the quality of the parents or to the time of breeding. In the great reed warbler, the proportion of sons was not related to time of breeding, or to any of five female variables. Of five male variables, males with early arrival date tended to produce more daughters. The sex ratio of fledglings that were a result of extra-pair fertilizations did not differ from that of legitimate fledglings. Hence, there is currently no evidence of that female great reed warblers invest in a higher proportion of sons when mated with attractive males.

Publishing year

1997

Language

English

Pages

543-548

Publication/Series

Molecular Ecology

Volume

6

Issue

6

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Topic

  • Biological Sciences

Keywords

  • cuckoldry
  • selection
  • frequency
  • manipulation
  • attractiveness
  • birds
  • genetic-markers
  • RAPD
  • size
  • song repertoire
  • sex ratios
  • sexual selection
  • polygyny
  • laying date

Status

Published

Project

  • Long-term study of great reed warblers

Research group

  • Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0962-1083