Ultimate drivers of forced extra-pair copulations in birds lacking a penis: jackdaws as a case-study
Forced copulation is common, presumably because it can increase male reproductive success. Forced extra-pair copulation (FEPC) occurs in birds, even though most species lack a penis and are widely thought to require female cooperation for fertilization. How FEPC persists, despite a presumed lack of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Royal Society
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.231226 |
| _version_ | 1797242754521104384 |
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| author | Rebecca Hooper Kathryn Maher Karen Moore Guillam McIvor David Hosken Alex Thornton |
| author_facet | Rebecca Hooper Kathryn Maher Karen Moore Guillam McIvor David Hosken Alex Thornton |
| author_sort | Rebecca Hooper |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Forced copulation is common, presumably because it can increase male reproductive success. Forced extra-pair copulation (FEPC) occurs in birds, even though most species lack a penis and are widely thought to require female cooperation for fertilization. How FEPC persists, despite a presumed lack of siring success and likely non-negligible costs to the male, is unknown. Using the jackdaw (Corvus monedula) as a case study, we use SNPs to quantify the extra-pair paternity rate through FEPC and evaluate explanations for the persistence of FEPC in species without a penis. We then collate evidence for FEPC across penis-lacking birds. Combining genetic and behavioural analyses, our study suggests that the most likely explanations for the maintenance of FEPC in jackdaws are that it provides a selective advantage to males or it is a relic. Our literature review shows that across birds lacking a penis, FEPC is taxonomically widespread, and yet, little is known about its evolution. A broader implementation of the approach used here, combining both genetic and behavioural data, may shed light on why this widespread sexual behaviour persists. Additional work is necessary to understand whether a penis is needed for paternity through forced copulation and to quantify the costs of FEPC. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:44:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7573bc0a32704361bb7878f659e2674e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:44:15Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-7573bc0a32704361bb7878f659e2674e2024-03-27T08:05:34ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032024-03-0111310.1098/rsos.231226Ultimate drivers of forced extra-pair copulations in birds lacking a penis: jackdaws as a case-studyRebecca Hooper0Kathryn Maher1Karen Moore2Guillam McIvor3David Hosken4Alex Thornton5Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter , Exeter, UKNERC Environmental Omics Facility, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield , Sheffield, UKFaculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter , Exeter, UKCentre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus , Penryn, UKCentre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus , Penryn, UKCentre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus , Penryn, UKForced copulation is common, presumably because it can increase male reproductive success. Forced extra-pair copulation (FEPC) occurs in birds, even though most species lack a penis and are widely thought to require female cooperation for fertilization. How FEPC persists, despite a presumed lack of siring success and likely non-negligible costs to the male, is unknown. Using the jackdaw (Corvus monedula) as a case study, we use SNPs to quantify the extra-pair paternity rate through FEPC and evaluate explanations for the persistence of FEPC in species without a penis. We then collate evidence for FEPC across penis-lacking birds. Combining genetic and behavioural analyses, our study suggests that the most likely explanations for the maintenance of FEPC in jackdaws are that it provides a selective advantage to males or it is a relic. Our literature review shows that across birds lacking a penis, FEPC is taxonomically widespread, and yet, little is known about its evolution. A broader implementation of the approach used here, combining both genetic and behavioural data, may shed light on why this widespread sexual behaviour persists. Additional work is necessary to understand whether a penis is needed for paternity through forced copulation and to quantify the costs of FEPC.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.231226forcedextra-paircopulationsFEPCjackdaw |
| spellingShingle | Rebecca Hooper Kathryn Maher Karen Moore Guillam McIvor David Hosken Alex Thornton Ultimate drivers of forced extra-pair copulations in birds lacking a penis: jackdaws as a case-study Royal Society Open Science forced extra-pair copulations FEPC jackdaw |
| title | Ultimate drivers of forced extra-pair copulations in birds lacking a penis: jackdaws as a case-study |
| title_full | Ultimate drivers of forced extra-pair copulations in birds lacking a penis: jackdaws as a case-study |
| title_fullStr | Ultimate drivers of forced extra-pair copulations in birds lacking a penis: jackdaws as a case-study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ultimate drivers of forced extra-pair copulations in birds lacking a penis: jackdaws as a case-study |
| title_short | Ultimate drivers of forced extra-pair copulations in birds lacking a penis: jackdaws as a case-study |
| title_sort | ultimate drivers of forced extra pair copulations in birds lacking a penis jackdaws as a case study |
| topic | forced extra-pair copulations FEPC jackdaw |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.231226 |
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