12- biparental care Flashcards

1
Q

what is biparental care and what % of all bird species have biparental care?
- what arises?

A

both M and F raise offspring
80%
- conflict between parents over provision of biparental care

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2
Q

why is biparental care a problem? (4)

A
  • parental care is costly
  • current investment should be traded off against future survival + reproduction as predicted by life history theory
  • costs are borne individually + benefits shared
  • tragedy of the commons
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3
Q

how is biparental care a problem for blue tits?

A

increased parental care can result in reduced adult survival

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4
Q

what is houstan and davies sealed bid model? (5)

A
  • parental effort evolves through time
  • 2 parents feed brood of chicks
  • each parent has optimal response to partners effort
  • if one parent invests a lot then the other doesn’t need to
  • eventually ESS is reached evolutionarily
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5
Q

what are the 3 other possible outcomes of the houstan and davies sealed bid model?

A
  1. M best response may always be less than F (ESS of only F caring)
  2. M best response higher than F (ESS of M caring only)
  3. where both M and F provide care is unstable so either M only or F only care
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6
Q

describe the penduline tit sexual conflict over care as studied by Van dijk et al 2012 ()

A
  • one or both parents desert during egg laying
  • 50-70% F only care
  • 5-20% M only care
  • 30-40% both parents leave
  • if lots of F in pop M often desert as likely to find another mate
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7
Q

what did Nakagawa et al 2007 discover about the element of repeatability in how much is invested?

A

M house sparrow parental effort repeatable within + between years across diff breeding attempts
- M have fixed investment

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8
Q

what did MacColl and Hatchwell 2003 discover about the element of repeatability in how much is invested?

A
  • in long tailed tits parental effort is heritable so to some extent genetically determined
  • parents can adjust effort according to circumstances so care may vary and sealed bid is less likely
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9
Q

is an individual’s effort fixed?

A

no

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10
Q

in most species what do parents vary their effort in relation to?

A
  • nestling age
  • brood size
  • food supply
  • number of carers
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11
Q

what was McNamara et al other biparental care model? (4)

A

negotiation model

  • parents respond to each other over optimal investment in real time
  • negotiation rules evolve over time
  • more inclusive of potential influences on parental effort
  • recognises parents adjust provision rate
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12
Q

what do both biparental care models predict?

A

that stable biparental care evolves only when one parent compensates incompletely for reduced effort by partner

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13
Q

using empirical studies to test prediction of incomplete compensation list the 5 main types of experiments

A
  1. removal experiments
  2. meta analysis of experimental studies
  3. handicapping experiments
  4. testosterone experiments
  5. nestling playback experiments
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14
Q

what is Markman et al 1996 removal experiment of orange tufted sunbirds?

A
  • M removed from nest
  • widowed F increased effort + visitation rate
  • compensation incomplete (less food provided)
  • reduction in total effort affected health of brood
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15
Q

what was harrison et al 2009 meta analysis of 54 experimental studies? (3)

A
  • empirical support for theoretical prediction of incomplete compensation
  • increase in partners effort to compensate not enough so total care is less
  • variable results so could be full, partial or no compensation according to sex
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16
Q

describe the alternative experiment to mate removal to test for incomplete compensation, describing examples for both blue tits and european starlings

A

handicapping experiments: reduce effort of one parent and other incompletely compensates

  • small weights or ties feathers on birds to handicap
    a) blue tits: no compensation for reduced care by handicapped partner
    b) european starlings: weights attached to reduce visitation rate, both sexes compensated equally to increase visitation for partners lower work rate . ability to compensate limited by larger broods with lower visit rates per chick due to increased brood size
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17
Q

give and example for testosterone experiments to test for incomplete compensation

A

M treated with testosterone which reduced care and F compensate
e.g. dark eyed junco: F compensate completely for reduced M effort, increase effort greater than reduction in M effort

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18
Q

list the 2 main reasons for inconsistent results

A

methodology

information

19
Q

how can methodology give inconsistent results through affecting the partners response? (4)

A
  • mate removal: no negotiation, partner widowed
  • handicap: partner perceived as poor quality
  • testosterone: partner perceived as high quality
  • partner response may be influenced by change in perception rather than change in effort
20
Q

why can information and what the models assume give inconsistent results?

A

models assume parents have perfect knowledge of partner effort + respond to offspring need

21
Q

what is Johnstone + Hinde 2006 information model as a version of the negotiation model?

A

parent uses partners effort as cues to brood needs ot integrated info from partner + brood

  • variable response to manipulation
  • parental info about brood may be incomplete
22
Q

give an example of nestling playback experiment (3)

A

great tits (Hinde 2006)

  • play extra nestling begging from speaker so one parent increases their effort
  • parent matches increased effort of partner rather than compensating or reducing effort
  • incomplete compensation: if parents respond to needs of brood
  • no compensation: if parents respond to partner
23
Q

what is negotiation via condition cooperation or ‘tit for tat’ feeds, as studied by Johnstone et al 2014?

A
  • parents should alternate visits (M then F) to nest more than expected by chance
  • Seen in great tits and long tailed tits
24
Q

mechanisms through what are important?

A

through which individuals make behavioural decisions

25
Q

what does stable biparental care evolve via a process of?

A

negotiation in evolutionary + behavioural time

26
Q

what can the models predict?

A

incomplete compensation for changes in partner effort

27
Q

what information has been given little attention?

A

information available to parents or process of negotiation

28
Q

what does the evolution of biparental care show the evolution of?

A

theoretical + empirical studies + how feed into each other

29
Q

according to Houston et al 2005 as a consequence of their own effort what does each parent suffer?

A

a reduction in future reproductive success

30
Q

according to Houston et al 2005 how can a parent benefit itself?

A

handicapping itself

31
Q

according to Houston et al 2005 when does a parent have more opportunity to find a new partner?

A

if desert young + mate

32
Q

according to Houston et al 2005 what do models tested experimentally often lack?

A

biological features, crucial in determining observed behaviour

33
Q

according to Houston et al 2005 how can theoretical work be integrated with empirical studies?

A

through the extent the parent compensated for mates low effort
- could handicap itself to manipulate mate so they have to increase effort

34
Q

according to Houston et al 2005 why may it be inconsistent to predict that all M will desert and all F will care?

A

will be no F left for M to mate with

35
Q

according to Houston et al 2005 why may the M not father all offspring of his partner?

A

M often gains matings with F that are not social partner

36
Q

according to Houston et al 2005 what are parental decisions likely a result of?

A

negotiation process with repeated interaction between M and F responding to one another

37
Q

according to Houston et al 2005 how to M pied flycatchers force F to work harder?

A

moult while young still being fed which reduces their ability to care

38
Q

according to Houston et al 2005 what is the good parent hypothesis?

A

ornaments + song indicate M ability to provide care

39
Q

according to Meade et al 2011 what does theoretical modelling suggest biparental care is?

A

a stable strategy if parents partially compensate for behavioural changes of partner

40
Q

according to Meade et al 2011 what does the information model factor in?

A

brood value + need into parental decision making

41
Q

according to Meade et al 2011 in long tailed tits what is the response when parental info high vs when it is low?

A

high: partial compensation
low: expect matched response

42
Q

according to Meade et al 2011 what does a small increase in effort by F elicit in M?

A

large response

43
Q

according to Meade et al 2011 what can coordinated foraging result in?

A

partner matching focal partners increased effort which may reduce nest predation