Breeding success of a brood parasite is associated with social mating status of its host

0378637 - ÚBO 2013 RIV DE eng J - Journal Article
Trnka, A. - Požgayová, Milica - Procházka, Petr - Prokop, P. - Honza, Marcel
Breeding success of a brood parasite is associated with social mating status of its host.
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. Roč. 66, č. 8 (2012), s. 1187-1194. ISSN 0340-5443. E-ISSN 1432-0762
R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA600930903; GA ČR(CZ) GAP506/12/2404
Institutional support: RVO:68081766
Keywords : brood parasitism * cuckoo * great reed warbler * polygyny * reproductive success
Subject RIV: EG - Zoology
Impact factor: 2.752, year: 2012

Reproductive success of brood parasites varies considerably both among and within host species, mainly due to differences in host egg-rejection rates and survival of parasitic chicks. Here, we investigated the breeding success of the cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) in one of its major hosts, the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), with respect to host social mating status. In this passerine, polygynous males provide less parental care to their young per nest than monogamous males. Consequently, their lessassisted females may fledge lower numbers of nestlings than monogamous females. This may be especially true for secondary females, which often receive limited or no paternal help with young at all. Based on these findings, we expected higher cuckoo reproductive success in nests of socially monogamous than polygynous great reed warbler males. More specifically, we predicted lower fledging success of cuckoo young in nests of secondary than primary or monogamous females. In line with the prediction, we found higher cuckoo fledging success in nests of monogamous than polygynous males, monogamous nests being more than twice as successful as secondary nests. We detected, however, only a tendency to lower cuckoo success in primary compared to monogamous nests and no differences between primary and secondary nests. Moreover, neither parasitism nor host egg-rejection rates differed among the nests of different status. Our results show, for the first time, that the social mating status of a host may influence the overall reproductive success of a brood parasite and thus should be considered in further studies.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0210058