Extrapair paternity in the common sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos, revealed by DNA fingerprinting

• Published in: Animal behaviour Vol. 67; no. 2; pp. 333 - 342
• Main Authors: Mee, Allan, Whitfield, D.Philip, Thompson, Desmond B.A, Burke, Terry
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kent Elsevier Ltd 01-02-2004; Elsevier; Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Ltd
• Subjects: Actitis hypoleucos; Animal ethology; Animal reproduction; Aves; Biological and medical sciences; Birds; DNA fingerprints; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Vertebrata; United Kingdom; Scotland; Great Britain; Europe; Mating system; Reproduction; Vertebrata; Monogamy; Fingerprint method; Polyandry; Extra pair copulation; Sexual competition; Paternity; Aves; Field study
• ISSN: 0003-3472; 1095-8282
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2003.02.007

The prevalence of extrapair paternity in many socially monogamous passerines has not been mirrored in most monogamous nonpasserines studied to date. Here, we investigated the reproductive behaviour of a socially monogamous shorebird, the common sandpiper, using multilocus DNA fingerprinting. Given the high level of paternal care in the species, and the likely high costs in allocating care between kin and nonkin in species with precocial young, we predicted low levels of extrapair paternity similar to other monogamous shorebirds. We found the social mating system to be predominantly monogamous although one polyandrous pairing was identified. Of 83 offspring from 27 broods, 13 (15.7%) young from five (18.5%) broods were identified as being extrapair. There was no evidence of intraspecific nest parasitism or quasiparasitism. In this population, territorial intrusions were carried out largely by males but did not appear to be related to seeking extrapair copulations (EPCs). Seventy copulation attempts were observed and most were within-pair (84%). Six of eight EPC attempts occurred outside the territory of the female's social mate. Copulation rates were significantly higher just before and during egg laying than at other times during the study. At least two females that reared extrapair young had associated with males other than their eventual mates on arrival, suggesting that some females use rapid mate switching as a mating tactic, facilitated perhaps by the asynchronous arrival among both sexes in this population. Why some female sandpipers mate promiscuously remains unresolved.