TY - JOUR
T1 - Behavioural roles in booby mate switching
AU - Rodríguez, Cristina
AU - Pérez-Staples, Diana
AU - Drummond, Hugh
AU - Osorio-Beristain, Marcela
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - The behaviour that mediates divorce and partner change in socially monogamous species is largely unstudied and unknown, although roles and adaptive functions in some birds have been inferred from breeding outcomes, partial behavioural records and captive studies. Here, roles and functions of natural within-season mate switching of a colonial bird were characterized by describing interactions over many days during the whole daylight period. Switching occurred in 5.9% of blue-footed booby pairs and was initiated by desertion of males or, less commonly, females. Three male desertions were consistent with either the Errors of Mate Choice or Incompatibility hypotheses but were better explained by our new Unfaithful Mate hypothesis because infidelity of the mate preceded desertion. Another two male desertions were more consistent with the Better Options hypothesis because the males switched to their ongoing extra-pair (EP) partners. One female desertion was consistent with the Errors of Mate choice or Incompatibility hypotheses, and another with the Better Options hypothesis. All five deserted females switched promptly to their EP partners. Thus, most switches consisted of (1)A males replacing a possibly unsatisfactory partner with a new (already identified or to be identified) partner, or (2)A deserted females pairing with their EP partners.
AB - The behaviour that mediates divorce and partner change in socially monogamous species is largely unstudied and unknown, although roles and adaptive functions in some birds have been inferred from breeding outcomes, partial behavioural records and captive studies. Here, roles and functions of natural within-season mate switching of a colonial bird were characterized by describing interactions over many days during the whole daylight period. Switching occurred in 5.9% of blue-footed booby pairs and was initiated by desertion of males or, less commonly, females. Three male desertions were consistent with either the Errors of Mate Choice or Incompatibility hypotheses but were better explained by our new Unfaithful Mate hypothesis because infidelity of the mate preceded desertion. Another two male desertions were more consistent with the Better Options hypothesis because the males switched to their ongoing extra-pair (EP) partners. One female desertion was consistent with the Errors of Mate choice or Incompatibility hypotheses, and another with the Better Options hypothesis. All five deserted females switched promptly to their EP partners. Thus, most switches consisted of (1)A males replacing a possibly unsatisfactory partner with a new (already identified or to be identified) partner, or (2)A deserted females pairing with their EP partners.
KW - Better option hypothesis
KW - Divorce
KW - Extra-pair copulations
KW - Pair-bonding
KW - Sula nebouxii
KW - Unfaithful mate
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84880558425&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1163/1568539X-00003055
DO - 10.1163/1568539X-00003055
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84880558425
SN - 0005-7959
VL - 150
SP - 337
EP - 357
JO - Behaviour
JF - Behaviour
IS - 3-4
ER -