Does mate-guarding give non-territorial birds the chance to settle?

TY - JOUR

T1 - Does mate-guarding give non-territorial birds the chance to settle?

AU - Both, C.

N1 - Reporting year: 2004 Metis note: 3500; CTE; PVD; file:///L:/Endnotedatabases/NIOOPUB/pdfs/Pdfs2004/Both_3500.pdf

PY - 2004

Y1 - 2004

N2 - Territory defence has been suggested to serve as a means of preventing extrapair copulations. This hypothesis predicts that territory size is largest during the fertile period, and hence at this time few new territory settlements are expected. I show that Great Tits Parus major show a peak in new territory settlements in between adjacent territories precisely at the time other pairs start egg-laying. These newly settled individuals were mostly known as floaters in the area, and did not seem to be paired before they settled. This observation is in contrast with the territory defence to prevent EPC's hypothesis. I hypothesise that males have to trade-off territory defence and mateguarding, enabling new birds to settle at the time males mate guard. [KEYWORDS: TERRITORY SIZE ; GREAT TIT ; CUCKOLDRY ; Female functions ; COMPETITION ; BEHAVIOR ; SUCCESS ; RISK]

AB - Territory defence has been suggested to serve as a means of preventing extrapair copulations. This hypothesis predicts that territory size is largest during the fertile period, and hence at this time few new territory settlements are expected. I show that Great Tits Parus major show a peak in new territory settlements in between adjacent territories precisely at the time other pairs start egg-laying. These newly settled individuals were mostly known as floaters in the area, and did not seem to be paired before they settled. This observation is in contrast with the territory defence to prevent EPC's hypothesis. I hypothesise that males have to trade-off territory defence and mateguarding, enabling new birds to settle at the time males mate guard. [KEYWORDS: TERRITORY SIZE ; GREAT TIT ; CUCKOLDRY ; Female functions ; COMPETITION ; BEHAVIOR ; SUCCESS ; RISK]

M3 - Article

SN - 0373-2266

VL - 92

SP - 107

EP - 111

JO - Ardea

JF - Ardea

IS - 1

ER -