Parentage and relatedness in polyandrous comb-crested jacanas using ISSRs

Area of Science:

• Ornithology
• Behavioral Ecology
• Population Genetics

Background:

• Sex-role reversal is observed in some bird species, challenging traditional mating system assumptions.
• Simultaneous polyandry is a rare mating strategy in the avian world.
• Understanding parentage and relatedness is crucial for avian reproductive biology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate parentage and relatedness in the comb-crested jacana (Irediparra gallinacea), a sex-role reversed, simultaneously polyandrous shorebird.
• To determine the genetic mating system of this species using molecular markers.
• To assess the degree of relatedness among adult individuals in the population.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 28 Intersimple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers for genetic analysis.
• Assessed parentage by comparing field observations with genetic data, including individual-specific bands.
• Applied a 99% confidence interval exclusion criteria for parentage assignment.

Main Results:

• Paternity was confirmed in all 36 studied chicks.
• Only one instance (2.8%) of extra-pair paternity was detected, suggesting genetic monogamy.
• A significant positive correlation was found between relatedness and ISSR similarity, indicating kinship among adults.

Conclusions:

• Comb-crested jacanas appear to be genetically monogamous, contrasting with some other polyandrous species.
• High relatedness among adults may be attributed to limited dispersal, influenced by habitat and physical constraints.
• ISSR markers proved effective for analyzing parentage and relatedness in this vertebrate population.