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Successful breeding predicts divorce in plovers
Naerhulan Halimubieke1, Krisztina Kupán2, José O Valdebenito3
1Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK. hn364@bath.ac.uk.
Scientific Reports
|September 24, 2020
Summary
Successful breeding in plovers leads to divorce, not mate retention. Plovers that divorce and desert broods produce more offspring, supporting divorce as a strategy for enhanced reproductive success.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Ornithology
Background:
- Parental mating decisions involve re-mating or divorce after successful reproduction.
- Evolutionary theory suggests partner retention after successful breeding.
- Recent studies show successful breeders divorce more often, benefiting from new mates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if successful breeding predicts divorce in plovers (Charadrius spp.).
- To test adaptive explanations for divorce as a strategy for improved reproductive success.
- To examine the role of temperature in modulating divorce patterns.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 14 well-monitored plover populations.
- Comparison of divorce and mate retention rates following breeding success or failure.
- Assessment of offspring production in relation to divorce and mate retention.
Main Results:
- Successful nesting in plovers significantly predicts divorce.
- Nest failure leads to mate retention.
- Divorcing plovers who deserted broods produced more offspring within a season compared to those retaining mates.
Conclusions:
- Successful breeding, not failure, triggers divorce in plovers, countering traditional evolutionary expectations.
- Divorce is an adaptive strategy enhancing individual reproductive success.
- Environmental factors like temperature may influence divorce dynamics in plover breeding systems.
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