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Multiple paternity in Belding's ground squirrel litters

J Hanken, P W Sherman

    Science (New York, N.Y.)
    |April 17, 1981
    PubMed
    Summary
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    Female Belding ground squirrels commonly mate with multiple males. Paternity analyses of 27 litters revealed that 78% were sired by two or three males, a high frequency of multiple paternity in a natural population.

    Area of Science:

    • Evolutionary biology
    • Behavioral ecology
    • Mammalogy

    Background:

    • Female Belding ground squirrels exhibit promiscuous mating behavior.
    • Understanding mating systems is crucial for evolutionary studies.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To determine the frequency of multiple paternity in Spermophilus beldingi.
    • To investigate the mating system of this rodent species.

    Main Methods:

    • Field observations of mating behaviors were conducted.
    • Laboratory-based paternity exclusion analyses were performed.
    • Paternity was ascertained for 27 litters from 1977-1978.

    Main Results:

    • 78% of the litters were multiply sired.

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  • Most multiply sired litters had two or three fathers.
  • This represents a high frequency of multiple paternity in a natural population.

    • Conclusions:

    • Multiple paternity is common in Belding ground squirrel populations.
    • This mating strategy may have significant evolutionary implications.