High fidelity: extra-pair fertilisations in eight Charadrius plover species are not associated with parental relatedness or social mating system

Extra-pair paternity is a common reproductive strategy in many bird species. However, it remains unclear why extra-pair paternity occurs and why it varies among species and populations. Plovers (Charadrius spp.) exhibit considerable variation in reproductive behaviour and ecology, making them excellent models to investigate the evolution of social and genetic mating systems. We investigated inter- and intra-specific patterns of extra-pair parentage and evaluated three major hypotheses explaining extra-pair paternity using a comparative approach based on the microsatellite genotypes of 2049 individuals from 510 plover families sampled from twelve populations that constituted eight species. Extra-pair paternity rates were very low (0 to 4.1% of chicks per population). No evidence was found in support of the sexual conflict or genetic compatibility hypotheses, and there was no seasonal pattern of extra-pair paternity (EPP). The low prevalence of EPP is consistent with a number of alternative hypotheses, including the parental investment hypothesis, which suggests that high contribution to care by males restricts female plovers from engaging in extra-pair copulations. Further studies are needed to critically test the importance of this hypothesis for mate choice in plovers

Extremely low Plasmodium prevalence in wild plovers and coursers from Cape Verde and Madagascar

Martínez-de la Puente J, Eberhart-Phillips L, Cristina Carmona-Isunza M, et al. Extremely low Plasmodium prevalence in wild plovers and coursers from Cape Verde and Madagascar. Malaria Journal. 2017;16(1): 243

High fidelity: extra-pair fertilisations in eight Charadrius plover species are not associated with parental relatedness or social mating system

Extra-pair paternity is a common reproductive strategy in many bird species. However, it remains unclear why extra-pair paternity occurs and why it varies among species and populations. Plovers (Charadrius spp.) exhibit considerable variation in reproductive behaviour and ecology, making them excellent models to investigate the evolution of social and genetic mating systems. We investigated inter- and intra-specific patterns of extra-pair parentage and evaluated three major hypotheses explaining extra-pair paternity using a comparative approach based on the microsatellite genotypes of 2049 individuals from 510 plover families sampled from twelve populations that constituted eight species. Extra-pair paternity rates were very low (0 to 4.1% of chicks per population). No evidence was found in support of the sexual conflict or genetic compatibility hypotheses, and there was no seasonal pattern of extra-pair paternity (EPP). The low prevalence of EPP is consistent with a number of alternative hypotheses, including the parental investment hypothesis, which suggests that high contribution to care by males restricts female plovers from engaging in extra-pair copulations. Further studies are needed to critically test the importance of this hypothesis for mate choice in plovers

Data to estimate ASR and OSR

Estimating adult sex ratio (ASR) and operational sex ratio (OSR) in a snowy plover population. This file contains 2 sheets: 1) Numbers of males and females present in the breeding sites each day of the breeding season for three years of study to estimate ASR and 2) numbers of males and females present and available to breed in the breeding sites each day of the breeding season for three years of study to estimate OSR. See ReadMe file for more details

An urge to fill a knowledge void: Malaria parasites are rarely investigated in threatened species

There is an increasing urgency in gaining greater understanding of the factors that affect vulnerability to extinction, given the current levels of species loss. Parasites often reduce host fitness and can thus exert an important influence on host population dynamics, exacerbating vulnerability to extinction. However, empirical support for the hypothesis that parasites can increase vulnerability to extinction is rare. A crucial factor limiting tests of the hypothesis is data availability. An extensive review of the literature revealed that common avian malaria and avian malaria–like haemosporidian parasites are seldom investigated in endangered birds. We stress the importance of assessing the occurrence of haemosporidians and other parasites in vertebrate species of high conservation concernPeer reviewe

Data from: Adult sex ratio and operational sex ratio exhibit different temporal dynamics in the wild

Adult sex ratio (ASR, the proportion of adult males in the adult population) and operational sex ratio (OSR, the proportion of sexually active males in the mating pool) are fundamental properties of breeding populations and they are often linked to mating systems and sexual selection. However, ASR and OSR emerge via different routes in a population and may exhibit different temporal patterns. Here, we use data from a well-monitored polygamous snowy plover Charadrius nivosus population sampled over 3 consecutive breeding seasons to investigate whether temporal changes in ASR relate to changes in OSR. We found that snowy plovers exhibited male-biased ASR and OSR. Consistent with theoretical expectations, OSR was more variable than ASR. However, there was no consistent relationship between OSR and ASR: in only 1 of the 3 study years we found a weak positive relationship (r = 0.22). The lack of association was corroborated by time series analyses and sensitivity tests. Our work therefore suggests that ASR and OSR exhibit different temporal patterns in a polygamous population, and we call for further theoretical and empirical studies that analyze their relationship across a range of different breeding systems