Behavioural flexibility in the mating system buffers population extinction: lessons from the lesser spotted woodpecker Picoides minor

The Journal of Animal Ecology
Eva RossmanithFlorian Jeltsch

Abstract

1. In most stochastic models addressing the persistence of small populations, environmental noise is included by imposing a synchronized effect of the environment on all individuals. However, buffer mechanisms are likely to exist that may counteract this synchronization to some degree. 2. We have studied whether the flexibility in the mating system, which has been observed in some bird species, is a potential mechanism counteracting the synchronization of environmental fluctuations. Our study organism is the lesser spotted woodpecker Picoides minor (Linnaeus), a generally monogamous species. However, facultative polyandry, where one female mates with two males with separate nests, was observed in years with male-biased sex ratio. 3. We constructed an individual-based model from data and observations of a population in Taunus, Germany. We tested the impact of three behavioural scenarios on population persistence: (1) strict monogamy; (2) polyandry without costs; and (3) polyandry assuming costs in terms of lower survival and reproductive success for secondary males. We assumed that polyandry occurs only in years with male-biased sex ratio and only for females with favourable breeding conditions. 4. Even low rates of polyandry ha...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jul 25, 2009·Conservation Biology : the Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology·Miguel FerrerMassimo Pandolfi
Dec 12, 2012·Ecology Letters·Manuela González-Suárez, Eloy Revilla
May 23, 2014·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·T SzékelyJ Komdeur
Nov 12, 2013·Frontiers in Zoology·Juan José MartínezEnrique H Bucher

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