Infanticide in great reed warblers: secondary females destroy eggs of primary females |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA;2. Deparment of Biology, Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, TX, USA;3. Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA;1. Applied Ecology and Conservation Lab, Post-Graduation Program in Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation, State University of Santa Cruz, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km16, 45662-000 Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil;2. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Federal University of São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luis, km 235, 13.562-180 São Carlos, SP, Brazil;3. Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology, Avenida C-1, 250, 14781-502 Barretos, SP, Brazil;1. CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto, Instituto de Ciências Agrárias de Vairão, R. Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal;2. Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Rua Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal;3. Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal;1. Dept. Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, E-23071, Jaén, Spain;2. Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain |
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| Abstract: | In 1994–1995 artificial nests with attached model eggs were put into territories that were known to have been occupied by male great reed warblers,Acrocephalus arundinaceusin previous years. Because the eggs were made of soft plasticine, predators left peckmarks in them and this enabled us to identify predators by comparing peckmarks with reference marks made by various species. Previous field data had suggested that infanticidal behaviour existed in our study population, as nests of primary females suffered a three times higher rate of nest loss during the egg-laying period than nests of secondary and monogamous females. The presence of infanticide was supported by the experiment. Small peckmarks resembling those of a great reed warbler occurred almost exclusively in territories occupied by great reed warblers, in particular when a new female settled in the territory. The newly settled females built nests closer to depredated than non-depredated nests. That small peckmarks occurred when new females settled strongly suggests that it is secondary female great reed warblers that commit infanticide on eggs of primary females. Females of low harem rank are expected to gain from infanticidal behaviour because a low ranked female gets a higher proportion of male parental investment when the nest of the primary female fails. |
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