8: Adèlie penguin seminar

Question 1

what may prevent male mallards from mate guarding to prevent their female engaging in EPC?

Answer 1

environmental and social constraints

Question 2

what does it mean if the male mallards cant mate guard?

Answer 2

• his sperm is in competition with other males

- timing and frequency of copulation will determine who gains paternity

Question 3

in American Kestrels why cant males always mate guard and what do males do to try to compensate for this?

Answer 3

have to hunt for food for female

- copulate up to 690 times for each clutch

Question 4

when are copulations only valid?

Answer 4

if sperm transferred

Question 5

in each what % of copulations fail to result in sperm transfer?

• zebra finches
• chickens

Answer 5

• 36%

- 50%

Question 6

in Hunter et al study:

a) where was it?
b) how many penguin pairs breed here?

Answer 6

a) Antarctica, 650 miles from south pole at the edge of the ross ice shelf at cape bird
b) 300,000

Question 7

what is the social/breeding system of adelie penguins?

Answer 7

socially monogamous

Question 8

a) what do male penguins often do before females arrive?
b) who do the penguins pair up with?
c) which sex defends the nest?

Answer 8

a) set up a nest site and will engage in displays to claim a nest
b) partner from previous year but if not there then the nearest male. BUT if pervious male returns then will switch to pair with him
c) both

Question 9

a) how many eggs are laid?
b) who takes the first incubation and for how long?
c) after how long do chicks hatch?

Answer 9

a) 2 or 3 if first is lost
b) father for 10-12 days then swap
c) 35 incubation days

Question 10

a) what is the main predator to chicksand eggs?

b) what is the main predator in the sea for parents searching for krill?

Answer 10

a) Antarctic skua

b) leopard seals

Question 11

a) how long was the study?

b) how many copulation attempts in the data set?

Answer 11

a) 4 years

b) 10,000

Question 12

if the female accepts the males courtship display what happens and what does her cloaca do?

Answer 12

mounts and cloacal contact

- contracts her cloaca to draw sperm inside

Question 13

what are the 3 possible outcomes of the male ejaculate?

Answer 13

• ejaculate enters female cloaca
• ejaculate misses (either sex responsible)
• no ejaculate seen

Question 14

how did they look for the outcome of ejaculate?

Answer 14

• clocal smears

- stained sperm fluorescent

Question 15

can you assume successful copulation results in insemination?

Answer 15

no

Question 16

is sperm inseminated if ejaculate missed or wasn’t seen?

- when was it inseminated?

Answer 16

no

only if ejaculate enters cloaca

Question 17

what are the 2 sources of sperm competition?

Answer 17

• EPC

- mate switching after one has inseminated to a male to help raise offspring

Question 18

what % of females:

a) took place in successful EPCs?
b) switched mates?

Answer 18

a) 9.8%

b) 14.9%

Question 19

what is an indication that the female is control of who mates with her?

Answer 19

wont mate with males that force copulation

- will throw off males or keep tail down

Question 20

what is the prostitution in the penguins?

Answer 20

females exchange EPC for nest material of stones

Question 21

what happens to pairs with inadequate stone platforms?

Answer 21

will lose eggs and chicks

Question 22

in terms of prostitution in how many cases did ejaculate successfully inseminate the female whereby after the female would steal a stone from his nest?

Answer 22

8/10

Question 23

what are the 2 male benefits of prostitution?

Answer 23

• extra offspring that he doesn’t have to care for

- potential future mate

Question 24

what are 3 female benefits to prostitution?

Answer 24

• source of stones
• fertility assurance incase the pair male is infertile
• good genes

Question 25

why is sperm competition a risk for pair males?

Answer 25

may loose paternity

Question 26

how many in the breeding season: - copulation attempts - cloacal contacts - inseminations

Answer 26

- 57 - 42 - 25

Question 27

what causes most failed copulations?

Answer 27

- when male dismounts halfway | - if no sperm is deposited

Question 28

after clocal contact what %: a) ejaculate enters cloaca b) ejaculate misses c) no ejaculate seen

Answer 28

a) 59% b) 18% c) 23%

Question 29

why may a male not be able to produce ejaculate?

Answer 29

if sperm/seminal fluid is limited

Question 30

what happens if not enough time is given for sperm to replenish?

Answer 30

next copulation will likely fail

Question 31

how long did it take from a successful ejaculate to: a) the nest successful copulation b) an unsuccessful copulation - what idea does this support?

Answer 31

a) 4hrs 35min b) 3hrs 59min semen is limited

Question 32

how is it predicted that males will respond to sperm competition?

Answer 32

decrease inter-ejaculate time interval and increase insemination

Question 33

what happens to inter-ejaculate time in the pre-laying period of males with limited semen supply?

Answer 33

increase

Question 34

what is limited in the species?

Answer 34

sperm/seminal fluid

Question 35

overall what happened to the ejaculate interval time in the pre-laying period?

Answer 35

increased

Question 36

what 2 things can males do if sperm is limiting?

Answer 36

1. carry on copulating | 2. conserve sperm and allocate ejaculates strategically

Question 37

in some species males will have sperm depletion if they produce frequent ejaculates- give 2 examples

Answer 37

- zebra finch: results in fewer and less motile sperm | - house sparrow: sperm reserves decline in the day and replenish at night

Question 38

when a fake female was used did the study find that males produced more sperm after a long ejaculate?

Answer 38

no

Question 39

what did Jeff Parker suggest?

Answer 39

males strategically allocate ejaculates to females that bring them the greatest returns in terms of paternity

Question 40

what are some other species that strategically allocate sperm?

Answer 40

- mealworm beetles - mediterranean fruit flies - some fish

Question 41

compared to paired copulations what were successful EPCs less likely to result in?

Answer 41

failed ejaculation

Question 42

when is ejaculate almost always produced by males?

Answer 42

when with an EP female

Question 43

prior to cloacal contact what % of copulation attempts failed ?

Answer 43

25%

Question 44

in females and in males what caused copulation failure?

Answer 44

males- falling or dismounting | females- throwing off males or keeping tail down

Question 45

what mountings did males terminate fewer of?

Answer 45

those with extra pair females rather than pair

Question 46

by what 2 mechanisms could strategic allocation be achieved by?

Answer 46

1. male attempts EPC only when they have sperm available | 2. males withhold ejaculate from partners to conseve sperm

Question 47

if males withhold sperm what is predicted?

Answer 47

they will engage in EPC attempts and ejaculate less often

Question 48

in terms of clocal contact and ejaculation what did males engaging in EPC attempts have?

Answer 48

fewer

Question 49

what do males withhold sperm for?

Answer 49

EPC

Question 50

what happens if males ejaculate during EPC?

Answer 50

fewer ejaculates available for pair females

Question 51

if males withhold sperm is there a difference between males that did or didn't ejaculate during EPCs? - is there a difference if clocal contact results in ejaculation

Answer 51

no | no

Question 52

what may be the risk of withholding sperm?

Answer 52

may lose paternity of offspring

Question 53

when must a male mate with an EP male if he wishes to?

Answer 53

at the same period as his pair female as all females are fertile at the same time

Question 54

what is paternity determined by?

Answer 54

frequent copulations

Question 55

in females with EP partners which males did better and why?

Answer 55

pair males gained more successful inseminations

Question 56

after collecting blood samples and carrying out a paternity analysis: - what % extra pair broods were fathered by EP males? - what % extra pair chicks fathered by EP males?

Answer 56

- 2.2% | - 3%

Question 57

do pair males father the chicks they raise and why?

Answer 57

- mostly yes | - initial males can outcompete EP males by copulating frequently

Question 58

out of the 300,000 pairs how many males achieve EP offspring?

Answer 58

2,400

Question 59

why allocate sperm to EP females if unlikely successful in fathering offspring?

Answer 59

potential benefits fathering EP offspring high even if unlikely

Question 60

a) what is limited in the penguins b) what is withled/allocated? c) what do paired males gain?

Answer 60

a) semen supplies b) withold ejaculates from partners and strategically allocate them to EP females c) most copulations and father the offspring they raise