Mating Systems in Animal Reproduction - Key Concepts (Lecture Notes)

Practice flashcards cover core concepts from lectures on mating systems, including definitions of monogamy and polygamy, social vs genetic monogamy, extra pair paternity, hypotheses for monogamy, and examples like birds, burying beetles, and lek mating systems.

What is a mating system?

The pattern of how animals come together to mate, how reproduction occurs, how often mating happens, and how the young are cared for—essentially the ‘package’ of mating behaviors for a species.

What is monogamy in mating systems?

A system in which both sexes primarily mate with a single opposite-sex partner, often associated with pair bonds and biparental care.

What are the main forms of polygamy and their meanings?

Polygyny: one male mates with multiple females. Polyandry: one female mates with multiple males. Polygynandry: both sexes mate with multiple partners, often with long-term bonds.

What is promiscuity in mating systems?

Both sexes have more than one mate with no lasting pair bonds or territories.

What is social monogamy versus genetic monogamy?

Social monogamy refers to forming a pair bond and cooperative care; genetic monogamy means the pair mates exclusively and all offspring are sired by that pair.

What is extra pair paternity (EPP)?

Offspring in a clutch that are fathered by a male other than the female’s socially paired mate.

What does the mate guarding hypothesis propose?

Monogamy can evolve when a male benefits from guarding a single female to prevent her remating, especially when sperm competition risk is high or females are widely dispersed.

Why might biparental care promote monogamy?

If both parents are needed to raise offspring, staying together can yield higher reproductive success than seeking additional mates.

How does the burying beetles example illustrate female enforcement of monogamy?

Females climb on the male to stop pheromone release that would attract additional mates; experiments show tethered females allow longer pheromone emission, indicating female control over monogamy in this system.

Why is monogamy so common in birds but rare in mammals?

Birds often rely on biparental care (incubation, feeding, protection), whereas most mammals have internal gestation and lactation, reducing the male’s opportunities for direct parental care.

What has DNA fingerprinting revealed about extra-pair paternity in birds?

Across many species, social monogamy is common but genetic monogamy is rare; over 90% of species have some offspring sired by extra-pair males, and true genetic monogamy is found in fewer than about 25% of studied species.

Describe the tyrannically high extra-pair paternity in the New Zealand tui (on campus).

In tui, around 57% of offspring are sired by extra-pair males, with about 60% of broods containing at least one chick fathered by a male outside the social pair; males are highly aggressive and fare well with EPP.

What is a lek and why is it important in mating systems?

A mating arena where males display to attract females, with no essential resources provided; leads to strong sexual selection and high reproductive skew (few males mate most).

What are the two forms of scramble competition?

Explosive breeding assemblages (large, temporary female aggregations; many males scramble to mate, e.g., frogs) and prolonged searching polygyny (females spread out; males actively search for them; e.g., Cook Strait Giant Widow).

What is resource defense polygyny?

Males defend a resource that females need (e.g., food, nesting site) and thereby monopolize mating opportunities.

What is female defense polygyny?

Males defend groups of females, which may cluster for warmth or foraging efficiency, allowing the male to mate with multiple females.

What is the good genes hypothesis for extra-pair reproduction?

Females mate outside the pair to obtain offspring with higher genetic quality, thereby improving offspring quality.