When female birds mate with males other than their social partners and have broods of mixed paternity, the offspring sired by these "extra-pair" fathers may often get a head start in life, according to a new report. The discovery adds fuel to the debate about why some female birds seek those extra mates in the first place.
The report is published online on April 30th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.
"A diverse range of explanations have been proposed to account for female participation in extra-pair copulations," said Michael Magrath of University of Groningen, The Netherlands. "The explanations that have received most attention suggest that females stand to gain genetically superior offspring by having their eggs fertilized by males that are of higher genetic quality or that are genetically more compatible."
Lees meer: ScienceDaily
The report is published online on April 30th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.
"A diverse range of explanations have been proposed to account for female participation in extra-pair copulations," said Michael Magrath of University of Groningen, The Netherlands. "The explanations that have received most attention suggest that females stand to gain genetically superior offspring by having their eggs fertilized by males that are of higher genetic quality or that are genetically more compatible."
Lees meer: ScienceDaily
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