Speelman, F. orcid.org/0000-0002-4768-6359, Burke, T. orcid.org/0000-0003-3848-1244, Komdeur, J. orcid.org/0000-0002-9241-0124 et al. (2 more authors) (2025) Mate-switching is not associated with offspring fitness in a socially monogamous bird. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 292 (2047). 20250577. ISSN 1471-2954
Abstract
In many species, individuals form socially monogamous pair-bonds lasting multiple breeding seasons, or even whole lifetimes. Studies often suggest social monogamy to be adaptive, but this is usually quantified through the survival and annual reproductive success of the partners. However, beyond the number of offspring produced, parental partnerships may also affect their offspring’s phenotype, health and ultimately fitness. Using multigenerational data on the Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis), we investigated the impact of parental pair-bond tenure (pair-bond duration) and pair-bond ending (pair-bond ended across breeding seasons) on offspring fitness components. First, we addressed juvenile-stage fitness components using indicators reflecting physiological state (haematocrit, telomere length and body condition). Second, we assessed long-term fitness components using offspring lifespan and lifetime reproductive success (LRS). We found no consistent evidence of pair-bond tenure or pair-bond ending effects on short-term (telomere length, haematocrit and body condition) or long-term (lifespan and LRS) fitness components. To our knowledge, this is the first study quantifying long-term parental effects of pair-bond tenure and pair-bond ending on offspring fitness components in wild populations. This work provides insights into the lack of intergenerational implications of long-term socially monogamous partnerships.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited |
Keywords: | reproductive success; lifespan; telomere length; haematocrit; divorce; body mass; parental effects; pair bond |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Biosciences (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 03 Jun 2025 13:29 |
Last Modified: | 03 Jun 2025 13:29 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | The Royal Society |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1098/rspb.2025.0577 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:227311 |