Bateman's principle is reversed in a cooperatively breeding bird.

ABSTRACT: Bateman's principle is not only used to explain sex differences in mating behaviour, but also to determine which sex has the greater opportunity for sexual selection. It predicts that the relationship between the number of mates and the number of offspring produced should be stronger for males than for females. Yet, it is unclear whether Bateman's principle holds in cooperatively breeding systems where the strength of selection on traits used in intrasexual competition is high in both sexes. We tested Bateman's principle in the cooperatively breeding superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus), finding that only females showed a significant, positive Bateman gradient. We also found that the opportunity for selection was on average higher in females, but that its strength and direction oscillat

SUBMITTER: Apakupakul K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4424618 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature