Mate selection based on labile traits affects short-term fitness in a long-lived seabird.

ABSTRACT: In long-lived monogamous social species, partner compatibility can play a crucial role in reproductive success. We evaluated assortative mating based on body condition (plasma triglyceride concentration), diet (δ¹⁵N), and foraging habitat (δ¹³C) in the blue-footed booby Sula nebouxii, a long-lived monogamous seabird. We investigated the effects of assortative mating (sum of triglycerides in a pair) and asymmetry within pairs (residuals from regression of female-male triglycerides) on reproductive performance and offspring growth (alkaline phosphatase, ALP). We found that strong assortative mating determined by body condition and diet seemed to be related to a signalling mechanism (nutritional state). This mating pattern had a substantial effect on the breeding

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez-Medina E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7126066 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature