Secondary Reproductive Strategies

大多数哺乳动物都是滥交的，只有少数几个物种 一夫一妻制的一对债券，但在鸟类一夫一妻制是迄今为止， 最常见的模式 自然选择偏爱那些 繁殖最迅速和有效，特别是对男性来说， 一夫一妻制对后代的数量有很大的限制 在一个人的一生中所能产生的。 因此 理解为什么一夫一妻制在鸟类中如此普遍， 这种交配系统对雄性和雌性的好处必须是 研究了 虽然一夫一妻制通常被认为是典型的 水禽的交配系统，最近的研究表明， 在这些鸟类中，严格的一夫一妻制也会发生变化。 在一些 一种鸭子，成对的雄性求爱并与雌性交配 有些雄性可以同时拥有两个配偶 同步 在雄性帮助配偶保护的物种中 对于小鸭子来说，这种重婚行为导致了复杂的冲突， 繁殖三人组成员之间的利益。 米吉妮医生 我将研究这种关系是如何形成的，以及它们是如何形成的。 影响雄性和雌性的繁殖成功率 在南美斑水鸭身上。 麦金尼医生 研究了这个物种在圈养了几年，它是 非常适合详细分析，因为男性是可变的 对父母照顾的贡献。 场的组合 和鸟舍技术将是必需的。 因此，个别 将在阿根廷和秘鲁研究有标记的鸟类， 对鸟类之间的关系进行长期密切的监测 在一个被俘虏的羊群里。 麦金尼博士精心结合了圈养和实地研究 将提供对近机制和 偏离严格的一夫一妻制的功能意义，以及 这将大大有助于我们理解复杂的 一般的社会制度。

Most mammals are promiscuous, only a few species forming monogamous pair bonds, but in birds monogamy is by far the commonest pattern. Natural selection favors individuals that reproduce most rapidly and efficiently and, especially for males, monogamy places great restrictions on the numbers of offspring that can be produced in an individual's lifetime. Therefore, to understand why monogamy is so common in birds, the costs and benefits of this mating system to males and females must be investigated. Although monogamy is generally considered to be the typical mating system of waterfowl, recent studies have shown that variations on strict monogamy can occur in these birds. In some species of ducks, paired males court and copulate with females other than their mates, and some males are able to hold two mates simultaneously. In species where males help their mates protect the ducklings, such bigamous behavior leads to complex conflicts of interests among the members of breeding trios. Dr. McKinney will investigate how such relationships are formed, and how they affect the reproductive success of the males and females concerned, in the South American speckled teal. Dr. McKinney has studied this species in captivity for several years, and it is ideally suited for detailed analysis because males are variable in their contributions to parental care. A combination of field and aviary techniques will be needed. Therefore, individually marked birds will be studied in Argentina and Peru to complement intensive long-term monitoring of relationships among the birds in a captive flock. Dr. McKinney's careful combination of captive and field studies will provide insights into both the proximate mechanisms and the functional significance of departures from strict monogamy, and thus will contribute a great deal to our understanding of complex social systems in general.