DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Reproductive Cooperation and Conflict in the White-Throated Magpie-Jay

白喉雀的生殖合作和冲突约翰·麦卡利斯特·伊迪，PIElena Catherine Berg，共同PIT他的研究将分析哥斯达黎加白喉鸦种群中亲属关系、亲子关系和行为变异之间的关系，这是一种生活在中美洲热带干燥森林中的高度群居的鸟类。在这种合作繁殖的鸟类中，区域群体通常由一对繁殖对、它们的未成熟后代和一个或多个帮手(成年后代放弃自己的繁殖尝试，帮助繁殖者筑巢、防御捕食者，以及喂养孵化的雌性及其雏鸟)组成。在大多数合作繁殖者中，雄性充当助手，但喜鹊特别有趣的是，这些性别角色颠倒了过来：只有雌性留在后面。这为研究相关雌性之间的相互作用和评估影响雌性生殖决定的因素提供了难得的机会。具体地说，我们将测试一种最近的生殖行为模型，该模型预测了雌性在什么情况下应该1)在其他雌性的巢中“寄生”产卵，2)单独繁殖，或3)在它们的出生领土上充当非繁殖助手。通过在野外环境中测试该模型的具体预测，将有可能评估影响雌性动物繁殖决定的因素，为未来研究鸟类合作与冲突之间的关系创造一个跳板。为了验证这个模型，我们将在三个繁殖季节收集多组鹊鸟的行为和分子数据。将收集关于筑巢和帮助行为模式的观察数据，并将使用从成鸟和雏鸟采集的血液样本的分子分析来确定个体雌性的生殖输出以及群体内和群体之间的亲属关系模式。这是一种令人兴奋的新方法，因为它为雌性替代生殖策略提供了一个新的视角，提供了一个将合作繁殖和寄生联系起来的理论框架，并概述了可以在现场测试的具体预测。

eproductive cooperation and conflict in the white-throated magpie-jayJohn McAllister Eadie, PIElena Catherine Berg, co-PIThis study will analyze the relationship between kinship, parentage, and behavioral variation within a Costa Rican population of white-throated magpie-jays (Calocitta formosa), a highly gregarious bird inhabiting the tropical dry forests of Central America. In this cooperative breeding bird, territorial groups typically consist of a breeding pair, their immature offspring, and one or more helpers (adult offspring that forego their own breeding attempts and assist the breeders with nest-building, defense against predators, and feeding of the incubating female and her nestlings). In most cooperative breeders, males act as helpers, but the magpie-jay is particularly interesting in that these sex roles are reversed: only females stay behind. This provides a rare opportunity to study interactions between related females and assess the factors affecting female reproductive decisions. Specifically, we will test a recent model of reproductive behavior that predicts the precise conditions under which females should 1) lay eggs "parasitically" in the nests of other females, 2) breed alone, or 3) act as non-breeding helpers in their natal territory. By testing the specific predictions of this model in a field setting, it will be possible to evaluate the factors affecting reproductive decisions among females, creating a springboard for future research on the relationship between cooperation and conflict in birds. To test this model, behavioral and molecular data will be collected on multiple groups of magpie-jays during three breeding seasons. Observational data will be collected on patterns of nesting and helping behavior, and molecular analyses of blood samples collected from adults and nestlings will be used to establish the reproductive output of individual females as well as patterns of kinship within and among groups. This is an exciting new approach because it offers a fresh outlook on female alternative reproductive tactics, provides a theoretical framework for linking cooperating breeding and parasitism, and outlines specific predictions that can be tested in the field.