DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Sexual Conflict and Extrapair Paternity in the Plural Cooperatively Breeding Superb Starling, Lamprotornis Superbus

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SEXUAL CONFLICT AND EXTRAPAIR PATERNITY IN THEPLURAL COOPERATIVELY BREEDING SUPERB STARLING, LAMPROTORNIS SUPERBUSDustin R. RubensteinCooperative breeding occurs when more than two individuals contribute to the care of a single nest. Typically, this involves one or more non-breeding helpers who aid the parents raise the offspring in the nest. However, much recent genetic work examining parentage in nests of cooperative breeders has found that these helpers are often the genetic parents of some of the offspring. That is, male helpers may sneak extra-pair fertilizations with the breeding female. This project tests two hypotheses about sexual conflict (i.e., conflict over extra-pair fertilizations) in cooperative breeders. Females may seek extra-pair fertilizations to gain (1) direct reproductive benefits (e.g., helping in return for reproduction) or (2) indirect genetic benefits (e.g., genetic quality, diversity, or compatibility in their mates). We will use species-specific microsatellite markers to study sexual conflict, paternity, and relatedness in the plural cooperatively breeding superb starling, Lamprotornis superbus, in Kenya. This will be one of the few studies to examine the social dynamics of plural cooperative breeding (i.e., multiple breeding pairs per group) using microsatellites, and it will offer insights into how reproductive and sexual conflict are mediated in cooperative breeders. This project will educate and train Kenyan students in skills necessary to pursue careers in ecotourism and research.