Conflicts of interest and reproductive skew in plural breeding joint nesting birds

多元繁殖的联合筑巢鸟类为理解合作与冲突提供了有用的模型。有些参与了浪费群体资源的繁殖竞争。我和学生一起研究了两种不同交配制度的物种。扁嘴鸟生活在没有关系的一夫一妻制的群体中，期望以牺牲其他群体成员为代价来照顾自己的孩子。事实上，在开始下蛋之前，它们会拒绝别人的蛋。一旦孵化开始，竞争行为就会结束，它们会合作孵蛋和养小鸡。扁虱形成的群体中，所有有繁殖能力的雄性都与所有有繁殖能力的雌性交配。他们的利益更加一致。在这个系统中，雄性不太可能认出自己的遗传后代。雌性可以识别自己的卵子，但我们的研究表明没有证据表明它们可以识别卵子，也没有明显的冲突。我们将探讨这两个物种的冲突与合作。我的学生将获得实地和实验室技能，研究个体角色和亲缘关系以及激素谱，以确定交配制度对这些物种竞争与合作程度的影响。这些技能是广泛适用的。

Plural breeding joint nesting birds provide a useful model for understanding cooperation and conflict. Some engage in reproductive competition that wastes group resources. With students, I study two species with different mating system. Smooth-billed anis live in groups of unrelated monogamous pairs, expected to favour their own young at the expense of other group members. Indeed, before starting to lay they reject others' eggs. Once incubation has begun, competitive behaviours end and the they cooperate to incubate eggs and raise chicks. Pukeko form groups in which all breeding males mate with all breeding females. Their interests are much more shared. Males in this system are unlikely to recognize their own genetic offspring. Females could recognize their own eggs, yet our work shows no evidence of egg recognition and a lack of apparent conflict. We will explore conflicts and cooperation in these two species. My students will gain field and lab skills, examining individual roles and parentage along with hormone profiling to determine the effect of mating system affects on the degree of competition and cooperation in these species. Such skills are widely applicable.