Karen Bouwman
Department of Animal Ecology, University of Groningen, NL
Title
The Illusion of Monogamy – Patterns of extra-pair paternity in the reed bunting
Abstract
In birds, paternity outside the pairbond (extra-pair paternity; EPP) occurs frequently. For males the
potential benefits are obvious: through extra-pair matings males may increase the number of offspring
they produce. For females, however, the benefits are less clear. Females generally determine whether a
copulation is successful and in some species even have been found to actively seek and sollicit
extra-pair copulations (EPCs). Since potential costs are involved, such as withdrawal of paternal
care, females are expected to engage in EPCs only if they benefit. Possible benefits may be beneficial
to herself, for instance insurance against infertility of her partner, or provide genetic benefits for
her offspring.
The reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) is one of the most extreme cases with respect to EPP:
approximately half of offspring is sired by an extra-pair male. In this seminar I will present data on
EPP in the reed bunting, collected during my phd in the years 2001-2003 in a population in the
Netherlands. I will discuss the consistency of EPP within and between different reed bunting populations,
the costs and benefits of EPP to females, and possible constraints on extra-pair behaviour.
CV
As a result of travelling parents, Karen Bouwman was born in Gainesville (Florida) in 1976, after which
she alternated living in the Netherlands and Indonesia.
She started her studies in biology at the University of Wageningen (the Netherlands) in 1993, which
included MSc projects ranging from the distribution of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in China
to the effect of providing supplementary food to hen harriers (Circus cyaneus) in Scotland.
In 1999 Karen moved to the University of Groningen (the Netherlands) to acquire her PhD-degree on
patterns of extra-pair paternity in the reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus), supervised by Prof.
Jan Komdeur. She defended her thesis in April 2005.
Selected recent publications
- Bouwman KM, Lessells CM , Komdeur J (2005) Male reed buntings do not adjust parental effort in relation to extra-pair paternity.
Behavioral Ecology, 16, 499-506.
pdf, 0.1 MB
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