From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Extra-pair copulation (EPC) is a mating behaviour in monogamous species. Monogamy is the practice of having only one sexual partner at any one time, forming a long-term bond and combining efforts to raise offspring together; mating outside this pairing is extra-pair copulation.
What is extra group paternity?
We refer to extra-pair paternity as extra-group paternity (EGP); that is, the proportion of offspring fathered by males outside the social breeding group. Under these conditions, males are less likely to be able to monopolize individual females and prevent them from engaging in extra-group copulations.
What is the benefit of extra-pair matings?
Extra-pair mating incentivizes males to invest in cooperative behaviours. This happens because the cost in a male’s social nest affects both his genetic offspring and extra-pair young sired by others, whereas his cooperative investment benefits all his offspring independent of location.
What is the estimated extra-pair paternity rate in humans?
Using a novel, double-blind method designed in collaboration with a community of Himba pastoralists, we find that the rate of EPP in this population is 48%, with 70% of couples having at least one EPP child. Both men and women were very accurate at detecting cases of EPP.
What is the difference between social monogamy and genetic monogamy?
Social monogamy in mammals is defined as a long term or sequential living arrangement between an adult male and an adult female (heterogeneous pair). It should not be confused with genetic monogamy, which refers to two individuals who only reproduce with one another.
What are the potential reproductive benefits of extra-pair copulations?
Extra-pair copulations could potentially produce extreme variance in male reproductive success and correspondingly strong sexual selection, because they can effectively produce a genetically promiscuous system even when a population is socially monogamous (Gowaty 1985; Westneat et al. 1990).
How might engaging in extra-pair copulations increase the fitness of a female bird?
How might engaging in extra-pair copulations increase the fitness of a female bird? You give females the choice between males with short or long eyestalks, and you find that every time, females prefer males with the longest eyestalks.
How common is misattributed paternity?
Overall, the incidence of misattributed paternity ranges from about 2% to 12%, though it may be higher in certain populations. The discovery of previously unsuspected or undisclosed non-paternity may have both social and medical consequences.
What can cause a false negative paternity test?
Errors Made in the Lab Mistakes and errors in the lab could also corrupt the results of a paternity test. If the samples are contaminated, the results could be inaccurate. The samples could be mixed up, so that the lab is testing the wrong samples. Human error is often the cause of incorrect paternity results.
Is genetic monogamy rare?
Among pair-living mammals, where genetic monogamy is extremely rare, the extent of extra-group paternity rates has been associated with male participation in infant care, strength of the pair bond and length of the breeding season.
Why do males protect females?
Human mate guarding refers to behaviours employed by both males and females with the aim of maintaining reproductive opportunities and sexual access to a mate. It has been observed in many non-human animals (see sperm competition), as well as humans. Sexual jealousy is a prime example of mate guarding behaviour.
What is extra-pair paternity in animals?
As well as humans, EPC has been found in many other socially monogamous species. When EPC occurs in animals which show sustained female-male social bonding, this can lead to extra-pair paternity (EPP), in which the female reproduces with an extra-pair male, and hence produces EPO (extra-pair offspring).
Are extra-pair offspring more likely to survive than within-pair?
A meta-analysis of genetic benefits of EPC in 55 bird species found that extra-pair offspring were not more likely to survive than within-pair offspring. Also, extra-pair males did not show significantly better ‘good-genes’ traits than within-pair males, except for being slightly larger overall.
What is the extra-pair paternity rate of the Dogon population?
Those who follow the indigenous religion have an average extra-pair paternity rate of 1.8%, which is significantly lower than the 2.9% extra-pair paternity rates among the Dogon population that follows Catholicism (see Fig. 1.1) ( Strassmann et al., 2012 ).
How does time spent apart from your partner affect paternity rates?
Time spent apart from one’s partner might also explain extra-pair paternity rates as the inability to physically guard one’s mate may theoretically lead to increased rates of female infidelity as men are unable to prevent rival males approaching their partner for extra-pair copulations.
