Behavioural ecology: cuckolder eggs come first.
In mixed paternity broods, extra-pair offspring often perform better than their maternal half-siblings. This has been interpreted as evidence for genetic benefits of female promiscuity, but a new study shows that the difference in fitness may be largely due to a non-genetic, maternal effect.
Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Department Behavioural Ecology & Evolutionary Genetics, E. Gwinnerstr., 82305 Starnberg (Seewiesen), Germany. b.kempenaers@orn.mpg.de
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D000818:Animals; D001722:Birth Order; D001824:Body Constitution / Q000502:physiology*; D046109:Passeriformes / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*