title: The context-dependent effect of multiple paternity on effective population size.
abstract: Effective population size (N(e)) is important because it describes how evolutionary forces will affect a population. The effect of multiple sires per female on N(e) has been the subject of some debate, at the crux of which is the effects of monandry and multiple-paternity (MP) on male variance in reproductive success. In both mating systems, females mate with several males over their lifetimes, but sire offspring with one male at a time in the former and have several sires per clutch in the latter. First, I theoretically show that whether the annual male variance in reproductive success in an MP population is greater or less than that of a monandrous population depends on the distributions of within-clutch paternity. Then, I simulated different distributions of within-clutch paternity under a range of parameters that characterize natural populations to show that an MP population can have an N(e) smaller or larger than that of a monandrous population with otherwise equal dynamics. The N(e(MP)):N(e(Monandry)) ratio increased with mating frequency and female variance in reproductive success, was equalized by long generation times, and was affected by the distribution of within-clutch paternities. The results of this model provide a unifying framework for the debate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4295, USA. klotterhos@bio.fsu.edu
authors.forename: Katie E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Lotterhos
authors.forename: Katic E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Lotterhos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D052586:Mating Preference, Animal; D008954:Models, Biological; D010152:Pair Bond; D011156:Population Density; D012098:Reproduction