Malte Andersson

Professor, ekologisk zoologi

Tel: 031-786 36 95 |  Malte.Andersson@zool.gu.se

Forskningsprojekt

Selection and social evolution
Project leader: Malte Andersson
Other group members: Sofia Anderholm, Daniel Isaksson, Peter Waldeck and Johan Wallander.

Social relations between individuals can give rise to strong natural and sexual selection, affecting reproductive tactics, breeding systems, sex roles and sex differences. We study these aspects theoretically by mathematical modelling, and empirically by field observations and experiments, comparative analyses and molecular ecological methods. Our current field projects focus on ecology and evolution of breeding systems, for example in the highly variable shorebirds, and on brood parasitism and social evolution in waterfowl and other birds.
 

Brood parasitism and sociality in waterfowl and other birds

In conspecific brood parasitism (CBP), parasitic females lay eggs in the nests of other females of the same species, who care for the offspring. CBP is particularly common in ducks and other waterfowl, which differ from most birds in that females, not males, return and breed in their birth area. The local females may therefore be related, creating scope for cooperation and kin selection among related hosts and parasites. Theory suggests that this may be a contributing reason why CBP is particularly common in waterfowl. For testing of this and other tactical aspects of CBP, we have developed protein fingerprinting of eggs, a non-destructive technique of albumen sampling combined with sensitive protein electrophoresis (isoelectric focussing). We found that host-parasite pairs in goldeneyes are more closely related than other females, that individual recognition is probably involved, and that females combining parasitism with normal nesting can greatly increase their reproductive success. To gain further insight into this and other reproductive tactics, we now use these approaches in ongoing work on eiders, geese and other birds.

Selected publications

• Andersson, M. and J. Wallander. 2004. Kin selection and reciprocity in flight formation? Behav. Ecol., 15, 158-162.
• Andersson, M. 2001. Relatedness and the evolution of conspecific brood parasitism. Amer. Natur. 158, 599-614.
• Åhlund, M. and M. Andersson. 2001. Female ducks can double their reproduction. Nature 414, 600-601.
• Andersson, M. and M. Åhlund. 2001. Protein fingerprinting: a new technique reveals extensive conspecific brood parasitism. Ecology 82, 1433-1442.
• Andersson, M. and M. Åhlund. 2000. Host-parasite relatedness shown by protein fingerprinting in a brood parasitic bird. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97, 13188-13193.
• Andersson, M. 1984. Brood parasitism within species. In Producers and Scroungers: Strategies of Exploitation and Parasitism (ed. C.J. Barnard). Croom Helm. Pp 195-227.
• Andersson, M. and M. Eriksson. 1982. Nest parasitism in goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula): some evolutionary aspects. Amer. Natur. 120, 1-16.

Mating systems and sexual selection

Patterns of mating and parental care in the two sexes vary greatly among animals, from polygynous lekking males to emancipated, socially polyandrous females, for reasons that in many cases are unknown. We study social and genetic patterns of parentage and tactical and ecological aspects of mating systems, aiming to understand their evolution. We do so in a group of animals that offers wide contrasts in breeding system and sexual selection, shorebirds (Charadriiformes), in particular several closely related sandpipers in the tribe Tringini. In a test of adaptive seasonal trends in brood sex ratios of monogamous Common and polyandrous Spotted sandpipers, the trends differed between the two species as predicted by theory involving their contrasting breeding systems. In Common sandpiper and two other waders, genetic similarity between the social mates was higher in pairs with extra-pair parentage in their brood than in pairs with perfect genetic monogamy. This suggests that an individual is more likely to cuckold its social mate if their genetic similarity is high.

Selected publications:

• Andersson, M. ; Simmons, L. (2006). Sexual selection and mate choice. Trends in ecology & evolution. 21 (6) s. 296-302.
• Andersson, M. (2005). Evolution of classical polyandry: Three steps to female emancipation. Ethology. 111 (1) s. 1-23.
• Andersson, M. 2004. Social polyandry, parental investment and sexual selection. Evolution, 58, 24-34.

• Wallander, J. and M. Andersson. 2003. Reproductive tactics of the ringed plover. J. Avian Biol. 34, 259-266.
• Andersson, M., J. Wallander, L. Oring, E. Akst, J.M. Reed and R.C. Fleischer. 2003. Adaptive seasonal trend in brood sex ratios: test in two sister species with contrasting breeding systems. J. Evol. Biol. 16, 510-515.
• Blomqvist, D., M. Andersson, C. Küpper, I.C. Cuthill, J. Kis, R.B. Lanctot, B.K. Sandercock, T. Székely, J. Wallander and B. Kempenaers. 2002. Genetic similarity between mates and extra-pair parentage in three species of waders. Nature 419, 613-615.
• Wallander, J. and M. Andersson. 2002. Clutch limitation in waders: experimental test in redshank Tringa totanus. Oecologia 130, 391-395.
• Blomqvist, D., J. Wallander and M. Andersson. 2001. Parental care of successive clutches: the role of timing in multiple clutch systems. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 74, 549-555.
• Andersson, M. 1994. Sexual Selection. Princeton Univ. Press. 599 pp.
• Bradbury, J. and Andersson, M. (eds.) 1987. Sexual Selection: Testing the Alternatives. Wiley. 308 pp.
• Andersson, M. 1986. Evolution of condition-dependent sex ornaments and mating preferences: sexual selection based on viability differences. Evolution 40, 804-816.
• Andersson, M. 1982. Female choice selects for extreme tail length in a widowbird. Nature 299, 818-820.
• Andersson, M. 1982. Sexual selection, natural selection and quality advertisement. Biol. Linn. Soc. 17, 375-393.
• Andersson, M. and R.Å. Norberg. 1981. Evolution of reversed sexual size dimorphism and role partitioning among predatory birds, with a size scaling of flight performance. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 15, 105-130. Selection and social evolution

Foraging and predation

Selected publications:

• Andersson, M. ; Wallander, J. ; Isaksson, D. (2008). Predator perches: a visual search perspective. Functional Ecology

• Andersson, M.; Jonasson, S. (1986) Rodent cycles in relation to food resources on an alpine heath, Oikos 46:93-106
• Andersson, M. (1981) Central place foraging in the winchat, saxicola rubetra, The Ecological Society of America, 62:538-544

Andersson, M. (1981) On Predator Search, Theoretical Population Biology, 19:58-86

Andersson, M. (1978) Optimal Foraging Area: Size and allocation of search effort, Theoretical Population Biology, 13:397-409

• Andersson, M.; Krebs, J. (1978) On the evolution of hoarding behaviour, Animal Behaviour, 26:707-711
• Andersson, M. (1977) Influence of predation on rodent populations, Oikos, 29:591-597