Mix and match - hybridization reveals hidden complexity in seal breeding behaviour.

摘要: Not so long ago, mammalian breeding systems were seen as dominated by males fighting each other for the right to mate with passive females. Genetic parentage analysis has been instrumental in changing this view and exposing key role of female choice. Some most interesting discoveries have emerged from work on seals, where extreme polygyny is common but females often seem a bigger say than was previously thought. A remarkable case question involves Macquarie Island, three species fur seal recently formed mixed colony (Goldsworthy et al. 1999). Here, true colours both sexes lie unusually exposed, because classical models predict that biggest will dominate beach force smaller conceive mainly hybrid pups. In fascinating paper issue Molecular Ecology, Lancaster colleagues (Lancaster 2007) show are not naive. Although happy gain protection season sitting territory one largest males, regardless whether he same species, almost always their own kind. The do this, any male offspring they be sickly fail hold good territories, who pup son's territories disproportionately likely elsewhere. Hybrid physically fit sexually unattractive!