Individual Heterozygosity Influences Arrival Times and Mating Success of Male Red-Breasted Flycatchers Ficedula parva.

Abstract

We examined the relationship between individual heterozygosity of male Red-breasted Flycatchers (Ficedula parva; a small long-distance migratory, socially monogamous bird species) and their mating success, arrival time and age. Using eight polymorphic microsatellite loci, we found that male heterozygosity is related to both mating success and arrival time, but not to age. Mated and earlier arriving males had higher heterozygosity than later arrivals and bachelors, but we did not find a relationship between age and individual heterozygosity of males. To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide evidence about the relationship between individual genetic diversity and arrival time, thus arrival time could be used as a signal of individual heterozygosity and quality.