Despite the efforts of both theorists and field biologists, the question of why female birds often mate with multiple males, or multiple times with the same male, remains an enduring problem. This is a thorny problem because it is difficult to understand how a female bird that has a limited number of fertilizable eggs could benefit from multiple mating when a single mating should provide enough sperm to fertilize all of her eggs. This project will develop artificial insemination methods usable in wild birds that can then be used to experimentally test the beneficial sexually transmitted microbe (bSTM) hypothesis of avian mating. This novel theory hypothesizes that female birds may seek matings if they lead to their inoculation with bSTM (e.g., bacteria, viruses, fungi) that could act as therapy against a current infection or vaccination against future infection. This hypothesis, developed with birds in mind but likely relevant to all species with internal fertilization, has not yet been directly tested. The results have the potential to cause an important shift in how biologists view the functions of multiple mating by females. In addition, the development of artificial insemination methods for wild birds has the potential to revolutionize field experimental ornithology by providing a new tool for studying mating behavior.
Broader Impacts: This project will benefit society in several ways. First, it will train undergraduate students to become future scientists. Second, this project will answer important questions about an aspect of mating behavior, multiple mating by females, that is a fundamental characteristic of many vertebrates. Last, we will broadly disseminate the results of this project by (a) giving presentations to other scientists at conferences, (b) incorporating what we learn during the project into our teaching, and (c) contributing to public awareness and understanding of science by making presentations at local nature clubs about bird behavior, a subject of great public interest.
