Structural equation modeling as a tool to investigate correlates of extra-pair paternity in birds

Identifying relationships between variables in ecological systems is challenging due to the large number of interacting factors. One system studied in detail is avian reproduction, where molecular analyses have revealed dramatic variation in rates of extra-pair paternity—the frequency with which broods contain individuals sired by different males. Despite the attention the topic has received, identification of ecological predictors of the observed variation remains elusive. In this study we evaluate how structural equation modeling—which allows for simultaneous estimation of covariation between all variables in a model—can help identify significant relationships between ecological variables and extra-pair paternity. We estimated the correlation of eight different variables using data from 36 species of passerines by including them in six different models of varying complexity. We recover strong support for species with lower rates of male care having higher rates of extra-pair paternity. Our results also suggest that testes size, range size, and longevity all potentially have a relationship with rates of extra-pair paternity; however, interpretation of this result is more challenging. More generally, these results demonstrate the utility of applying structural equation modeling to understanding correlations among interacting variables in complex biological systems.