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Data from: Genetic analysis provides insight into the mating system of Meleagris gallopavo (wild turkey) and reveals frequent extra-pair paternity

Ulrey, Erin1; Goodman, Paige1; Watkins, Sara2; Bakner, Nicholas2; Kilgo, John3; Lavretsky, Philip4; Bothwell, Helen1; Collier, Bret5; Chamberlain, Michael1

Published Oct 20, 2025 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9ghx3ffx2

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Oct 20, 2025 version files 1.14 MB

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Abstract

Lekking is a polygynous mating strategy where males gather on communal display grounds to attract females, who primarily visit these sites to mate. Females at leks are considered free to choose their mates, and only a few dominant males are expected to obtain most mating opportunities. The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo spp.) is a widely distributed, ground nesting, uniparental galliform that exhibits a polygynous mating strategy, but aspects of the species’ mating system are poorly understood. Our objective was to describe the mating system for eastern wild turkeys (M. g. sylvestris) using DNA extracted from eggshell membranes obtained from hatched clutches. We identified 307 offspring across 34 nests, assigned parentage, and examined sibling relationships among offspring. Our findings revealed that 19 (56 %) nests had a single mother and father, whereas we detected multiple paternity in 15 (44 %) nests. Additionally, we found that intraspecific nest parasitism occurred in 2.94 % of nests, and we observed quasi-parasitism in our 1 nest containing an egg from an additional mother, indicating that parasitism is not a common alternative reproductive strategy represented in successful wild turkey nests. We observed that occurrences of multiple paternity were comparable to rates reported in other lekking species and suggest that multiple mating by females is an important alternative reproductive strategy for wild turkeys. Number of offspring sired by individual males increased with an increasing number of mates, and 6 males were responsible for 28 % of all offspring, indicating a few males are most likely obtaining most mating opportunities. Our findings offer new insights into sexual selection and mating strategies of the wild turkey.