Mechanisms of enhancing genetic fitness in non-kinship-based groups: Insights from black-necked cranes

Understanding a species' mating strategies is essential for unraveling the intricacies of their group structure and formation, as well as for comprehending the delicate balance they trade-offs to optimize their overall fitness. Black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis), a monogamous wetland species primarily found in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and the largest alpine crane, is a captivating embodiment of fidelity and love, yet our study challenges this narrative. In this study, we successfully extracted DNA samples from black-necked cranes and reconstructed pedigrees of breeding groups at Flower Marsh. We discovered that these non-kinship-based groups exhibited high nest-site fidelity, with males showing higher nest-site fidelity than females. Despite their monogamous nature, none of the breeding pairs maintained strict monogamy throughout our four-year observation period, with a high rate of extra-pair fertilization detected. Indiscriminate offspring dispersal enabled black-necked crane g..., Observation and collection during four years., , # Mechanisms of Enhancing Genetic Fitness in Non-Kinship-Based Groups: Insights from Black-necked Cranes

## Description of the dataset

This dataset contains geographic information on nest locations of the black-necked crane (*Grus nigricollis*) collected during the study period. The data were used to examine nest-site fidelity, breeding structure, and reproductive dynamics in non-kinship-based breeding groups.

The dataset accompanies the associated article published in *Ecological Indicators* and is intended for reuse in spatial and ecological analyses at landscape and regional scales.

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## File description

### File: `Nest_GPS.zip`

This archive contains generalized GPS coordinate data for black-necked crane nest sites recorded between 2017 and 2020.

The archive includes four KML files:

* `2017_generalized.kml`
* `2018_generalized.kml`
* `2019_generalized.kml`
* `2020_generalized.kml`

Each KML file contains point features representing nest locations for the corresponding year...,