共查询到20条相似文献,搜索用时 31 毫秒
1.
Kenji Karino Takatsugu Ishiwatari Hiromi Kudo Aya Sato 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2011,65(6):1305-1315
Female mate preference for dorsal fin length in male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) was investigated. In a dichotomous choice experiment using live males, females preferred males with longer dorsal fins to
those with shorter dorsal fins. When the dorsal fin lengths of the two males were reversed by surgical manipulation, the females
reversed their preference. To further examine this preference behaviour, a second dichotomous choice experiment was conducted
using digitally modified male images that differed only in dorsal fin lengths. In this next experiment, females preferred
male images with a longer dorsal fin than those with a shorter dorsal fin. In order to clarify the cost of possessing a long
dorsal fin for males, the effect of dorsal fin length on swimming performance of males was also examined with a flow chamber.
Male swimming performance was enhanced by surgically shortening the dorsal fin. The result of this study suggests that the
long dorsal fin of male guppies is a costly handicap that may have evolved due to female mate choice. 相似文献
2.
Although external sexually dimorphic traits are commonly found in males of combtooth blenny species, little is known about
the benefit they can convey to male mating success. Indeed, while female preferences for large males have been demonstrated
in some species, the possible role played by dimorphic ornaments has been neglected. We now report on the tentacled blenny,
Parablennius tentacularis, a species where males are characterized by bulb glands on the anal fin and both sexes exhibit a dark spot on the dorsal
fin and orbital tentacles. Males are territorial, make nests in empty bivalve shells, and provide solitary parental care for
the eggs. Using morphometric analysis and field collected data on male and female external features, nest characteristics
and number of eggs in the nests, we have assessed the development of dimorphic traits in both sexes and male mating success.
The results reveal that orbital tentacles of males are more developed and more variable in size than those of females. Larger
males exhibit longer orbital tentacles and larger anal glands but do not necessarily occupy larger nests. Male mating success
is significantly correlated with the inner nest surface area and with orbital tentacle size but not with body size. These
results provide support for a primary role of male ornaments in enhancing blenny male mating success and are discussed in
the context of mate choice for direct and indirect benefits. 相似文献
3.
Staffan Andersson 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1989,25(6):403-410
Summary Sexual selection through female mate choice was investigated in the lekking Jackson's widowbird by applying multivariate selection analysis to observational data from four leks. Males perform a stereotyped jump display on small display courts (dance rings) constructed by the males in open grassland. Females visit the lek solely for mating and nest on their own, away from the lek area. Few cases of interference during courtship and absence of position effects on mating success indicated that female choice within the leks was not pre-empted by male-male competition. In a set of 11 male traits with mating success as the dependent fitness measure, significant selection differentials (covariances) were found for the length of the conspicuous tail and the rate of the jump display, suggesting sexual selection of these traits. They also showed the largest selection gradients (partial effects) and thereby seem to be the cues on which females base their choice. The success of males in obtaining copulations appears to depend on two components: display rate and lek attendance affect the number of female visits, whereas tail length seems to primarily influence the chance of copulating with a visiting female. Tail length was positively related to a measure of body condition, which is of interest with regard to the suggestions that sexual ornaments may serve as indicators of male viability. 相似文献
4.
Gladbach A Gladbach DJ Kempenaers B Quillfeldt P 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2010,64(11):1779-1789
Although studies on the evolution and function of female ornaments have become more numerous in the last years, the majority
of these studies were carried out in cases where female ornaments were a smaller and duller version of the ornaments found
in males. There are substantially fewer studies on species with female-specific ornaments. However, no study so far investigated
the potential of female-specific colouration as a quality signal in birds with conventional sex roles. We studied female-specific
ornamentation in a strongly sexually dichromatic species, the upland goose Chloephaga picta leucoptera, in two consecutive years. Male upland geese have white head and breast feathers and black legs, whereas females have reddish-brown
head and breast feathers and conspicuous yellow-orange legs. We found that female-specific colouration in upland geese can
reliably indicate different aspects of female phenotypic quality. Females with more orange coloured legs and more red-like
head colours had higher clutch and egg volumes than females with a paler leg and head colouration, and a more reddish plumage
colouration was related to a higher body condition. These relationships provide the theoretic possibility for males to assess
female phenotypic quality on the basis of colouration. Furthermore, the females with a more orange-like tarsus colouration
had higher plasma carotenoid levels. Both tarsus colouration and carotenoid concentrations of individual females were highly
correlated across years, indicating that tarsus colour is a stable signal. Despite this correlation, small individual differences
in plasma carotenoid concentrations between the two study years were related to differences in tarsus colouration. We thus
show for the first time in a wild bird and under natural conditions that carotenoid-based integument colouration remains consistent
between individuals in consecutive years and is also a dynamic trait reflecting individual changes in carotenoid levels. In
this species, where pairs form life-long bonds, the honesty of the carotenoid-based integument colouration suggests that it
may be a sexually selected female ornament that has evolved through male mate choice. 相似文献
5.
Natasha Tigreros Monica A. Mowery Sara M. Lewis 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2014,68(9):1539-1547
While the phenomenon of male mate choice has attracted considerable attention in the last two decades, whether this sexual selection mechanism could drive the evolution of female ornaments remains poorly understood. Here, we used experimental manipulation of female wing coloration to investigate male mate choice in Pieris rapae, a gift-giving butterfly. Further, we tested whether males’ nutritional status influenced their mating preferences by subjecting larvae to short periods of starvation. We found that males showed significantly more mating approaches toward control females with more colorful wings (higher pteridine content), and that this preference was strongest in low-nutrition males. Additionally, a study of field-collected females revealed that pteridine-based wing coloration was positively correlated with female egg load, which suggests such ornaments may signal female quality. Pteridine-based ornaments are widespread in nature, however their potential as honest signals in male mate choice remains largely unexplored. This work furthers our understanding of how male mate choice and female ornamentation may evolve in species whose mating systems include nutritional nuptial gifts. 相似文献
6.
Jérémie H. Cornuau Margaux Rat Dirk S. Schmeller Adeline Loyau 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2012,66(7):1045-1055
There is increasing evidence that female mate choice is often based on the assessment of multiple male traits, involving both morphology and behavior. We investigated female mate choice for multiple male traits in the palmate newt, Lissotriton helveticus, including male tail filament length, hind foot web size, crest development, body size, ventral coloration, and courtship display activity. Observations of courtship display in the field revealed that females spent more time in front of males with longer tail filaments. Laboratory experiments revealed a more detailed relationship between filament length and courtship display. We found that females took more sperm masses from males with both longer filaments and greater display activity. Experimental shortening of the tail filament length substantially decreased the number of male sperm masses transferred. However, when we experimentally reversed relative filament length between two males in mating trials, male mating success was explained by courtship activity and not by filament length. Our results show that female palmate newts value multiple traits during mate choice, including both morphological ornaments and reproductive behaviors in males. Our results further suggest that, when filament length is below a certain threshold, females may value the information content of courtship activity over that of filament length. 相似文献
7.
Matteo Griggio Lorenzo Serra Davide Licheri Alessia Monti Andrea Pilastro 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2007,61(3):423-433
Females often base their mating preferences on male sexual secondary traits that are used to settle contests among males. Such traits are likely to be honest indicators of male quality if they are constantly used during costly male–male agonistic interactions. Carotenoid signals have been shown to work as a handicap because they are costly to produce. However, the role of carotenoids as “honest” signals during male contests is less clear, and it is not known whether a carotenoid-based trait can serve in both male–male competition and female choice. In this study, we studied the dual function of a carotenoid feather ornament in the rock sparrow (Petronia petronia), a bird species in which both sexes have a yellow throat patch whose size positively correlates with phenotypic measures. First, we investigated, in a field study, whether the size of a male’s yellow patch correlates with his ability to acquire a territory. Second, we tested the signal function of the yellow patch in two male–male interaction in captivity experiments. Finally, we measured female preference for males differing in throat patch size in a mate choice experiment. Our experiments revealed that the size of a male’s throat patch positively correlated with the number of nest boxes he was able to defend. Moreover, in controlled conditions, males with relatively large yellow patches had earlier access to food than those with small patches. Also, in an experiment in which a dummy rock sparrow with an experimentally manipulated yellow patch was positioned near a feeder, latency to feed by focal birds positively correlated with dummy patch size. Lastly, in a dichotomous mate choice experiment, females showed a proximity preference for males whose patch was experimentally enlarged. Taken together, these results suggest that the same carotenoid feather signal may be used in both male–male competition and female choice in this passerine bird. 相似文献
8.
Craig A. Walling Nick J. Royle Jan Lindström Neil B. Metcalfe 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2010,64(4):541-548
Sexual selection acting on male traits through female mate choice is commonly inferred from female association preferences
in dichotomous mate choice experiments. However, there are surprisingly few empirical demonstrations that such association
preferences predict the likelihood of females reproducing with a particular male. This information is essential to confirm
association preferences as good predictors of mate choice. We used green swordtails (Xiphophorus helleri) to test whether association preferences predict the likelihood of a female reproducing with a male. Females were tested
for a preference for long- or short-sworded males in a standard dichotomous choice experiment and then allowed free access
to either their preferred or non-preferred male. If females subsequently failed to produce fry, they were provided a second
unfamiliar male with similar sword length to the first male. Females were more likely to reproduce with preferred than non-preferred
males, but for those that reproduced, neither the status (preferred/non-preferred) nor the sword length (long/short) of the
male had an effect on brood size or relative investment in growth by the female. There was no overall preference based on
sword length in this study, but male sword length did affect likelihood of reproduction, with females more likely to reproduce
with long- than short-sworded males (independent of preference for such males in earlier choice tests). These results suggest
that female association preferences are good indicators of female mate choice but that ornament characteristics of the male
are also important. 相似文献
9.
Mate choice games, context-dependent good genes, and genetic cycles in the side-blotched lizard, Uta stansburiana 总被引:4,自引:0,他引:4
According to mate choice models, a female should prefer males with traits that are reliable indicators of genetic quality
which the sire can pass on to their progeny. However, good genes may depend on the social environment, and female choice for
good genes should be context dependent. The side-blotched lizard, Uta stansburiana, exhibits genetically based throat colors (orange, blue, or yellow) that could be used as a sexually selected signal since
they reliably predict the genetic quality of mates. The frequencies of male and female morphs cycle between years, and both
male and female morphs have an advantage when rare; thus genetic quality will depend on morph frequency. A female should choose
a sire that maximizes the reproductive success of both male and female progeny. We examine a game theoretical model that predicts
female mate choice as a function of morph frequency and population density. The model predicts the following flexible mate
choice rule: both female morphs should prefer rare males in ’boom years’ of the female cycle (e.g., ’rarest-of-N rule’), but
prefer orange males in ’crash years’ of the female cycle (’orange-male rule’). Cues from the current social environment should
be used by females to choose a mate that maximizes the future reproductive success of progeny, given the social environment
of the next generation. We predict that the cue is the density of aggressive orange females. In the side-blotched lizard,
cycling mate choice games and context-dependent mate choice are predicted to maintain genetic variation in the presence of
choice for good genes.
Received: 8 March 2000 / Revised: 26 August 2000 / Accepted: 4 September 2000 相似文献
10.
F. Mougeot J. Martínez-Padilla L. Pérez-Rodríguez G. R. Bortolotti 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2007,61(5):741-751
Among the most familiar sexual signals are red, yellow, and orange sexual traits pigmented by carotenoids. Many birds can
detect near-ultraviolet (UV) light, and UV signals can play key roles in mate choice. Grouse (Tetraonidae) exhibit bright
carotenoid-dependent sexual ornaments, their supra-orbital combs, which to humans appear orange-red. Combs also reflect in
the UV, which is not visible to humans but is likely to be visible to grouse. In male red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus, we show that comb UV reflectance decreases with increasing comb size and redness. By removing the epidermis of combs, where
carotenoid pigments are, we show that the UV reflectance is a property of the dermis, underneath the red pigmented epidermis.
Carotenoid pigmentation of combs acted as a mask to reduce reflectance by the dermis in the range 400–550 nm and in the UV,
300–400 nm. Patagium skin (non-ornamental skin under the wing) also reflects in the UV, but epidermis removal on this bare
part tended to reduce UV reflectance, whereas removal of the red epidermis of combs increased UV reflectance. Males in better
condition (greater body mass relative to size) had bigger and redder combs, but with less UV. Thus, carotenoid pigments of
grouse combs are deposited on a white background with significant UV reflectance, which can influence how the signal is perceived
by conspecifics. Carotenoid-based traits exhibit UV reflectance in a number of species, but how UV reflectance and carotenoid
pigmentation influence colour remains little known for integumentary ornaments compared to plumage traits. UV vision is not
uncommon in birds and other animals, so future studies should investigate how UV reflectance influences the perception of
carotenoid-based signals of quality. 相似文献
11.
Kathryn E. Arnold Stephen D. Larcombe Lotta Ducaroir Lucille Alexander 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2010,64(11):1857-1866
During mate choice, individuals are predicted to assess traits that honestly signal the quality of potential partners. Locomotor
capacity may be such a trait, potentially signalling condition and ability to resist oxidative damage. In this study, we experimentally
manipulated nutritional status: Male wild-type budgerigars, imported from Australia, were provided with either an enhanced
(EQ) or reduced quality (RQ) diet varying in vitamin (particularly retinol and α-tocopherol) and mineral levels. Then, we
assessed whether this influenced locomotor capacity, i.e. escape flight performance, and sexual attractiveness in male budgerigars
Melopsittacus undulatus. Males in the EQ group showed significantly greater total antioxidant capacity and higher blood plasma concentrations of the
dietary antioxidants retinol and α-tocopherol, but not carotenoids, than the RQ group. Over 8 weeks of flight training, males
on the EQ diet showed significantly greater improvement on the most strenuous flight test than RQ males. In mate choice trials,
females preferred EQ over RQ males. EQ males that were relatively fast in escape flight trials were more strongly preferred
in the mate preference arena than their RQ competitors. Interestingly, males with high plasma carotenoid levels flew slower
and were less attractive than males with low carotenoid levels. This might indicate that carotenoids are not effective antioxidants
in birds. Overall, our results show that dietary-derived antioxidants can influence sexual attractiveness and other fitness-related
traits through multiple pathways. Locomotor capacity appears to be an honest signal of male condition in birds. 相似文献
12.
Matteo Griggio Francisco Valera Alejandro Casas-Crivillé Herbert Hoi Andrés Barbosa 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2011,65(4):655-664
In birds, colourful and elaborate feathers are important traits in mate choice. Distinct tail white patches are present in
many species of birds, but they remain little studied. Tail markings may indeed have a signal function because in many species
males spread the tail offering a good view of these markings to females during courtship behaviour. Here, we investigated
whether white tail spots in male rock sparrow, Petronia petronia, play a role in mate choice. In a free-living population of rock sparrows, we found a reduction in white tail spots size
as the breeding season progressed due to abrasion, which was expected if tail spots act as a reliable quality indicator (i.e.
a handicap). The same reduction was found under captive conditions, and males in worse condition (individuals that lost more
weight) abraded a bigger part of white. This suggests that white tail markings are an indicator of male quality. In captivity,
we measured female preference for males differing in white patch size in a mate choice experiment. The experimental reduction
of the size of the males’ white spots resulted in a lower sexual interest by females. During courtship display, male rock
sparrow shows a yellow breast patch (a carotenoid-based, sexually selected ornament) together with the white spots in the
tail. The sizes of these two traits are positively correlated, but only the abraded white area in the tail correlates with
a surrogate of individual quality (lost of weight). In conclusion, we can assert that the size of the white spots is preferred
by female rock sparrows and it is a part of a multiple signal system. 相似文献
13.
Nathan W. Bailey 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2011,65(12):2269-2278
Social experience can elicit phenotypically plastic changes in mate choice, but little is known about the degree to which
social information from one modality can influence mating decisions based on information from a different modality. I used
the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus to test whether experience of chemical cues mimicking a high density of sexually mature males causes changes in mate choice
based on acoustic signals. T. oceanicus males produce long-range calling songs to attract females for mating, but they also produce waxy, non-volatile hydrocarbons
on their cuticle (CHCs) which, when deposited on a substrate, can be detected by females and may provide demographic information.
I manipulated female experience of substrate-bound male CHCs and then performed acoustic mate choice trials. When CHCs were
present on the substrate during trials, females showed greater motivation to respond to male calling song. This effect diminished
with repeated exposure to male songs, demonstrating that the importance of olfactory cues in altering acoustic mate choice
decreased with increasing exposure to acoustic signals. However, the temporal nature of CHC experience mattered: previous
experience of CHCs did not alter subsequent female choice for male calling song traits. Exposure to male song increased the
threshold of mate acceptance over time, and individuals varied considerably in overall levels of responsiveness. Taken together,
the results demonstrate that mate choice is dependent on social context mediated by multiple modalities in T. oceanicus, but they do not support the idea that prior experience of social cues in one modality necessarily influences later mating
decisions based on other signalling modalities. 相似文献
14.
The handicap principle suggests that ornamental traits that function as honest signals in mate selection must be costly to be effective. We evaluated in the sexually monochromatic yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) whether the carotenoid-derived plumage and eye coloration predicts parental quality and whether males and females within pairs mate assortatively in relation to these carotenoid-derived ornaments. In addition, we investigated whether age or body condition was related to the coloration of the ornamental traits. In yellow-eyed penguins, parental quality of males and females was predicted by eye and head plumage coloration. Even when we controlled for gender- and age-specific differences, eye and head plumage coloration reflected honestly parental quality. Males and females mated assortatively in relation to these ornamental traits. While age influenced coloration of both the eye and head plumage, body condition was related only to the saturation of plumage coloration. These results provide evidence that the carotenoid-derived ornaments in yellow-eyed penguins reflect the parental abilities of birds and, therefore, may be costly signals. Potentially, female and male yellow-eyed penguins could use eye and plumage coloration as an indirect cue in assessing age and quality of individual birds during mate choice. This is only the second study to examine plumage coloration in relation to sexual selection in penguins, while conspicuous ornamental traits in other species of penguin beg the question whether they also play a role in sexual selection.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at Communicated by C.R. Brown 相似文献
15.
Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) can indicate developmental instability in bilaterally symmetric organisms, and studies have shown
that the degree of asymmetry in male secondary sexual characters influences female mate choice in a number of taxa. In male
Schizocosa ocreata wolf spiders, conspicuous tufts of bristles on the forelegs are a critical component of visual courtship signals, which appear
to play a role in female mate choice. Previous studies have shown that females exhibit reduced receptivity to males with regenerative
asymmetry, a consequence of leg loss and regeneration that causes males to be grossly asymmetric with respect to this important
signaling character. We provide data on the occurrence of FA in the tufts of S. ocreata, and examine further the influence of asymmetry on female mate choice. The distribution of tuft area asymmetry values from
a sample of field-collected males was normal, with a mean value of zero, indicating true FA. For a subset of males measured
directly after field collection and prior to feeding, tuft asymmetry was significantly negatively correlated with measures
of body size (body length) and condition (abdomen volume/cephalothorax width). Receptivity responses of females to visual
signals from live males of similar size varied with the degree of asymmetry in male tufts. Since FA covaries with male body
size and condition, which may also influence behavioral vigor, we used video image manipulation to alter the degree of asymmetry
in tufts of a courting male while holding size and condition constant. Asymmetry treatments represented values within the
range of natural FA variation as well as more extreme values characteristic of regenerative asymmetry. With the confounding
effects of male size, condition, and behavior held constant, female spiders exhibited reduced receptivity responses to all
experimental asymmetric video images relative to a control video stimulus. There were no differences in the frequency of female
receptivity among the various asymmetry treatments, suggesting that discrimination against asymmetry in conspecific male signal
characters is not simply a rejection of extreme phenotypes. Results suggest that asymmetry in a key male secondary character
used in visual signaling, independent of any concomitant behavioral or size factor, is an important criterion in mate choice.
Received: 26 February 1998 / Accepted after revision: 12 September 1998 相似文献
16.
Ioana Chiver Bridget J. M. Stutchbury Eugene S. Morton 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2008,62(12):1981-1990
Extra-pair fertilizations are common in many socially monogamous species, and paternity studies have indicated that females
may use male vocal performance and plumage ornaments as cues to assess male quality. Female off-territory forays may represent
a key component of female choice and male extra-pair mating success, and female foray behaviour is expected to be strongly
influenced by indictors of male quality. In this study, we examined how male song and ornamentation affect how often females
left their territories, which males they visited and extra-pair paternity in a socially monogamous passerine, the hooded warbler
(Wilsonia citrina). We radiotracked 17 females during the fertile period and quantified male vocal performance (song output and rate) and plumage
characteristics (size of the black melanin hood and colour of the black hood, yellow cheeks and breast areas). We obtained
blood samples and determined paternity at 35 nests including those of 14 females that we radiotracked. Eleven (65%) of the
17 females forayed off-territory, whilst fertile and female foray rate was positively correlated with the number of extra-pair
young in the nest. Females that left their territories more frequently were paired with males that sang at a low rate. In
addition, extra-pair mates had higher song rates than the social mates they cuckolded (5.3 songs/min vs. 4.4 songs/min). Female
off-territory forays or extra-pair paternity were not significantly related to male plumage characteristics. Our results indicate
that a high song rate influences both the foray behaviour of a male’s social mate and the likelihood that he will sire extra-pair
offspring with neighbouring females. 相似文献
17.
Kevin J. Delaney J. Andrew Roberts George W. Uetz 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2007,62(1):67-75
Male signaling behaviors are often studied in a single context but may serve multiple functions (e.g., in male–male competition
and female mate choice). We examined the issue of dual function male signals in a wolf spider species Schizocosa ocreata (Hentz) that displays the same species-specific signaling behaviors in both male–male and male–female contexts. These signaling
behaviors have been described as either aggression or courtship according to the context observed. We tested the possibility
of dual functions by comparing the relationship between behaviors and outcome of male–male contests (winner/loser) and male–female
mating encounters (mating success). Frequency, rate, and mean duration of signaling behaviors did not vary with outcome of
male–male contests, which appears instead to be based upon relative size and body mass. Winners of contests had significantly
greater body mass than losers, and greater mass relative to opponents was significantly associated with probability of winning.
Overall, signaling rates were much higher in male–female interactions than in male–male contests and were higher for males
that successfully mated than for those that did not mate. Mean duration of some male displays was also greater for males that
successfully mated. However, male size was not associated with probability of mating. Taken together, results suggest an intersexual
selection context for the current function of male signals in these wolf spiders and that increased display vigor is associated
with male mating success. 相似文献
18.
Sjouke A. Kingma István Szentirmai Tamás Székely Veronika Bókony Maarten Bleeker András Liker Jan Komdeur 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2008,62(8):1277-1288
Melanin-based ornaments are often involved in signaling aggression and dominance, and their role in sexual selection is increasingly
recognized. We investigated the functions of a melanin-based plumage ornament (facial ‘mask’) in male Eurasian penduline tits
Remiz pendulinus in the contexts of male–male aggression, mating success, and parental care. The penduline tit is a passerine bird with a
unique mating system in which both sexes may mate with several mates in a breeding season, and one (or both) parent deserts
the clutch. Our study revealed that mask size of males is more likely an honest signal used by females in their mate choice
decisions than a trait involved in male–male competition. First, mask size increased with both age and body condition, indicating
that the mask may signal male quality. Second, males with larger masks paired more quickly and had more mates over the breeding
season than males with smaller masks. Third, we found no evidence that male mask size signals male–male aggression or dominance
during competitive encounters. The increased mating success of large-masked males, however, did not translate into higher
reproductive success, as nestling survival decreased with mask size. Therefore, we conclude that there is either no directional
selection on male mask size or males with larger masks receive indirect, long-term benefits. 相似文献
19.
Quality-indicating sexually selected traits may have their honesty maintained by their costs or by an inherent “revealing”
nature. Long tails in birds are usually considered to be costly “handicaps”, but may have additional potential as revealing
indicators through the incidence of breakage. Magpies Pica pica with unbroken and less abraded tails paired earlier, but did not nest or fledge young earlier than pairs with tails in poorer
condition. Pairs mated assortatively by tail quality, and magpies with very broken tails remained unmated. Pairs in which
both members had almost undamaged tails fledged more offspring than pairs with poorer tails. Tail quality did not correlate
with the extent of any habitat type in the territory. Tail damage thus honestly indicated a magpie's reproductive potential,
and the data are consistent with its having a role in mate choice, as a revealing element of tail morphology.
Received: 28 March 1996 / Accepted after revision: 9 December 1996 相似文献
20.
In many species of East African cichlids, males build sand craters or “bowers” to attract females for spawning. It is commonly
assumed that these exaggerated sexual traits have a function similar to bodily ornaments. In non-bodily ornaments, however,
the behaviour creating the structure may serve as an additional source of information to potential partners, providing multiple
signals for mate choice. We tested whether and to what extent females use these signals for choosing males by observing the
individual sampling behaviour of female Cyathopharynx furcifer in the field. In addition, we experimentally manipulated crater characteristics in the field and laboratory. We found that
females spawn preferably with owners of large and well-maintained craters, but when crater size was enlarged or reduced, the
resulting building activity of crater owners affected female choice more strongly than the manipulated crater size per se. We discuss the importance of multiple signals in species constructing extended phenotypes. 相似文献