scholarly journals Do Melanin- or Carotenoid-Pigmented Plumage Ornaments Signal Condition and Predict Pairing Success in the Kentucky Warbler?

The Condor ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 663-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy H. Parker ◽  
Brooke M. Stansberry ◽  
C. Dustin Becker ◽  
Philip S. Gipson
Keyword(s):  
Female Choice ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Male Competition ◽  
Lemon Yellow ◽  
Signal Function ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Oporornis Formosus ◽  
Feather Ornaments

Abstract Yellow and red feathers pigmented by carotenoids can signal a bird's condition and are important to both female choice and male-male competition. Melanin-based ornaments are thought to be less effective than carotenoid ornaments as indicators of condition, though their signal function is still relatively unstudied. We examined both carotenoid and melanin-pigmented feather ornaments in a single species, the Kentucky Warbler (Oporornis formosus). Both males and females of this species have melanin-pigmented ornamentation (black crown, black face) and carotenoid-pigmented ornamentation (lemon-yellow undersides). Melanin-pigmented plumage patches were larger in males than females, and males had brighter breast plumage, with a larger ultraviolet component, than females. Among males in the wild, individuals in better condition had more extensive black caps and faces, but not brighter-yellow breasts. Males with larger black caps were more likely to attract mates. This work demonstrates that, in a species with both melanin- and carotenoid-pigmented plumage, melanin-pigmented ornaments can signal condition, and that a melanin-based signal can explain variance in mating success. ¿Funcionan Como Indicadores de la Condición Física y Predicen del Éxito de Apareamiento los Ornamentos del Plumaje Pigmentados con Melanina o Carotenoides en Oporornis formosus? Resumen. Las plumas amarillas y rojas pigmentadas por carotenoides pueden indicar la condición de un ave y son importantes tanto para la elección de machos por parte de las hembras como para la competencia entre machos. Se cree que los ornamentos a base de melanina son menos efectivos como indicadores de condición que los ornamentos carotenoides, aunque su función como señal ha sido menos estudiada. Examinamos plumas ornamentales pigmentadas con carotenoides y melanina en la especie Oporornis formosus. Tanto el macho como la hembra presentan ornamentación pigmentada con melanina (corona negra, rostro negro) y ornamentación pigmentada con carotenoides (flancos inferiores amarillo-limón). Los parches de plumaje pigmentados con melanina fueron mayores en los machos que en las hembras y el plumaje del pecho de los machos fue más brillante y con un componente ultravioleta mayor que el de las hembras. Entre los machos en ambiente natural, los individuos con mejor condición tuvieron coronas y rostros negros más extensos, pero no tuvieron pechos amarillos más brillantes. Los machos con coronas negras más extensas tuvieron una mayor probabilidad de atraer parejas. Este trabajo demuestra que en una especie con plumaje pigmentado con melanina y carotenoides, los ornamentos pigmentados con melanina pueden señalar la condición de los individuos, y que una señal con base en melanina puede explicar la varianza en el éxito reproductivo.

scholarly journals Migration strategy and divergent sexual selection on bird song

2008 ◽  
Vol 276 (1656) ◽  
pp. 585-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A Collins ◽  
Selvino R de Kort ◽  
Javier Pérez-Tris ◽  
José Luis Tellería
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Female Choice ◽  
Selection Pressure ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Male Competition ◽  
Migration Strategy ◽  
Migration Patterns ◽  
Complex Song ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
First Time

Migratory birds are assumed to be under stronger sexual selection pressure than sedentary populations, and the fact that their song is more complex has been taken as confirmation of this fact. However, this assumes that sexual selection pressure due to both male competition and female choice increase together. A further issue is that, in many species, songs become less complex during competitive encounters; in contrast, female choice selects for more complex song, so the two selection pressures may drive song evolution in different directions. We analysed song in two sedentary and two migratory populations of blackcaps ( Sylvia atricapilla ), a species in which different song parts are directed to males and females. We found that migratory populations produce longer, female-directed warbles, indicating sexual selection through female choice is the strongest in these populations. However, the part of the song directed towards males is shorter and more repetitive (as observed in individual competitive encounters between males) in non-migratory populations, indicating sedentary populations, are under stronger selection due to male competition. We show for the first time that the intensity of selection pressure from male competition and female choice varies independently between populations with different migratory behaviours. Rapid alterations in the migration patterns of species are thus likely to lead to unexpected consequences for the costs and benefits of sexual signals.

scholarly journals Male-male competition and female choice are differentially affected by male call acoustics in the serrate-legged small treefrog,Kurixalus odontotarsus

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bicheng Zhu ◽  
Jichao Wang ◽  
Longhui Zhao ◽  
Qinghua Chen ◽  
Zhixin Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Female Choice ◽  
Male Competition ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Sexual Signal ◽  
Sensory Discrimination ◽  
Signal Discrimination ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
Male Calling ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Signal Complexity

BackgroundThe evolution of exaggerated vocal signals in anuran species is an important topic. Males and females have both evolved the ability to discriminate communication sounds. However, the nature of sexual dimorphism in cognition and sensory discrimination and in the evolution and limitation of sexual signal exaggeration remain relatively unexplored.MethodsIn the present study, we used male calls of varied complexity in the serrate-legged small treefrog,Kurixalus odontotarsus, as probes to investigate how both sexes respond to variations in call complexity and how sex differences in signal discrimination play a role in the evolution of sexual signal exaggeration. The compound calls of maleK. odontotarsusconsist of a series of one or more harmonic notes (A notes) which may be followed by one or more short broadband notes (B notes).ResultsMale playback experiments and female phonotaxis tests showed that increasing the number of A notes in stimulus calls elicits increased numbers of response calls by males and increases the attractiveness of the stimulus calls to females. The addition of B notes, however, reduces male calling responses. Moreover, call stimuli which contain only B notes suppress spontaneous male calling responses. Phonotaxis experiments show that females prefer calls with greater numbers of A notes and calls containing both A notes and B notes, but do not prefer calls with only B notes.DiscussionMale-male competition and female choice appear to have played different roles in the evolution and limitation of signal complexity inK. odontotarsus. These results provide new insights into how exaggerated compound signals evolve and how signal complexity may be limited in anurans.

scholarly journals Artificial selection reveals sex differences in the genetic basis of sexual attractiveness

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (21) ◽  
pp. 5498-5503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Gosden ◽  
Adam J. Reddiex ◽  
Stephen F. Chenoweth
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Female Choice ◽  
Artificial Selection ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Choice ◽  
Trait Evolution ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Mutual Choice

Mutual mate choice occurs when males and females base mating decisions on shared traits. Despite increased awareness, the extent to which mutual choice drives phenotypic change remains poorly understood. When preferences in both sexes target the same traits, it is unclear how evolution will proceed and whether responses to sexual selection from male choice will match or oppose responses to female choice. Answering this question is challenging, as it requires understanding, genetic relationships between the traits targeted by choice, mating success, and, ultimately, fitness for both sexes. Addressing this, we applied artificial selection to the cuticular hydrocarbons of the fly Drosophila serrata that are targeted by mutual choice and tracked evolutionary changes in males and females alongside changes in mating success. After 10 generations, significant trait evolution occurred in both sexes, but intriguingly there were major sex differences in the associated fitness consequences. Sexually selected trait evolution in males led to a genetically based increase in male mating success. By contrast, although trait evolution also occurred in females, there was no change in mating success. Our results suggest that phenotypic sexual selection on females from male choice is environmentally, rather than genetically, generated. Thus, compared with female choice, male choice is at best a weak driver of signal trait evolution in this species. Instead, the evolution of apparent female ornamentation seems more likely due to a correlated response to sexual selection on males and possibly other forms of natural selection.

scholarly journals Epicuticular Compounds of Protopiophila litigata (Diptera: Piophilidae): Identification and Sexual Selection Across Two Years in the Wild

2019 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-49
Author(s):  
Christopher S Angell ◽  
Sharon Curtis ◽  
Anaïs Ryckenbusch ◽  
Howard D Rundle
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Males And Females

Abstract The epicuticular compounds (ECs) of insects serve both to waterproof the cuticle and, in many taxa, as pheromones that are important for various social interactions, including mate choice within populations. However, ECs have not been individually identified in many species and most studies of their role in mate choice have been performed in a laboratory setting. Here we newly identify and quantify the ECs of the antler fly, Protopiophila litigata Bonduriansky, and use a cross-sectional selection analysis to quantify their association with male mating success in the wild across two years (2013 and 2017). The ECs of antler flies include straight-chain and methylated alkanes, alkenes, and a family of branched wax esters. We find all ECs to be shared between males and females but also demonstrate sexual dimorphism in the abundance of several. Male EC relative abundances were significantly associated with mating success in both years, although the multivariate direction of selection differed significantly between the years. Surprisingly, only two of the 18 compounds (or groups of compounds) we identified were similarly associated with mating success across the sampling years. In 2017, we further partitioned sexual selection into intra- and intersexual components, revealing selection on ECs to be significant via female choice but not male–male competition. Our study is one of few to investigate the potential role of ECs in mating success in the wild and adds to a growing body of evidence demonstrating significant temporal variability in selection in natural populations.

scholarly journals Male competition and female choice interact to determine mating success in the bluefin killifish

2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 822-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie E. McGhee ◽  
Rebecca C. Fuller ◽  
Joseph Travis
Keyword(s):  
Female Choice ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Male Competition ◽  
Bluefin Killifish

scholarly journals Epicuticular compounds of Protopiophila litigata (Diptera: Piophilidae): identification and sexual selection across two years in the wild

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Angell ◽  
Sharon Curtis ◽  
Anaïs Ryckenbusch ◽  
Howard Rundle
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Males And Females

The epicuticular compounds (ECs) of insects serve both to waterproof the cuticle and, in many taxa, as pheromones that are important for various social interactions including mate choice within populations. However, ECs have not been individually identified in many species and most studies of their role in mate choice have been performed in a laboratory setting. Here we newly identify and quantify the ECs of the antler fly, Protopiophila litigata Bonduriansky, and use a cross-sectional selection analysis to quantify their association with male mating success in the wild across two years (2013 and 2017). The ECs of antler flies include straight-chain and methylated alkanes, alkenes, and a family of branched wax esters. We find all ECs to be shared between males and females but also demonstrate sexual dimorphism in the abundance of several. Male EC relative abundances were significantly associated with mating success in both years, although the multivariate direction of selection differed significantly between the years. Surprisingly, only two of the 18 compounds (or groups of compounds) we identified were similarly associated with mating success across the sampling years. In 2017, we further partitioned sexual selection into intra- and intersexual components, revealing selection on ECs to be significant via female choice but not male-male competition. Our study is one of few to investigate the potential role of ECs in mating success in the wild and adds to a growing body of evidence demonstrating significant temporal variability in selection in natural populations.

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