Females can solve the problem of low signal reliability by assessing multiple male traits

Male signals that provide information to females about mating benefits are often of low reliability. It is thus not clear why females often express strong signal preferences. We tested the hypothesis that females can distinguish between males with preferred signals that provide lower and higher qual...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology letters (2005) 2017-09, Vol.13 (9), p.20170386-20170386
Main Authors: Wegehaupt, Abigail K., Wagner, William E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Behaviour
Animals
Chirp
Diet
Fecundity
Female
Female Mate Choice
Females
Male
Male Signals
Males
Mating
Nutrient deficiency
Nutrition
Phenotype
Reliability
Reliability analysis
Reproducibility of Results
Reproduction
Sexual Behavior, Animal
Sexual Selection
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Summary:Male signals that provide information to females about mating benefits are often of low reliability. It is thus not clear why females often express strong signal preferences. We tested the hypothesis that females can distinguish between males with preferred signals that provide lower and higher quality direct benefits. In the field cricket, Gryllus lineaticeps, females usually prefer higher male chirp rates, but chirp rate is positively correlated with the fecundity benefits females will receive from males only for males that have experienced low quality diets. We paired females with muted males that were maintained on low or high nutrition diets, during the interactions we broadcast a replacement high chirp rate, and we observed whether females mated with the assigned male. Females were more likely to mate when paired with low nutrition males. These results suggest that females have evolved assessment mechanisms that allow them distinguish between males with preferred signals that provide high quality benefits (low nutrition males with high chirp rates) and males with preferred signals that provide low quality benefits (high nutrition males with high chirp rates).
ISSN:1744-9561
1744-957X
DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2017.0386