Badge size in collared flycatchers predicts outcome of male competition over territories
Badge size in collared flycatchers predicts outcome of male competition over territories
复制标题
领鹟的徽章大小可以预测雄性争夺领地的结果
作者：
T. Pärt;A. Qvarnström
显眼颜色的进化通常被认为是由性别选择驱动的，其中颜色特征可以作为个人能力的真实信号，在男性竞争和女性选择中。然而，博弈论模型表明，五颜六色的徽章(即能量低廉的信号)可能在性别选择的比赛中没有作用，因为与战斗成本相比，竞争资源的价值太高。我们对这一断言进行了实验，通过在老年(=2岁)雄性白腹苍蝇(Ficedula AlbiollisMales)的巢址(吸引雌性的关键资源)上举行雄性竞争，拥有相对较大的白色前额斑块(即在雄性竞赛中表现出的取决于条件的羽毛特征)在关于实验腾出的领土的争端中享有竞争优势。没有其他测量的形态变量预测这样一场争论的结果。此外，纠纷的胜利者比失败者更快地获得一名女性。因此，我们的结果表明，雄性捕蝇者的白色前额斑块可能是一种身份的标志，也被用于性选择的资源竞争中。我们认为，这是因为当附近存在其他空置地点时，与战斗成本相比，有争议领土的价值可能相对较低。版权所有1997动物行为研究协会1997动物行为研究协会
The evolution of conspicuous coloration is often hypothesized to be driven by sexual selection, where colour traits may function as honest signals of individual abilities in male contest competition and female choice. However, game theory models suggest that colourful badges (i.e. energetically cheap signals) may have no function in sexually selected contests, because the value of the contested resource is too high relative to the costs of fighting. We investigated this assertion by experimentally staging male contests over nest sites (a crucial resource for attracting females) in old (>/=2 years) male collared flycatchers, Ficedula albicollisMales with a relatively large white forehead patch (i.e. a condition-dependent plumage trait displayed in male contests) enjoyed a competitive advantage in disputes over experimentally vacated territories. No other measured morphological variable predicted the outcome of such a dispute. Furthermore, the winners of the disputes acquired a female more quickly than did the losers. Thus, our results suggest that the white forehead patch of male collared flycatchers may function as a badge of status that is also used in sexually selected contests over resources. We suggest that this is because the value of the contested territory may be relatively low compared with the cost of fighting when alternative vacant sites exist in the neighbourhood.Copyright 1997 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour1997The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour