DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Functional Analysis of Coloration

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ABSTRACT Nowicki & Weiss IBN 96-23869 Functional Analysis of Female Reproductive Coloration Female choice, male-male mate competition, and resulting sexually dimorphic traits have been a primary focus in studies of animal behavior. Relatively new to the field of animal behavior is the concept that species with conventional sex-roles may exhibit female-female mate competition and male choosiness. Such reproductive patterns may be an important selective force in the evolution of communication signals. This proposal proposes a study of the communicative function of female reproductive coloration in the sexually dimorphic lizard, Sceloporus virgatus (Sauria: Iguanidae). It will be determined whether this coloration is used in female-female mate competition, functioning to attract choosy males into a female s home range during her receptive period. To test this and other hypotheses concerning the function of female reproductive coloration, this research will (1) determine how changes in coloration and display behavior are temporally associated with seasonal changes in reproductive state, (2) determine whether aspects of female quality are correlated with color patch characteristics, and (3) experimentally examine the effect of female coloration and display behavior on the behavior of conspecific males using a choice test paradigm.