Fulltext

Female choice of a non-bodily ornament: an experimental study of cichlid sand craters in Cyathopharynx furcifer

Schaedelin, Franziska ; Taborsky, Michael

In: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2010, vol. 64, no. 9, p. 1437-1447

Aggiungi alla tua lista
    Titre
    • Female choice of a non-bodily ornament: an experimental study of cichlid sand craters in Cyathopharynx furcifer
    Auteur
    • Schaedelin, Franziska. Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
    • Taborsky, Michael. Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
    Type de document
    • Postprint
    Langue
    • Inglese
    Publié dans
    • Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2010, vol. 64, no. 9, p. 1437-1447. Springer-Verlag
    Autre version électronique
    Identifiant OAI-PMH
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:317188
    Summary
    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