AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Male mate choice and female fecundity in zebra finches

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:2001
Authors:Jones, KM, Monaghan, P, Nager, RG
Journal:Animal Behaviour
Volume:62
Issue:6
Date Published:2001
ISBN Number:0003-3472
Keywords:Estrildidae, Taeniopygia, Taeniopygia guttata
Abstract:Studies of sexual selection have mostly focused on female choice and male-male competition. However, when a male contributes substantially to a breeding attempt, he would benefit from choosing a female whose reproductive potential is high in order to maximize his reproductive success. We examined male mate choice in zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, with respect to experimental manipulation of female fecundity. This was enhanced by a dietary supplement prior to contact with the males. When housed with females of differing fecundity, male zebra finches preferentially direct their courtship towards more fecund females. This outcome could be a consequence of female-female interactions or direct male preference. In this experiment, we gave males a choice between standard and supplemented females in an experimental arena where the females were spatially segregated, and could not interact with each other, thereby excluding the possibility of female-female competition. Males spent significantly more time with the more fecund female, they hopped more times on the perch opposite that female and were twice as likely to choose her than the standard female. The standard females were not, however, unreceptive to males, nor did they appear to differ in their activity patterns in response to the male. These results show that males are able to distinguish females that have higher fecundity, and that this is not the result of relative female competitiveness or dominance status.
URL:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347201918433
Short Title:Animal Behaviour
Taxonomic name: 
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith