Christopher H. Martin (2010): Unexploited females and unreliable signals of male quality in a Malawi cichlid bower polymorphism.
Behavioral Ecology (2010) 21 (6): 1195-1202. doi: 10.1093/beheco/arq126 First published online: September 1, 2010
http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/conten ... 5.abstract
Abstract
Complex signals present 2 outstanding questions: why do they exist and how are they interpreted? Multiple signals can be beneficial for the increased diversity or redundancy of information they convey; however, it is not clear how receivers use this additional information. I investigated a lekking Malawi cichlid fish that builds polymorphic bowers; some males build their sand spawning craters on rock platforms, rather than the sand floor, resulting in increased overall height and reduced construction, maintenance, and competition costs. This suggests that rock bowers are an unreliable signal of male investment. Using field observations and in situ bower manipulations I tested fitness costs, female preferences for bower type, bower height, and male displays, and mechanisms for the maintenance of bower polymorphism. In contrast to predictions, observational and experimental data confirmed that females were more likely to visit rock bowers but did not ultimately lay more eggs there. This indicates that females responded to potentially deceptive rock bower males by advancing to the next stage of courtship but were not ultimately fooled by these deceptive signals. Assessing additional signals during the next courtship stage may allow females to counteract initial sensory exploitation or females may be intentionally increasing their investment in mate assessment in response to deceptive signals. Male bower polymorphism may be maintained by the limited availability of rock platforms; there was no evidence for significant variation in individual female preferences or male bower-building strategies.
Key words
* African cichlid
* dishonest signaling
* “good genes” models
* lek
* Nyassachromis microcephalus
* sexual selection
Unexploited females and unreliable signals of male quality
Discussions on cichlid behaviour in nature & captivity.
Moderator: Troy
- Bojan Dolenc
- Posts: 222
- Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:12 am
- Location: Slovenia - Ljubljana
- Contact:
Unexploited females and unreliable signals of male quality
Post by Bojan Dolenc » Sun Dec 05, 2010 12:32 pm
Change in habit, producing change of function, is the main cause of the production of change in living structure. F. Wood Jones (1953) Trends of life
Jump to
- Administration
- ↳ Announcements
- ↳ Suggestions
- ↳ Technical Issues and Problems
- ↳ Company information
- ↳ Fish List
- ↳ Uruguay
- ↳ Dave's Rare Aquarium Fish
- ↳ Price lists
- ↳ New Arrivals
- ↳ Terms
- ↳ Stocklist Discussion
- Cichlid talk
- ↳ Central American Cichlids
- ↳ South American Cichlids
- ↳ Discus
- ↳ Madagascar Cichlids
- ↳ Lake Malawi Cichlids
- ↳ Lake Tanganyika Cichlids
- ↳ Lake Tanganyika Sand-dwellers and Featherfins
- ↳ Tropheus & Petrochromis
- ↳ Lake Victoria Cichlids
- ↳ Asian Cichlids
- ↳ Other African Cichlids
- ↳ Dwarf Cichlids
- ↳ General Cichlids
- Introduction to Cichlids
- ↳ For Beginners
- Science and Conservation
- ↳ Taxonomy
- ↳ Cichlid Behaviour
- ↳ Cichlid Conservation
- Maintenance
- ↳ Health, Diseases and Treatments
- ↳ Equipment, Supplies, Books and DIY
- ↳ Filtration
- Plants and related
- ↳ General plant questions
- ↳ Biotopes
- General Discussion
- ↳ In Memoriam
- ↳ General Fish Topics
- ↳ Lounge
- American Cichlid Association
- ↳ Membership
- ↳ ACA News
- ↳ Conventions
- ↳ Novi 2017
- ↳ Cincinnati 2016
- ↳ Website issues, help
- ↳ Photo Contest
- Organizations
- ↳ Upcoming Events
- ↳ Ohio Cichlid Association
- ↳ Announcements
- ↳ General Discussion
- ↳ Extravaganza News
- ↳ Bowl Show
- ↳ Jim Smith Fund for Education and Conservation
- ↳ Breeder Award Programs – Cichlids and Catfish
- ↳ C.A.R.E.S. Program
- ↳ Membership
- ↳ Library
- ↳ OCA marketplace
- ↳ Sell
- ↳ Buy
- ↳ OCA Vendors and Supporters
- ↳ Catfish talk
- ↳ African Catfish
- ↳ Asian Catfish
- ↳ South American Catfish (Callichthyidae - Corydoras, etc.)
- ↳ South American Catfish (Loricariidae and similar)
- ↳ All Other Catfish
- ↳ Cichlid talk
- ↳ Specific cichlid talk
- ↳ Introduction to cichlids
- ↳ Science and conservation
- ↳ Maintenance
- ↳ General discussion
- ↳ Chatham-Kent Aquarium Society
- ↳ Club News
- ↳ Fish & Fish Related
- ↳ Fish
- ↳ Plants
- ↳ BAP/AHAP/MBAP & CARES
- ↳ For Sale / Trade
- ↳ Greater Cincinnati Aquarium Society
- ↳ General discussion
- ↳ Join the club
- ↳ Auction
- ↳ Swap meet
- ↳ Monthly meetings
- ↳ Speaker highlights
- ↳ Trading post
- ↳ Activities
- ↳ BAP
- ↳ HAP
- ↳ POTM
- ↳ Announcements
- ↳ Suggest a speaker
- ↳ General discussion
- ↳ Board meetings notes
- ↳ Budget and sponsorships
- Sponsors Section
- ↳ Sponsors section
- ↳ Lisa's Lair Bookstore
- ↳ Price lists
- ↳ Latest Additions
- ↳ Inquiries
- ↳ Conventions Price Lists
- Blogs
- ↳ Cichlid & tank related blogs
- ↳ Blogs archive
- ↳ CRENICICHLATEER
- ↳ Cichlid show tanks
- ↳ Cichlidbase
- ↳ Cichlasoba
- ↳ Gymnogeophagus Study Group
- ↳ Bolen's Tropical Underground Paradise
- ↳ My Fish Room
- ↳ FishyDaves Cave
- ↳ Cichlid Keeper's Man-cave
- ↳ My fish room
- ↳ My underground lair
- ↳ A Frugal Aquarists Ultimate Fish Room
- ↳ Cichlidarium
- ↳ Boulengerochromis microlepis, an Emperor amongst fish
- ↳ Back to convicts
- ↳ Cunningham's Cichlids
- ↳ 2866 US Gallons of Cichlid Water. (and counting)