BIO152H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Mate Choice, Handicap Principle, Guppy
Document Summary
Benefits of female choice (direct and indirect) Why do females choose exaggerated traits. Experiment: natural tail length (n, reduced tail length (r, elongated tail length (l, sham surgery (s) 2: mating success elongated > natural > shortened, natural = sham. Female barn swallows were found to prefer long- tailed mates. Long-tailed males are more efficient in flight and more successful in finding food, thus have higher fitness. Female preference of complex calls in tungara frog. Singing a complex song will attract more females however it will also. Only way if this works will be if the benefits outweigh the costs, ex. Males attract females by the size of the prey they bring with them, ex. The size of prey and duration of copulation. The larger prey = the more eggs fertilized. Females prefer them, resulting in selection for elaborate traits. Linked to evolution, offspring will have a larger chance of survival. She gets food like in hanging flies: indirect benefits:
