Papers in the Biological Sciences
Date of this Version
6-1989
Citation
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 24:6 (June 1989), pp. 439–443
doi: 10.1007/BF00293273
Abstract
Recent correlational studies of lekking sage grouse suggest that male vocal display attracts females. To test this hypothesis further, the natural displays of a territorial male were supplemented with the tape-recorded display of another reproductively successful individual. Significantly, more females approached the speaker's location on days when the recording was played, and also on nonplayback days immediately following a playback, than on other nonplayback days. Analysis of male displays indicated that females were responding to the playback itself rather than to changes in male behavior. The "after-response" following a playback suggests that some females present during a playback remembered its location and approached on a subsequent lek visit. The results provide necessary support for the epigamic function of vocal display, and suggest ways in which female responses to male display may influence lek structure.
Comments
Copyright © 1989 Springer-Verlag. Used by permission.