Biology Faculty Articles
Title
Larger Females are Choosier in the Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor)
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-2017
Publication Title
Behavioural Processes
Keywords
Female choice, Choosiness, Mate preference, Sexual selection, Individual variation
ISSN
0376-6357
Volume
135
First Page
29
Last Page
35
Abstract
Individual variation in female mate choice has important implications for sexual trait evolution and the maintenance of phenotypic diversity. In this study we examined several potential drivers of individual variation in female choosiness for the well-studied, energetically expensive courtship signal of male gray treefrogs, Hyla versicolor. Specifically, we investigated the relationship between female choosiness and other female traits (female body size, physical condition, and age) using a costly choice playback experiment where females traveled different simulated distances to reach attractive mates. We found that larger females maintained their preferences for attractive male calls over greater simulated distances (i.e. were choosier) than smaller females. We discuss possible explanations for why larger females may be choosier and suggest several potential avenues of future research.
NSUWorks Citation
Kuczynski, Michael C.; Thomas Getty; and Eben Gering. 2017. "Larger Females are Choosier in the Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor)." Behavioural Processes 135, (): 29-35. doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2016.11.019.
ORCID ID
0000-0002-1270-6727
DOI
10.1016/j.beproc.2016.11.019
Comments
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