Environment-dependent selection on mate choice in a natural population of birds.
Details
Serval ID
serval:BIB_428F0621CFD4
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Publication sub-type
Letter (letter): Communication to the publisher.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Environment-dependent selection on mate choice in a natural population of birds.
Journal
Ecology Letters
ISSN
1461-0248 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
1461-023X
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2012
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
15
Number
6
Pages
611-618
Language
english
Abstract
Female mate choice acts as an important evolutionary force, yet the influence of the environment on both its expression and the selective pressures acting upon it remains unknown. We found consistent heritable differences between females in their choice of mate based on ornament size during a 25-year study of a population of collared flycatchers. However, the fitness consequences of mate choice were dependent on environmental conditions experienced whilst breeding. Females breeding with highly ornamented males experienced high relative fitness during dry summer conditions, but low relative fitness during wetter years. Our results imply that sexual selection within a population can be highly variable and dependent upon the prevailing weather conditions experienced by individuals.
Keywords
Animals, Clutch Size, Female, Genotype, Male, Mating Preference, Animal, Phenotype, Selection, Genetic, Sex Characteristics, Songbirds/genetics, Sweden, Weather
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
06/12/2017 13:42
Last modification date
20/08/2019 14:45
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