Dispersion of greater prairie chicken nests in relation to lek location: evaluation of the hot-spot hypothesis of lek evolution

The hot-spot hypothesis suggests that males should establishleks in areas where they are more likely to encounter females;these areas are determined, in part, by overlap in home rangesof females. We examined this hypothesis using data on movementof greater prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) in northeasternColorado during 1986–1988. The relative quality of variouslocations as potential lek sites was estimated using nest-to-lekdistances of females; quality (male breeding potential) wasevaluated on a scale of 0 to 1 and was positively correlatedwith proximity to nest sites of females. Monte Carlo simulationswere conducted to examine male breeding potential under varyingconditions of observed and random lek locations. Male breedingpotential was higher at actual lek sites than at random leksites. Distributions of leks and nests supported predictionsof the hot-spot hypothesis.