Only females in poor condition display a clear preference and prefer males with an average badge |
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Authors: | Matteo Griggio Herbert Hoi |
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Institution: | (1) Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology, Savoyenstrasse 1 a, A-1160 Vienna, Austria |
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Abstract: | Background Female condition-dependent variation in mate preference may have important evolutionary implications, not only within the
same population but also among populations. There are few experiments, however, on how condition and/or genotype influences
female mate preferences. The black throat patch of the male house sparrow, Passer domesticus, is an intensively studied plumage trait. It is often referred to as a 'badge of status' and seems to be involved in female
mate choice, but differences exist among populations. Between-population variation in mate preference may occur for condition-dependent
mate preferences. We tested the hypothesis that female preference may vary with female quality (body condition). Therefore,
we measured female preference for badge size using an aviary two-choice test in which females were presented with two males
that had different sizes of badges (enlarged or averaged). |
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