TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2011//
TI  - Female choice for male motor skills
JO  - Proceedings of the Royal Society - biological sciences
A1  - Fusani, Leonida
A1  - Wikelski, Martin
A1  - Schlinger, Barney A.
A1  - Barske, Julia
SP  - 3523
EP  - 3528
VL  - 278
IS  - 1724
N2  - Sexual selection was proposed by Darwin to explain the evolution of male sexual traits such as ornaments and elaborate courtship displays. Empirical and theoretical studies have traditionally focused on ornaments; the reasons for the evolution of elaborate, acrobatic courtship displays remain unclear. We addressed the hypothesis that females choose males on the basis of subtle differences in display performance, indicating motor skills that facilitate survival. Male golden-collared manakins (Manacus vitellinus) perform elaborate, acrobatic courtship displays. We used high-speed cameras to record the displays of wild males and analysed them in relation to male reproductive success. Females preferred males that performed specific display moves at greater speed, with differences of tens of milliseconds strongly impacting female preference. In additional males, we recorded telemetrically the heart rate during courtship using miniature transmitters and found that courtship is associated with profoundly elevated heart rates, revealing a large metabolic investment. Our study provides evidence that females choose their mates on the basis of subtle differences in motor performance during courtship. We propose that elaborate, acrobatic courtship dances evolve because they reflect motor skills and cardiovascular function of males.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0962-8452
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2011.0382
ID  - ref1
ER  -