Abstract
Recent theory on sexual selection1–4 suggests that females in species without paternal care choose mates by their secondary sexual characters because these indicate genotypic quality which will be transmitted to the offspring. These ideas are not yet empiri-cally supported as data quantifying the relationship between female mate choice and female reproductive success are lacking. Only in one case, in Colias butterflies, has it been demonstrated unequivo-cally that females choose 'good genotypes' as mates5 and there is only one study, on Drosophila, demonstrating that mate choice increases one component of offspring fitness6. Spur length of male pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) correlates with various fitness-related properties7. We here present the first experimental field data showing that female pheasants select mates on the basis of male spur length and that female mate choice correlates with female reproductive success.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersson, M. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 17, 375–393 (1982).
Hamilton, W. D. & Zuk, M. Science 218, 384–387 (1982).
Kodric-Brown, A. & Brown, J. H. Am. Nat. 124, 309–323 (1984).
Andersson, M. Evolution 40, 804–816 (1986).
Walt, W. B., Carter, P. A. & Donohue, K. Science 233, 1187–1190 (1986).
Partridge, L. Nature 283, 290–291 (1980).
Göransson G., von Schantz, T., Fröberg, I., Helgée, A. & Wittzell, H. Evolution, submitted.
Koubek, P. & Hrabe, V. Folia Zool. 33, 303–313 (1984).
Jennrich, R. I. & Turner, F. B. J. theor. Biol. 22, 227–237 (1969).
Alatalo, R. V., Lundberg, A. & Glynn, C. Nature 323, 152–153 (1986).
Altmann, S. A., Wagner, S. S. & Lenington, S. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 2, 397–410 (1977).
Davison, G. W. H. J. Zool. 206, 353–366 (1985).
Jeffreys, A. J., Wilson, V. & Thein, S. L. Nature 314, 67–73 (1985).
Maynard Smith, J. J. theor. Biol. 115, 1–8 (1985).
Jones, J. S. Trends Ecol. Evol. 2, 35–38 (1987).
Lilliefors, H. W. J. Am. Statist. Assoc. 64, 399–402 (1967).
Göransson, G. thesis, Univ. of Lund, 1980.
Dixon, K. R. & Chapman, J. A. Ecology 61, 1040–1044 (1980).
Crook, J. H. & Butterfield, P. A. in Social Behaviour in Birds and Mammals (ed. Crook, J. H.) 211–248 (Academic, London, 1970).
Kalinoski, R. Condor 77, 375–384 (1975).
Baker, M. C. & Fox, S. F. Evolution 32, 697–711 (1978).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
von Schantz, T., Göransson, G., Andersson, G. et al. Female choice selects for a viability-based male trait in pheasants. Nature 337, 166–169 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/337166a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/337166a0
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Mating behaviour of the large-head resin bee Heriades truncorum (Megachilidae: Osminii) suggests female plastic strategy in selection of a mating partner and male quality assessment
Apidologie (2022)
-
Male genital lobe morphology affects the chance to copulate in Drosophila pachea
BMC Ecology and Evolution (2021)
-
Analysis of the source of aggressiveness in gamecocks
Scientific Reports (2020)
-
Free mate choice enhances conservation breeding in the endangered giant panda
Nature Communications (2015)
-
Is female preference for large sexual ornaments due to a bias to escape predation risk?
BMC Evolutionary Biology (2012)