Abstract
We investigated how morphological traits of territorial males in the polygynous bat Saccopteryx bilineata were related to their reproductive success. Because of the frequency of aerial courtship displays and defence manoeuvres, and the high energetic costs of flight, we expected small and symmetric males to be better able to court females on the wing and to monopolize copulations with females in their harems. We predicted that small and symmetric males would sire more offspring within the colony and a larger portion of the young born within their harem than large or asymmetric males. We measured size and fluctuating asymmetry of 21 territorial males and analysed their reproductive success in 6 offspring cohorts (n=209 juveniles) using 11 microsatellite loci. As predicted, small and symmetric males had, on average, a higher reproductive success in the colony than large and asymmetric males. The percentage of young sired by males within their harem increased as males decreased in size, but was not influenced by fluctuating asymmetry. As fluctuating asymmetry of males correlated with their reproductive success within the colony but not within their harems, we infer that fluctuating asymmetry is probably related to female choice, whereas male size is probably important for harem defence on the wing.
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Acknowledgements
We wish to express our thanks to Martina Brandt, Anne Brunner, Sonja Meister, Oliver Behr, Otto von Helversen, Marion East, and Heribert Hofer. We also thank the Costa Rican authorities for permission to conduct research in Costa Rica, and the Organization for Tropical Studies for permission to work on their property. Financial support was provided by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG Vo 890/3).
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Voigt, C.C., Heckel, G. & Mayer, F. Sexual selection favours small and symmetric males in the polygynous greater sac-winged bat Saccopteryx bilineata (Emballonuridae, Chiroptera). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 57, 457–464 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-004-0874-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-004-0874-6