The evolution of female mate choice for complex calls in túngara frogs

Abstract:

Female mate preferences can favour the evolution of complex secondary sex traits in males. A mechanism increasingly explored to explain the origin of such male traits is sensory exploitation. Under sensory exploitation, female mating preferences are by-products of sensory biases that originate previously (often in nonreproductive contexts). Túngara frogs (Engystomops) have offered a widely known example for this mechanism. Male E. pustulosus make a complex call by adding a chuck to their typical whine call. Previous studies reported that the evolution of complex calls was driven by a female sensory bias that originated in the common ancestor of Engystomops, before the origin of complex calls. Here, I carry out mate choice experiments and new phylogenetic and comparative analyses to reevaluate the evolution of female mate choice and courtship calls in túngara frogs. My results indicate that the chuck and …

Año de publicación:

2008

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Fuente:

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