Courtship attention in sagebrush lizards varies with male identity and female reproductive state

Abstract

Previous experiments suggest that males spend more time with the more receptive of two novel females or the one with the higher fitness potential. However, males often court individual females repeatedly over a season; for example, male lizards sequentially visit familiar females as they patrol territorial boundaries. It may benefit males to vary display intensity as they move between multiple females. In this study, we explored the factors influencing amount of male courtship to familiar females in the Sagebrush lizard, Sceloporus graciosus. We tested whether males vary the amount of courtship exhibited due to individual differences among males, female reproductive state, or female fitness potential. Each male was allowed to interact separately, but repeatedly, with two females until both females laid eggs. Male courtship behavior with each of the two females was assayed at an intermediate point, after three weeks of interaction. We found that individual differences among males were considerable. The number of male courtship displays was also positively correlated with female latency to lay eggs, with males displaying more often towards females with eggs that had not yet been fertilized. Courtship behavior was not well predicted by the number of eggs laid or by female width, both measures of female quality. Thus, male S. graciosus appear to alter courtship intensity more in response to signals of female reproductive state than in response to variation in potential female fitness.

It Takes Two to Tango: Relative Influence of Male and Female Identity and Morphology on Complex Courtship Display in a Newt Species

“…In our study, we did not find evidence of any kind of behavioural adjustment for the fan display. Our finding, however, is in agreement with other studies which showed that courtship displays were more driven by internal male properties or male state and less by the external environment (Ruiz et al 2008;Lehtonen et al 2011). Limited behavioural flexibility could be driven by genes, prior experience, environmental factors and/or physiology, such as metabolism or hormones (Sih et al 2004;Sih & Bell 2008;Wolf & Weissing 2010;Garamszegi et al 2012).…”

“…Our finding, however, is in agreement with other studies which showed that courtship displays were more driven by internal male properties or male state and less by the external environment (Ruiz et al. ; Lehtonen et al. ).…”

Sizing‐up the Competition: Factors Modulating Male Display Behavior During Mate Competition

“…It is likely that other factors not examined in our study (e.g., individual variation in behavior; Ruiz et al. ) also influence male total pushup time.…”

“…These results may alternatively suggest that males respond to higher value females with increased courtship (e.g., Ruiz et al. ), as pushups and shuddering together contribute to courtship behavior (Martins ). It is interesting to note, however, that female value explains only a small amount of the overall variation in male pushup time (see Fig.…”

Size‐dependent mating preference of the male fiddler crab Austruca perplexa

“…In most animal species, both males and females display some degree of plasticity in their reproductive behaviour in order to optimize their reproductive investment (Engqvist & Sauer, 2002). When the potential benefits of reproduction are low, individuals may invest little in current reproduction and save energy for future reproduction (Engqvist & Sauer, 2002;Kvarnemo, Forsgren, & Magnhagen, 1995;Muramatsu, 2010;Ruiz, Davis, & Martins, 2008). They thus need to assess their current competitive ability and probability of reproductive success to maximize their lifetime reproductive success.…”