Female mate choice based upon male motor performance

Enigmatic ornamentation eases male reliance on courtship performance for mating success

“…Although the mechanism underlying this particular interaction remains unknown, this study adds to a growing literature demonstrating the importance of intersignal interactions (Kelly and Marples, 2004;Hebets and Papaj, 2005;Kulahci et al, 2008;Smith et al, 2009), and emphasizes the value of inclusive analyses of complex display function. In addition, our study underscores the importance of female mate choice for courtship performance and provides results consistent with the hypothesis that ornamentation evolved secondarily to enhance a male's apparent motor performance (Byers et al 2010).…”

“…In addition, above the threshold, as courtship rate increased, a male's likelihood of copulating increased. Female preferences for male courtship rate have been documented for a wide range of animals including, but not limited to, orthopterans, homopterans and anurans (reviewed in Gerhardt & Huber 2002), fiddler crabs (Backwell et al, 1999;Murai and Backwell, 2006), birds and mammals (reviewed in Byers et al 2010), and wolf spiders (Kotiaho et al, 1998a;Parri et al, 2002;Rypstra et al, 2003;Delaney et al, 2007;Gibson and Uetz, 2008;Lomborg and Toft, 2009;Shamble et al, 2009;Rundus et al, 2010). Thus, our findings that female choice depends upon courtship rate and that higher courtship rates result in faster copulations in S. stridulans were not unexpected.…”

“…Similar such interactions have been documented in other taxonomic groups as well, and intersignal interactions are likely to be more common than has been previously recognized (reviewed in Hebets and Papaj, 2005;Bro-Jorgensen, 2010). In line with the potential prevalence of interacting signals, it has recently been suggested that most sexual ornamentation evolved secondarily, via its interaction with movement displays (Byers et al 2010).…”

Temporal patterns of nutrition dependence in secondary sexual traits and their varying impacts on male mating success

“…Courtship is an energetically costly behavior (Kotiaho et al, 1998), and a male's ability to sustain rapid courtship may be a signal of his vigor (e.g. motor performance; Byers, Hebets, & Podos, 2010). Because the energetic costs of courtship vary with male body size (Kotiaho et al, 1998), females may need to assess courtship rate in the context of a male's size in order to accurately gauge his degree of effort.…”

Aesthetic evolution by mate choice: Darwin'sreallydangerous idea

“…Recently, Byers et al [37] and others [38] have proposed that mating preferences for physical displays can evolve through natural selection for display that demonstrates the vigour, energy and performance skill of the prospective mates. Advocates of the 'motor performance hypothesis' have failed to consider the LK null model, which specifically predicts the evolution of extreme preferences for extreme display traits that will consequently require dexterity or skill, and may reach energetic or physiological limits of the displaying individuals.…”