Mating Preference Functions of Individual Female Barking Treefrogs, Hyla Gratiosa, for Two Properties of Male Advertisement Calls

Abstract

A mating preference function describes the relationship between variation in a trait in potential mates and the strength of the preference for that trait. Few studies have measured mating preference functions either at a population level or for individuals. We used two-choice playback experiments to determine the mating preference functions of individual female barking treefrogs for two call characteristics: call-repetition rate and fundamental frequency. We tested each female four times with each pair of stimuli and with three to six pairs of stimuli. Individual females exhibited directional preferences for higher call rates and stabilizing preferences for intermediate fundamental frequency. These individual preference functions were similar to population-level preferences documented in previous studies. Within a stimulus type (call rate or fundamental frequency), nearly all females exhibited the same general preference function. However, females varied in the minimum difference between stimuli necessary to elicit a unanimous choice for the higher call rate, and they differed in both the intermediate fundamental frequency they preferred most and the minimum difference in fundamental frequency that elicited a unanimous choice for one of the two alternatives. The variation we observed among females was not repeatable; repeatabilities were in general low and statistically nonsignificant. The observed variation in the preferences of females, even if unrepeatable, should weaken selection on male traits relative to selection in the absence of such variation.

Reproductive aging and mating: The ticking of the biological clock in female cockroaches

“…We tested four specific contrasts based on the pattern of reproductive maturation and receptivity in this species, in which an increasing number of females are receptive up to 6 days postreproductive molt, but all females are receptive after 9 days as adults (21). Thus, in addition to the overall ANOVA, we tested for a linear change with age, a deviation from linearity (quadratic change with age), significant differences between young and old ages (3,6, and 9 differ from 12, 15, and 18), and significant differences among three groups, young, middle and old ages (3 and 6 differ from 9 and 12, which differ from 15 and 18). All statistical tests were performed by using SYSTAT 9.0.…”

“…1 and 2). Considerably less research effort has addressed variation in female preferences (3)(4)(5)(6)(7). During female mate choice, however, females must tradeoff the benefits gained by being choosy against the costs of stronger preferences (2).…”

Female Guppies Agree to Differ: Phenotypic and Genetic Variation in Mate-Choice Behavior and the Consequences for Sexual Selection

“…Thus, a male that is unattractive to most but strongly preferred by a few females may have higher mating success than a male that is moderately attractive to all females, even if the latter's mean attractiveness is higher. There is a growing acceptance that phenotypic variation among females in mate choice may influence the mode, direction, and strength of sexual selection on male traits (Partridge 1988;Ritchie 1992;Jennions et al 1995;Wagner et al 1995;Jennions and Petrie 1997;Widemo and Saether 1999;Murphy and Gerhardt 2000). However, there have been no explicit tests of the extent to which such variation may influence important evolutionary parameters such as the opportunity for and intensity of sexual selection.…”

Elevated stress hormone diminishes the strength of female preferences for acoustic signals in the green treefrog

“…Variation in this call property is likely to be a major factor contributing male mating success in this species because females typically show strong preferences for calls produced at high rates (Gerhardt, 1987), as do females of many other species that attract mates with acoustic signals (Gerhardt and Huber, 2002). Despite strong directional selection on call rate in most anurans (Gerhardt and Huber, 2002), preferences for this call property are known to vary within and among females (Murphy and Gerhardt, 2000). Here, we show that elevated CORT levels contribute to such variation in female preferences.…”