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Related Experiment Videos

Direct and indirect mate choice on leks.

Stein Are Saether1, Ragnhild Baglo, Peder Fiske

  • 1Department of Population Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-75236 Uppsala, Sweden. stein-are.saether@ebc.uu.se

The American Naturalist
|July 21, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Great snipe (Gallinago media) females choose mates directly, not by territory location. Female great snipe prefer specific males over lek territories, indicating direct mate choice is key.

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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Ornithology

Background:

  • Indirect mate choice influences mate selection by affecting mate access, not by direct attribute assessment.
  • Great snipe (Gallinago media) exhibit lek mating systems where males display and females choose mates.
  • Previous research suggested female choice in great snipe is territory-based, but male dominance does not control mating success.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of indirect mate choice in great snipe mating behavior.
  • To determine if territory position (relative and absolute) influences mating success.
  • To understand the drivers of female mate selection in this lekking species.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of a 14-year dataset on great snipe mating behavior at leks.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Statistical examination of territory centrality and spatial distribution of matings.
  • Tracking of individual female return rates to specific males and territories across seasons.

    • Main Results:

    • Territory centrality showed little to no effect on mating probability.
    • No consistent between-year spatial patterns of matings within leks were observed.
    • Mating probability increased if the territory owner had mated in the previous year.
    • Individual females showed fidelity to specific males across seasons, not just territories.

    Conclusions:

    • Direct female mate choice, based on individual males, is the primary driver of mating success variation in great snipe.
    • Indirect mate choice via territory position is not a significant factor in great snipe mating.
    • Findings contrast with some lekking mammals where male competition or indirect mate choice may be more influential.