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Evolution of displays within the pair bond
Maria R Servedio1, Trevor D Price, Russell Lande
1Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. servedio@email.unc.edu
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|February 22, 2013
Summary
Mutual displays in socially monogamous species evolve to stimulate parental investment. Permanent displays require pair benefits to be more than double individual investment, with pre-existing response biases being crucial for their evolution.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Behavioral ecology
- Animal communication
Background:
- Sexual selection drives display evolution, but displays persist post-pair bond formation in socially monogamous species.
- Elaborate mutual displays are observed in monomorphic species with long-term pair bonds, like the great crested grebe.
- Empirical evidence suggests display manipulation influences parental investment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary drivers of mutual displays within pair bonds.
- To determine the conditions necessary for the permanent establishment of mutual displays.
- To explore the role of parental investment stimulation in display evolution.
Main Methods:
- Population genetic modeling was employed to analyze the evolutionary dynamics of displays.
- The models considered scenarios of mutual displays and sex-specific display effects on investment.
- Conditions for permanent and transient display evolution were mathematically derived.
Main Results:
- Permanent mutual displays require pair benefits to exceed twice the benefit of single-individual investment.
- Pre-existing biases to increase investment in response to displays are essential for display evolution.
- Sex-specific displays can lead to transient increases in investment, potentially driving permanent display evolution via additional genetic loci.
Conclusions:
- Mutual displays in socially monogamous species are maintained by their role in enhancing offspring investment.
- The evolution of permanent displays is contingent on significant benefits derived from paired investment and innate response mechanisms.
- Transient display effects can initiate the evolutionary trajectory towards permanent display systems.
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