Interestingly, other studies reveal that individual females differ in their preference for specific characteristics, indicating that the female’s evaluation can be influenced by individual-specific features of perception rather than simply the physical properties of the signal. Some studies reveal that females express broad agreement in their preferences for specific signal characteristics, indicating that those features are especially salient in female mate choice, ,,. The results of that cognitive behavior then guide the female’s expression of selective motor responses such as approaching only the preferred male, responding with courtship displays, performing some operant task, or assuming specific postures to initiate copulation, ,,. Females detect those signals and use that sensory information to form a subjective evaluation of the quality of each signal and the associated male. In the context of mate selection by female songbirds, male suitors seek to attract female mates through their song performances and other signals such as plumage or reproductive displays. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Ĭompeting interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. ![]() This research was also supported by the University of Wyoming INBRE Program of the National Institutes of Health (JFP) and by an Undergraduate Research Fellowship (ZC) from the University of Wyoming EPSCoR Program of the National Science Foundation. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.įunding: This research was supported by startup funds provided by an Institutional Development Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P 30 GM 103398. ![]() Received: JAccepted: JanuPublished: February 18, 2014Ĭopyright: © 2014 Dunning et al. ![]() Coleman, Claremont Colleges, United States of America Together these findings reveal the nature of signal evaluation and mate choice in this species.Ĭitation: Dunning JL, Pant S, Bass A, Coburn Z, Prather JF (2014) Mate Choice in Adult Female Bengalese Finches: Females Express Consistent Preferences for Individual Males and Prefer Female-Directed Song Performances. Therefore, multiple song parameters are evaluated independently. In an initial investigation of those parameters, females could be very selective for one song feature yet not selective for another. Analysis of song properties revealed several candidate parameters that may influence female evaluation. Preferences were indistinguishable for females that did or did not have social experience with the singers, indicating that female preference is strongly directed by song features rather than experiences associated with the singer. Across a population of females, songs of some males were more commonly preferred than others, and females preferred female-directed songs more than undirected songs, suggesting that some song features are broadly attractive. In response to songs from an array of males, each female expressed an individual-specific song preference, and those preferences were consistent across tests spanning many months. We found that calls and copulation solicitation displays are equally reliable indicators of female preference. Here, we characterized the mate preferences of female Bengalese finches. Thus, both the physical properties of male signals and specific traits of female signal evaluation can impact female mate choice. ![]() Other studies reveal that females differ in their preference for specific characteristics, indicating that in those cases female evaluation of signal quality is influenced by factors other than simply the physical properties of the signal. Some studies reveal broad agreement among females in their preferences for specific signal characteristics, indicating that those features are especially salient in female mate choice. Females evaluate the quality of each signal and the associated male, and the results of that evaluation guide expression of selective courtship displays. In the process of mate selection by female songbirds, male suitors advertise their quality through reproductive displays in which song plays an important role.
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