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Science 15 February 1985:
Vol. 227. no. 4688, pp. 778 - 780
DOI: 10.1126/science.227.4688.778
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Articles

Courtship Disruption Modifies Mate Choice in a Lek-Breeding Bird

PEPPER W. TRAIL 1

1 Section of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853

The aggregation of displaying males in lek-breeding birds is often associated with disruption of courtship and mating but effects of this disruption on mate choice have not been shown. In a 4-year study of Rupicola rupicola in Suriname, interference among territorial adult males disrupted 31 percent of all female courtship visits and terminated 32 percent of all matings at a lek where there were an average of 55 territorial males. Disruption in this rain forest species caused females to modify their courtship and mating patterns, and males that used intense and persistent disruption received a disproportionate share of this redirected mate choice.

Submitted on August 23, 1984
Accepted on November 30, 1984


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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