A Performance‐Based Approach to Studying Costs of Reliable Signals

Husak, Jerry F.; Henningsen, Justin P.; Vanhooydonck, Bieke; Irschick, Duncan J.

doi:10.1002/9781118966624.ch3

Cited by 7 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 162 publications

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“…Møller and Barbosa 2001), and because actual cost of long tails would be partially compensated for by the evolution of cost-reducing traits (e.g. Balmford et al 1994;Møller 1996;Tubaro 2003; also see Husak et al 2015 for general discussion). As Norberg (1994) already noted, experimental manipulation of tail length upsets an original co-adapted character set, and thus may not reveal the aerodynamic function of long tails, limiting the validity of the finding above.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental tail shortening affects feeding rate depending on original tail length in female barn swallows Hirundo rustica gutturalis

Hasegawa

Arai

Nakamura

2020

J Ethol

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Long tail feathers of the barn swallow Hirundo rustica are a classic example of an intersexually selected trait, but previous aerodynamic analyses indicate that the tail feather is only 10–12 mm longer than the aerodynamic optimum even in the nominate subspecies with long tails. Here, by experimentally shortening female tail length, we studied the feeding cost of long tail feathers in Japanese barn swallows, Hirundo rustica gutturalis, which have ca. 10 mm shorter tails than the nominate subspecies. Female feeding rate was explained by the interaction between treatment and original female tail length: feeding rate decreased with decreasing original female tail length in control, but not in tail-shortened females. Because the interaction term was far from significant in the analysis of female incubation investment, the observed pattern would be specific to feeding rate, which is greatly affected by the aerodynamic properties associated with tail length. Differential allocation of paternal feeding investment was not observed in the current data set. Long tails would be costly at least in short-tailed females, supporting differential costs of ornamentation as predicted by sexual selection theory. Female outermost tail feathers are costly ornamentation in short-tailed Japanese barn swallows.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental tail shortening affects feeding rate depending on original tail length in female barn swallows Hirundo rustica gutturalis

Hasegawa

Arai

Nakamura

2020

J Ethol

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“…There is ample evidence that sexually selected structures incur various types of biological costs (Kotiaho, 2001;Husak et al, 2015). For example, although the bright color patches on the fins of male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) make them more attractive towards females (Houde, 1997), they also make them more vulnerable to predation (Endler, 1980(Endler, , 1983Godin and McDonough, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Compromised immune function is another potential cost of possessing exaggerated sexually selected structures, and has been documented in barn swallows (Hirundo rustica: Saino and Møller, 1996) and red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus: Zuk and Johnsen, 1998). In addition to these receiver-independent costs, there may also be receiver-dependent costs in the form of increased retaliation from conspecifics during agonistic encounters (Husak et al, 2015;Wilson and Angilletta, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The metabolic cost of carrying a sexually selected trait in the male fiddler crabUca pugilator

Tullis

Straube

2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Models proposed to explain sexually selected structures assume that these traits are costly. However, studies investigating the impact of such structures on locomotory costs have produced inconsistent results. Male fiddler crabs possess a large sexually selected claw and are ideal for assessing the impact of a sexually selected trait on the cost of locomotion. Here, we measured the energy expenditure of clawed, declawed and artificially loaded crabs during sustained exercise by measuring oxygen consumption and blood lactate levels. We also measured blood lactate levels of clawed and declawed crabs following a sprint and forced walk to assess energy expenditure during non-sustainable, strenuous locomotion. Clawed and declawed crabs consumed the same amount of oxygen and had the same blood lactate concentration during sustained locomotion, suggesting that the large claw does not increase energetic costs during sustainable locomotion. Following non-sustainable, strenuous locomotion, however, there was a trend for clawed crabs to have higher concentrations of lactate in their blood than declawed crabs, suggesting that bearing a large claw may increase energetic costs during strenuous locomotion and lengthen recovery time. Artificially loaded crabs produced more lactic acid than clawed and declawed crabs during sustainable locomotion, suggesting that compensatory traits help mitigate the energetic cost of carrying the large claw. Overall, our results show that the impact of exaggerated structures on energy expenditure may depend on exercise intensity and highlight the need to examine various locomotory intensities when attempting to assess the costs of bearing a sexually selected trait.

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“…The importance of compensatory traits has repeatedly been advocated (e.g., Møller 1996; Oufiero & Garland 2007; Husak et al 2015). Using a hypothetical data set, Oufiero & Garland (2007) demonstrated that ignoring a compensatory trait led to an incorrect (and opposite) conclusion.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Likewise, Husak & Swallows (2011) reviewed compensatory traits and proposed that a simple test of relationships between ornamentation and performance can lead to misleading conclusions (also see Husak et al 2015 for an updated review). However, although these studies stress that manipulation experiments should consider compensatory traits carefully (e.g., Husak & Swallow 2011), it is still unclear whether and how compensatory traits affect cost function concerning ornament manipulation.…”

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confidence: 99%

Compensatory traits can explain concave cost function of purely sexual traits

Hasegawa

2022

Preprint

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The cost of ornamentation is often measured experimentally to study the relative importance of sexual and viability selection for ornamentation, but these experiments can lead to a misleading conclusion when compensatory trait is ignored. A famous, classic experiment on the outermost tail feathers in the barn swallow Hirundo rustica, explains that the U-shaped aerodynamic performance of the outermost tail feathers would be the evolutionary outcome mainly through viability selection for optimal tail length, but this conclusion depends on the assumption that compensatory traits do not cause reduced performance. Using a simple model experiment, I demonstrated that ornamentation evolved purely though sexual selection can produce a U-shaped cost function under the presence of compensatory traits. Therefore, U-shaped cost function (and the low performance of individuals with reduced ornaments) cannot be used to infer the evolutionary force favoring ornamentation, due to a previously overlooked concept, overcompensation, which can increase, rather than decrease, the apparent cost of ornamentation.

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A Performance‐Based Approach to Studying Costs of Reliable Signals

Cited by 7 publications

References 162 publications

Experimental tail shortening affects feeding rate depending on original tail length in female barn swallows Hirundo rustica gutturalis

Experimental tail shortening affects feeding rate depending on original tail length in female barn swallows Hirundo rustica gutturalis

The metabolic cost of carrying a sexually selected trait in the male fiddler crabUca pugilator

Compensatory traits can explain concave cost function of purely sexual traits

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