Male-like ornamentation in female hummingbirds results from social harassment rather than sexual selection

Falk, Jay J.; Webster, Michael S.; Rubenstein, Dustin R.

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2021.07.043

Cited by 25 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…In fact, most of the tagged birds had an average predicted probability of detection less than 0.50 (Figure 3), further demonstrating the importance of quantifying the detection probabilities of RFID systems. This detection rate is considerably lower than what is reported in the few RFID studies involving wild birds that verify the accuracy of their systems (100%, Falk et al, 2021;>99%, Firth et al, 2018;74%, Zárybnická et al, 2016).…”

Section: Rfid Performancementioning

confidence: 56%

Evaluating the accuracy and biological meaning of visits to RFID‐enabled bird feeders using video

Hughes

Mady

Bonter

2021

Ecology and Evolution

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Section: Rfid Performancementioning

confidence: 56%

Evaluating the accuracy and biological meaning of visits to RFID‐enabled bird feeders using video

Hughes

Mady

Bonter

2021

Ecology and Evolution

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“…The sexual mimicry hypothesis predicts that females produce male-like characteristics to avoid costly male sexual harassment (reviewed in Amundsen 2000; Amundsen & Pärn 2006; Kraaijeveld et al 2007; Tobias et al 2012). Although vertebrate researchers often assume fitness benefits of female attractiveness (but see Burley 1981), avoiding male attention (i.e., being unattractive) is a well-known function of male-like characteristics in invertebrates (e.g., Robertson 1985; see reviews listed above; also see Falk et al 2021 suggesting this function in birds). As we showed here, tail-elongated female models elicited male responses less than control models but still attracted the attention of males, and thus the observed unattractiveness would not be costly for females.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It should be noted that these alternative explanations for male mate preferences against long-tailed females can explain the observed male behavior, but, unlike the sexual mimicry hypothesis, are insufficient to explain why females possess long tails. The current study, however, focused solely on male mate preference and thus long, costly tails might be selected for in other contexts, such as female-female competition for mates and non-sexual social selection (e.g., as written in Burley 1981, females might bluff about their territory defense ability by possessing male plumage; also see Falk et al 2021 for the function of female ornaments to reduce social harassment; reviewed in Tobias et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Male mate preference against tail-elongated females in the barn swallow

Hasegawa

Arai

2022

Preprint

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The function of female ornamentation in the context of (inter)sexual selection attracts keen attention these days, but empirical field studies are mostly based on indirect measures such as mating patterns; direct evidence of male mate preference on female ornamentation while controlling for confounding factors is needed. Here we performed model presentation experiments to study male mate preference in the barn swallow Hirundo rustica, a model species of sexual selection. Female barn swallows have somewhat shorter tails than males, but their tails are still long and costly. Although many correlational and experimental studies of live females have focused on long tails in female barn swallows over the last three decades, direct behavioral tests of male mate preference are lacking. By using a sequential model presentation experiment, in which we repeated the trials with the same males, we found that males significantly reduced the number of pairing displays when they were presented with tail-elongated female models compared to control female models. Interaction between treatment and male tail length was far from significant. The observed pattern is inconsistent with the prevailing view that costly female ornamentation is maintained via male preference for more ornamented females. Rather, the observed pattern is consistent with the sexual mimicry hypothesis, in which females can avoid sexual (and social) harassment by mimicking males.

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“…Many species of hummingbirds exhibit female-limited polymorphisms, and a recent study suggests the phenomenon may be widespread across the hummingbird clade [21]. In at least one hummingbird species, the white-necked jacobin ( Florisuga mellivora ), female-limited polymorphism appears to have evolved through competition for food resources via non-sexual social selection [22]. All males and approximately 20% of adult female white-necked jacobins are ornamented, containing an iridescent blue head, white neck and white tail (androchromic plumage type).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intersexual social dominance mimicry drives female hummingbird polymorphism

et al. 2022

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Female-limited polymorphisms, where females have multiple forms but males have only one, have been described in a variety of animals, yet are difficult to explain because selection typically is expected to decrease rather than maintain diversity. In the white-necked jacobin ( Florisuga mellivora ), all males and approximately 20% of females express an ornamented plumage type (androchromic), while other females are non-ornamented (heterochromic). Androchrome females benefit from reduced social harassment, but it remains unclear why both morphs persist. Female morphs may represent balanced alternative behavioural strategies, but an alternative hypothesis is that androchrome females are mimicking males. Here, we test a critical prediction of these hypotheses by measuring morphological, physiological and behavioural traits that relate to resource-holding potential (RHP), or competitive ability. In all these traits, we find little difference between female types, but higher RHP in males. These results, together with previous findings in this species, indicate that androchrome females increase access to food resources through mimicry of more aggressive males. Importantly, the mimicry hypothesis provides a clear theoretical pathway for polymorphism maintenance through frequency-dependent selection. Social dominance mimicry, long suspected to operate between species, can therefore also operate within species, leading to polymorphism and perhaps similarities between sexes more generally.

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Male-like ornamentation in female hummingbirds results from social harassment rather than sexual selection

Cited by 25 publications

References 50 publications

Evaluating the accuracy and biological meaning of visits to RFID‐enabled bird feeders using video

Evaluating the accuracy and biological meaning of visits to RFID‐enabled bird feeders using video

Male mate preference against tail-elongated females in the barn swallow

Intersexual social dominance mimicry drives female hummingbird polymorphism

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