A trade-off between reproduction and a condition-dependent sexually selected ornament in the house sparrow Passer domesticus.
Reproductive effort was manipulated in a free-living population of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to investigate the trade-off between reproductive investment and the expression of a condition-dependent sexually selected ornament. Phenotypic plasticity in the expression of this trait was related to the experimentally manipulated size of the brood reared by a male. Males that invested more in current reproduction subsequently became more attractive to females in this population as they showed a preference for males with smaller badges. This supports the argument that direct benefits are a primary focus for mate choice by females. Trade-offs between reproductive effort and the expression of sexual ornaments are a potentially important source of phenotypic variation in both sexual ornaments and life-history traits.
Griffith
S C
SC
Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Sweden. simon.griffith@ebc.uu.se
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D012919:Social Behavior; D020308:Songbirds / Q000502:physiology*