title: Larger females are choosier in the gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor).
abstract: Individual variation in female mate choice has important implications for sexual trait evolution and the maintenance of phenotypic diversity. In this study we examined several potential drivers of individual variation in female choosiness for the well-studied, energetically expensive courtship signal of male gray treefrogs, Hyla versicolor. Specifically, we investigated the relationship between female choosiness and other female traits (female body size, physical condition, and age) using a costly choice playback experiment where females traveled different simulated distances to reach attractive mates. We found that larger females maintained their preferences for attractive male calls over greater simulated distances (i.e. were choosier) than smaller females. We discuss possible explanations for why larger females may be choosier and suggest several potential avenues of future research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, 288 Farm Lane RM 203, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States; Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States. Electronic address: kuczyns8@msu.edu.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kuczynski
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, 288 Farm Lane RM 203, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States; Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Getty
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, 288 Farm Lane RM 203, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States; Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.
authors.forename: Eben
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gering
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura / Q000502:physiology*; D049628:Body Size / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D052586:Mating Preference, Animal / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Choosiness; Female choice; Individual variation; Mate preference; Sexual selection