Testing the genetics underlying the co-evolution of mate choice and ornament in the wild

Anna Qvarnström (), Jon E. Brommer and Lars Gustafsson
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Anna Qvarnström: Uppsala University
Jon E. Brommer: University of Helsinki
Lars Gustafsson: Uppsala University

Nature, 2006, vol. 441, issue 7089, 84-86

Abstract: Check mates A study of the behaviour of thousands of ringed birds over a 24-year period has contributed solid data that bear on two enduring problems in evolutionary biology: why animals spend so much effort selecting a mate and the information conveyed by exaggerated sexual ornaments. The results show that male collared flycatchers keep their side of the bargain: the male ornament (forehead patch size) is highly heritable and females can use it to predict the attractiveness of their offspring. Female mate choice, however, shows very low heritability — perhaps because in the wild so many ecological factors can influence mate choice regardless of genetic predispostion.

Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1038/nature04564

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