Male quality, signal reliability and female choice: assessing the expectations of inter-sexual selection

Abstract

Numerous models have attempted to explain the evolution of extravagant male ornaments found in many species. Inter-sexual indicator models postulate that male ornaments evolved as signals of quality, and that females use these signals to select the highest quality males. These models involve three traits--male quality, male signals and female preferences--and have specific expectations about the relative strengths of the phenotypic relationships between these traits. Using data from anuran species, we assessed the relative strengths of the phenotypic relationships using meta-analysis. The relative strengths of these phenotypic correlations were as expected by indicator models, providing support for indicator models of inter-sexual selection. We also found much variation in our data, suggesting that additional, untested factors may mediate inter-sexual interactions in this taxon, such as differences in the importance of quality signalling between species. These factors require investigation, in order to improve our understanding of inter-sexual selection.