Male song structure predicts offspring recruitment to the breeding population in a migratory bird.

ABSTRACT: Bird song is a classic example of a sexually selected trait, but much of the work relating individual song components to fitness has not accounted for song typically being composed of multiple, often-correlated components, necessitating a multivariate approach. We explored the role of sexual selection in shaping the complex male song of house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) by simultaneously relating its multiple components to fitness using multivariate selection analysis, which is widely used in insect and anuran studies but not in birds. The analysis revealed significant variation in the form and strength of selection acting on song across different selection episodes, from nest-site defense to recruitment of offspring to the breeding population. Males that sang more song typically employed in

SUBMITTER: DiSciullo RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11135616 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature