Heterospecific interactions and the proliferation of sexually dimorphic traits.

ABSTRACT: Sexual selection is expected to promote speciation by fostering the evolution of sexual traits that minimize reproductive interactions among existing or incipient species. In species that compete for access to, or attention of, females, sexual selection fosters more elaborate traits in males compared to females. If these traits also minimize reproductive interactions with heterospecifics, then species with enhanced risk of interactions between species might display greater numbers of these sexual dimorphic characters. We tested this prediction in eight families of North American birds. In particular, we evaluated whether the number of sexually dimorphic traits was positively associated with species richness at a given site or with degree of sympatry with congeners. We found no strong evide

SUBMITTER: Pfennig KS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3955385 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature