Elaborate visual and acoustic signals evolve independently in a large, phenotypically diverse radiation of songbirds.

ABSTRACT: The concept of a macroevolutionary trade-off among sexual signals has a storied history in evolutionary biology. Theory predicts that if multiple sexual signals are costly for males to produce or maintain and females prefer a single, sexually selected trait, then an inverse correlation between sexual signal elaborations is expected among species. However, empirical evidence for what has been termed the 'transfer hypothesis' is mixed, which may reflect different selective pressures among lineages, evolutionary covariates or methodological differences among studies. Here, we examine interspecific correlations between song and plumage elaboration in a phenotypically diverse, widespread radiation of songbirds, the tanagers. The tanagers (Thraupidae) are the largest family of songbirds, represe

SUBMITTER: Mason NA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4083800 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature