Male foraging efficiency, but not male problem-solving performance, influences female mating preferences in zebra finches.

ABSTRACT: Experimental evidence suggests that females would prefer males with better cognitive abilities as mates. However, little is known about the traits reflecting enhanced cognitive skills on which females might base their mate-choice decisions. In particular, it has been suggested that male foraging performance could be used as an indicator of cognitive capacity, but convincing evidence for this hypothesis is still lacking. In the present study, we investigated whether female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) modify their mating preferences after having observed the performance of males on a problem-solving task. Specifically, we measured the females' preferences between two males once before and once after an observation period, during which their initially preferred male was incapable of s

SUBMITTER: Chantal V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5012330 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature