Leks

About this book

A reprint of a classical work in the Princeton Legacy Library. Originally published in 1995.

The evolution of leks – clusters of small territories where males congregate and display in order to attract mates – is of central issue in behavioral ecology, because of the insights it offers into female mate choice, sexual selection, and the evolution of mating systems. In the first book on the subject, Jacob Höglund and Rauno Alatalo draw together existing knowledge on two main aspects of lekking. Why do leks evolve in some species and not in others? Why do females of certain lekking species select their mates even though such behavior reaps few or no material benefits for them? In each case they emphasize the importance of understanding the selective forces that act on individuals in natural populations.

Hoglund and Alatalo synthesize the available information on lekking in all animal groups and suggest new areas of research.

Contents

List of Drawings at Part Openings ix
Preface xi

PART I Leks and Their Taxonomic Occurrence 1
1 What Are Leks? 3
1.1 Introduction 3
1.2 Definition of the Lek 4
1.3 Level of Aggregation: Exploded Leks 7
1.4 Aggregation on Landmarks 11
1.5 Resource Availability: Resource-based Leks 13
1.6 Handling Time 18
1.7 Stability of Arenas and Territories 19
1.8 Sexual Selection and Mating System 20
1.9 Summary 21

2 A Taxonomic Overview 23
2.1 Introduction 23
2.2 Basic Prerequisites for Lekking 24
2.3 Arthropods Other Than Insects 25
2.4 Insects 25
2.5 Fish 28
2.6 Amphibians 30
2.7 Salamanders and Newts 32
2.8 Reptiles 33
2.9 Birds 34
2.10 Ungulates and Other Mammals 39
2.11 Summary 40

PART II Sexual Selection 49
3 Determinants of Male Mating Success 51
3.1 Introduction 51
3.2 Mating Skew 52
3.3 Traits Beneficial for Males 54
3.4 Male-Male Competition or Female Choice? 78
3.5 Costs of Sexually Selected Traits 82
3.6 Lek Organization 84
3.7 Summary 90

4 Female Mating Adaptations 92
4.1 Introduction 92
4.2 Reasons for Female Preference 94
4.3 Costs of Female Choice 108
4.4 Female Mating Strategies 110
4.5 Summary 120

5 Black Grouse: A Case Study 122
5.1 Introduction 122
5.2 Methods of Observation 122
5.3 Correlates of Mating Success 124
5.4 Experiments 131
5.5 Synthesis 135

6 Comparative Studies 137
6.1 Introduction 137
6.2 Different Comparative Approaches 139
6.3 Social Selection 146
6.4 Summary 147

PART III Lek Evolution 149
7 A Review of Hypotheses 151
7.1 Introduction 151
7.2 Predation Risk 151
7.3 Information Sharing 156
7.4 Passive Attraction 156
7.5 Habitat Limitation 157
7.6 The Hotspot Model 159
7.7 Increased per Capita Mating Success on Larger Leks 163
7.8 The Black Hole Model 169
7.9 The Hotshot Model 170
7.10 Summary 173

8 Intraspecific Variation 175
8.1 Introduction 175
8.2 Intraspecific Variability 176
8.3 Intra-Individual Variability and Alternative Reproductive Behaviors 178
8.4 Summary 183

9 Game Theory Models of Leks 184
9.1 Introduction 184
9.2 Ideal Free Theory 184
9.3 Summary 195

PART IV Conclusions 199
10 Concluding Remarks and Prospects for Future Studies 201
10.1 General Conclusions 201
10.2 Future Prospects 203
10.3 A Final Word 207

References 209
Author Index 239
Subject and Species Index 246

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