Abstract
Where males offer their mates assistance in rearing offspring as well as access to defended resources, female mate choice should be influenced by both male phenotype and resource quality. In contrast, where there is no paternal care the relative importance of choice for male and territory traits is less well understood. We looked at female distribution across male territories in order to assess mate choice criteria in puku Kobus vardoni, and topi Damaliscus lunatus, two antelope where males defend resources but are not involved in parental care. In both species female distribution was correlated with male phenotype as well as the quality of forage and risk of predation on different territories. Male and territory characteristics were intercorrelated, but statistical analysis revealed that male traits, forage quality and predation risk were all significant, independent predictors of female choice in both study species. This is the first demonstration that female choice in mammals might be simultaneously influenced by male phenotype as well as the quality of defended resources.
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