Abstract
An increasing number of studies indicate that not only females but also males can be selective when choosing a mate. In species exhibiting male or mutual mate choice, females may benefit from being attractive. While male attractiveness is often positively influenced by higher plasma levels of the androgenic hormone testosterone, it has been shown that testosterone can masculinise female behavior and morphology in several bird species, potentially rendering them less attractive. In this study, we investigated whether female budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus , suffer from increased plasma testosterone levels through a negative effect on their attractiveness to males. We experimentally increased plasma testosterone levels in testosterone-treated females (T-females) compared to controls (C-females) and allowed males to choose between a T- and a C-female in a two-way choice situation. Although testosterone treatment significantly affected female behavioral and morphological characteristics, males did not show a significant difference in preference between T- and C-females. These results suggest that experimentally increasing testosterone levels in females does not appear to influence male preference during initial mate choice. Our findings indicate that selection for higher levels of testosterone in male budgerigars is probably not constrained by a correlated response to selection causing negative effects on female attractiveness during initial mate choice. Evaluating whether or not a potential constraint may arise from negative testosterone-induced effects on other fitness related traits in females requires further work.
Highlights
While mating preferences and mate choice have been extensively studied in females, less attention has been paid to male mate choice
We successfully increased plasma T concentrations in T-females to the male-like level, thereby influencing morphological and behavioral characteristics, and we tested male preference for T-females compared to Cfemales in a two-way choice test
There was no significant difference between the association scores of the males for the T- and Cfemales, irrespective of the statistical approach
Summary
While mating preferences and mate choice have been extensively studied in females, less attention has been paid to male mate choice. Experimental studies have shown that males may express preferences based on traits that signal female fecundity or reproductive status (e.g. dietary condition in zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, brooding behavior in Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica [6,10]), as well as traits whose signaling content is less well understood (e.g. crest length in crested auklets, Aethia cristatella, breast patch size in rock sparrows, Petronia petronia [11,12]) As indicated by these studies, there is growing support for the assumption that females and males can show preferences for attractive traits and selectively choose their partners based on these traits. In the case of male mate choice, female attractiveness may be an important mediator of female reproductive success [8,15]
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