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Cognitive ability and the evolution of multiple behavioral display traits

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  • Jason Keagy
  • Jean-François Savard
  • Gerald Borgia

Abstract

Males of many species have multiple behavioral display traits. Females may be able to use these multiple behavioral display traits together to evaluate a male's overall cognitive ability, which may be related to his genetic quality. It is also possible that individual behavioral display traits indicate unique aspects of male quality possibly related to cognitive performance. We tested predictions of these 2 hypotheses in satin bowerbirds, Ptilonorhynchus violaceus, a species with a large number of behavioral display traits involved in mate choice. We calculated 2 integrative measures of male performance on 6 cognitive tasks. An aggregate measure of male display quality (produced from 4 behavioral display traits) was correlated with one of these measures of overall cognitive ability and with mating success. Multiple behavioral display traits used together, rather than individually, more accurately predicted this measure of overall cognitive ability. In addition, we found some support for the hypothesis that separate display traits may indicate different aspects of male quality. One display trait indicated male age and possibly survivability. These results suggest that multiple behavioral display traits may have evolved in part because of the large variety of information they can convey about male quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Jason Keagy & Jean-François Savard & Gerald Borgia, 2012. "Cognitive ability and the evolution of multiple behavioral display traits," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 23(2), pages 448-456.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:beheco:v:23:y:2012:i:2:p:448-456.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/arr211
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gerald Borgia & Marc Egeth & J. Albert Uy & Gail L. Patricelli, 2004. "Juvenile infection and male display: testing the bright male hypothesis across individual life histories," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 15(5), pages 722-728, September.
    2. Genevieve M. Kozak & Janette W. Boughman, 2009. "Learned conspecific mate preference in a species pair of sticklebacks," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 20(6), pages 1282-1288.
    3. Barbara Ballentine & Jeremy Hyman & Stephen Nowicki, 2004. "Vocal performance influences female response to male bird song: an experimental test," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 15(1), pages 163-168, January.
    4. Neeltje J. Boogert & Tim W. Fawcett & Louis Lefebvre, 2011. "Mate choice for cognitive traits: a review of the evidence in nonhuman vertebrates," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 22(3), pages 447-459.
    5. Linda L. Bischoff & Barbara Tschirren & Heinz Richner, 2009. "Long-term effects of early parasite exposure on song duration and singing strategy in great tits," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 20(2), pages 265-270.
    6. Janine M. Wojcieszek & James A. Nicholls & Anne W. Goldizen, 2007. "Stealing behavior and the maintenance of a visual display in the satin bowerbird," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 18(4), pages 689-695.
    7. Gail L. Patricelli & J. Albert C. Uy & Gerald Borgia, 2004. "Female signals enhance the efficiency of mate assessment in satin bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 15(2), pages 297-304, March.
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