Experimental Evidence of Female Choice in Lake Malawi Cichlids
To date, most research on sexual selection has focused on the discrimination between attributes of individuals of the opposite sex. We have demonstrated female discrimination of a male behavioral character, bower size, by experimentally manipulating bower height in a lek of cichlid fishes from Lake Malawi, Africa. Eggs increased significantly (p<0.01) with large (15 cm) and extra large (30 cm) artificial bowers. Males with extra large bowers received a 50% greater increase in eggs laid than those with just large bowers.Abstract
Number of eggs laid per 10 minute observation in control, large, and extra large bowers before and after bower manipulation. Egg-laying increased significantly in bowers that were replaced with either the large (15 cm) (N = 72; Z = −3.052; p<0.01) or extra large (30 cm) (N = 75; Z = −4.733; p<0.01) artificial bowers, whereas no significant difference (N = 75; Z = −1.203; p>0.05) was observed in the control bowers
Contributor Notes
(JRS) Pennsylvania State University, School of Forest Resources, 12 Ferguson Bldg., University Park, Pennsylvania 16802; (KAK) Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York 12866; and (KRM) Center for Environmental and Estuarine Studies, Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland, Frostburg, Maryland 21532. (JRS) vc5@psu.edu Send reprint requests to JRS.