The cost of the sword: escape performance in male swordtails.
The handicap theory of sexual selection posits that male display traits that are favored in mate choice come at a significant cost to performance. We tested one facet of this hypothesis in the green swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri). In this species, the lower ray of male caudal fin is extended into a...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2011-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3017045?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1828847684181557248 |
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| author | Alex Baumgartner Seth Coleman Brook Swanson |
| author_facet | Alex Baumgartner Seth Coleman Brook Swanson |
| author_sort | Alex Baumgartner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The handicap theory of sexual selection posits that male display traits that are favored in mate choice come at a significant cost to performance. We tested one facet of this hypothesis in the green swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri). In this species, the lower ray of male caudal fin is extended into a 'sword', which serves to attract potential mates. However, bearing a long sword may increase drag and thus compromise a male's ability to swim effectively. We tested escape performance in this species by eliciting C-start escape responses, an instinctive escape behavior, in males with various sword lengths. We then removed males' swords and retested escape performance. We found no relationship between escape performance and sword length and no effect of sword removal on escape performance. While having a large sword may attract a predator's attention, our results suggest that sword size does not compromise a male's escape performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T22:15:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-13feb02805c641cf89f3e6e19451a872 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T22:15:16Z |
| publishDate | 2011-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-13feb02805c641cf89f3e6e19451a8722022-12-22T00:10:06ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032011-01-0161e1583710.1371/journal.pone.0015837The cost of the sword: escape performance in male swordtails.Alex BaumgartnerSeth ColemanBrook SwansonThe handicap theory of sexual selection posits that male display traits that are favored in mate choice come at a significant cost to performance. We tested one facet of this hypothesis in the green swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri). In this species, the lower ray of male caudal fin is extended into a 'sword', which serves to attract potential mates. However, bearing a long sword may increase drag and thus compromise a male's ability to swim effectively. We tested escape performance in this species by eliciting C-start escape responses, an instinctive escape behavior, in males with various sword lengths. We then removed males' swords and retested escape performance. We found no relationship between escape performance and sword length and no effect of sword removal on escape performance. While having a large sword may attract a predator's attention, our results suggest that sword size does not compromise a male's escape performance.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3017045?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Alex Baumgartner Seth Coleman Brook Swanson The cost of the sword: escape performance in male swordtails. PLoS ONE |
| title | The cost of the sword: escape performance in male swordtails. |
| title_full | The cost of the sword: escape performance in male swordtails. |
| title_fullStr | The cost of the sword: escape performance in male swordtails. |
| title_full_unstemmed | The cost of the sword: escape performance in male swordtails. |
| title_short | The cost of the sword: escape performance in male swordtails. |
| title_sort | cost of the sword escape performance in male swordtails |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3017045?pdf=render |
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