Patricelli, G. L., University of California Davis, Davis, USA, GPatricelli@ucdavis.edu

Sexual selection for negotiation skills: using robots and arrays to study courtship interactions

In studies of sexual selection in the wild, measures of sexual display traits (e.g. trail length, song output) typically explain only 20-40% of the variation among individuals in mating success; so what explains the remainder of this variation? Effective courtship negotiation skills­such as the ability to choose and approach a courtship partner, and adjust sexual displays in response to the partner’s signals­may be an important component of this unexplained variation, but we know little about the fitness consequences of these behavioral tactics. The growing use of robotics and sensor arrays has allowed us to examine in detail, and even participate in, animal negotiations about mating. I will discuss studies of sexual selection in the wild using these new technologies, including my work on sexual signaling by bowerbirds and greater sage-grouse using robotic females and microphone arrays. These results suggest that to be successful, signaling animals may need both attractive signals and effective negotiation skills, allowing them to tactically respond to changes in the social and environmental context of courtship.

Session #:K6
Date: 08-15-2009

Presentation is given by student: No

Presenting authors are underlined.