Skip to main content
Dryad

Data from: Fruit resources shape sexual selection processes in a lek mating system

Anderson, H. Luke1; Cabo, Jairo2; Karubian, Jordan1

Published Sep 05, 2024 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.v15dv424c

Data files

Abstract

The degree to which within-population variation in sexual trait expression relates to resource heterogeneity remains poorly explored. This is particularly true in lek-mating species, where genetic explanations for male phenotypic variance and mating success are dominant. Here, we demonstrate a link between fine-scale fruit resource availability and indices of male mating success in the white-bearded manakin (Manacus manacus), a lek-mating frugivorous bird that produces energetically costly courtship displays. We used motion-activated camera traps to monitor male display behavior and female visitation at male courts while concurrently conducting twice-monthly fruit surveys around courts. We observed significant variability in ripe fruit biomass among display courts and leks, and mean fruit biomass at courts significantly predicted male display rates. In turn, male display rate was the strongest predictor of female visitation to courts. Causal modeling supported the hypothesis that hyper-local fruit availability indirectly affects female visitation via its direct effects on male display rate. The demonstration that resource availability at fine spatial scales predicts display rate in a lekking organism—for which resource-related variables are typically not considered to play important roles in shaping male reproductive variance—has implications for the expression, honesty, and maintenance of sexually selected traits under fluctuating ecological conditions.