Relative importance of male and territory quality in pairing success of male rock ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus)
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
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By: Jonathan Bart and Susan L. Earnst
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Abstract
We studied pairing success in male rock ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) in northern Alaska to learn whether males obtaining more females possessed phenotypic traits that influenced female choice directly, whether these traits permitted males to obtain territories favored by females, or whether both processes occurred. The number of females per male varied from zero to three. Several male and territory traits were significantly correlated with number of females per male. We used multiple regression to obtain a single measure of male quality and a single measure of territory quality. These measures of male and territory quality correlated with each other and with male pairing success. We used path analysis to separate direct effects of male quality on pairing success from indirect effects due to high-quality males obtaining high-quality territories. Both direct and indirect pathways had significant effects on pairing success, and direct and indirect effects of male traits on pairing success were about equal. This study illustrates an analytical approach for estimating the relative importance of direct and indirect causal relationships in natural systems.
Suggested Citation
Bart, J., and Earnst, S.L., 1999, Relative importance of male and territory quality in pairing success of male rock ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus): Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, v. 45, no. 5, p. 355-359, https://doi.org/10.1007/s002650050571.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Relative importance of male and territory quality in pairing success of male rock ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) |
| Series title | Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |
| DOI | 10.1007/s002650050571 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Year Published | 1999 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Publisher location | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Contributing office(s) | Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center |
| Description | 5 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |
| First page | 355 |
| Last page | 359 |