Version 1
: Received: 30 May 2023 / Approved: 31 May 2023 / Online: 31 May 2023 (11:54:29 CEST)
How to cite:
Amo, L.; López Rull, I. Zebra Finch Females Can Assess Male Quality via Olfaction. Preprints2023, 2023052241. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.2241.v1
Amo, L.; López Rull, I. Zebra Finch Females Can Assess Male Quality via Olfaction. Preprints 2023, 2023052241. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.2241.v1
Amo, L.; López Rull, I. Zebra Finch Females Can Assess Male Quality via Olfaction. Preprints2023, 2023052241. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.2241.v1
APA Style
Amo, L., & López Rull, I. (2023). Zebra Finch Females Can Assess Male Quality via Olfaction. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.2241.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Amo, L. and Isabel López Rull. 2023 "Zebra Finch Females Can Assess Male Quality via Olfaction" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.2241.v1
Abstract
The role of chemical communication in social relationships of birds is receiving growing attention but our knowledge is still scarce compared to other taxa. Previous evidence suggests that chemical cues emitted by birds may carry information about their characteristics that may be useful in a sexual selection context. However, experimental studies are needed to investigate the role of bird chemical cues in signalling quality of potential partners. We performed an experimental study aimed to disentangle whether female zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, use chemical cues to assess the body condition and body size of potential partners. We offered focal females the scent of two males differing in body condition and body size. Our results show that females can assess the body condition of potential partners using olfaction. However, contrary to expected in a mate choice context, our results show that females avoided the scent of the male with greater body condition and body size. Our results therefore suggest that, despite performing the study during breeding period, social interactions may be mediating the avoidance of the scent of the conspecific of the opposite sex with better body condition and body size in this gregarious species.
Keywords
avian olfaction; Sexual selection; Social selection; chemical cues; Partner quality
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Behavioral Sciences
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
