Experimental removal of the sexually dimorphic supra-fronto-orbital bristles from male Ceratitis capitata lowered the chances that courting males would succeed in mounting females. Bristle removal did not affect male courtship behavior, and females often did not contact male bristles, so the male bristles probably function as visual display devices, despite the surprising fact that neither plac...

Differences among males in their mating success constitute an important aspect of sexual selection (Darwin 1871), and many male sexual traits have been identitied that enhance male competitive ability or attractiveness to females (Andersson 1994). Male-biased breeding sex ratios are expected to intensify male–male competition and simultaneously cause females to become more selective due to redu...

The convict cichlid (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) has been extensively examined in relation to many behavioral topics, such as courtship, pair-bonding, bi-parental care, and territoriality. Recently, this model species has been utilized in studies on genetics, endocrinology, and neuroanatomy, with an ultimate goal of connecting behavior with its underlying mechanisms. The goal of this study was t...

Courtship behaviour involves a complex exchange of signals and responses. These are usually studied at the phenotypic level, and genetic or transcriptional responses to courtship are still poorly understood. Here, we examine the gene-expression changes in Drosophila melanogaster females in response to one of the key male courtship signals in mate recognition, song produced by male wing vibratio...

Courtship is well known for its positive effects on mating success. However, in polyandrous species, sexual selection continues to operate after copulation. Cryptic female choice is expected under unpredictable mating rates in combination with sequential mate encounters. However, there are very few accounts of the effects of courtship on cryptic female choice, and the available evidence is ofte...

Both testosterone (T) and its metabolite, 5 a -dihydrotestosterone (DHT), can facilitate male sexual behavior in the lizard Anolis carolinensis. The present study addresses the role of DHT synthesis in regulating male sexual behavior by inhibiting 5 a -reductase, the enzyme that converts T into DHT. In two separate experiments (one replacement and one maintenance paradigm), breeding adult males...

Courtship is a widespread behavior in which one gender conveys to the other a series of cues about their species identity, gender, and suitability as mates. In many species, females decode these male displays and either accept or reject them. Despite the fact that courtship has been investigated for a long time, the genes and circuits that allow females to generate these mutually exclusive resp...

—Size can play an important role in determining reproductive success through the establishment of dominance hierarchies and mate selection. We explored the relationship between size of individuals and courtship success in the kelp perch, Brachyistius frenatus, off the coast of southern California at Santa Catalina Island. Courtship displays were timed and the length of the interaction was used ...

Courtship conditioning is an associative learning paradigm in Drosophila melanogaster, wherein male courtship behavior is modified by experience with unreceptive, previously mated females. While the training experience with mated females involves multiple sensory and behavioral interactions, we hypothesized that female cuticular hydrocarbons function as a specific chemosensory conditioned stimu...