| a molecular phylogeny of the african widowbirds and bishops, euplectes spp. (aves: passeridae: ploceinae). | the elaborate male displays and plumage ornaments in the african widowbirds and bishops (euplectes spp.) have inspired classic studies on mating systems and sexual selection. in order to study the extreme divergence in ornament design and expression in this group, we present and discuss a well-supported molecular phylogeny of the genus and its placement within the ploceinae subfamily. parsimony and bayesian analyses were performed on 2557bp of mitochondrial dna (atp6, cyt b, nd2 and nd3) and a n ... | 2008 | 17964815 |
| multiple receivers, multiple ornaments, and a trade-off between agonistic and epigamic signaling in a widowbird. | sexual displays often involve several different ornamental traits. yet most indicator models of sexual selection based on a single receiver (usually a choosy female) find that multiple handicap signals should be unstable. here we study reasons for this contradiction, analyzing signal function, signal content, and trade-offs between signals in the polygynous red-collared widowbird euplectes ardens. males have both a long, graduated tail and a red carotenoid collar badge. territory-holding "reside ... | 2002 | 18707516 |
| sexual selection of multiple handicaps in the red-collared widowbird: female choice of tail length but not carotenoid display. | although sexual selection through female choice explains exaggerated male ornaments in many species, the evolution of the multicomponent nature of most sexual displays remains poorly understood. theoretical models suggest that handicap signaling should converge on a single most informative quality indicator, whereas additional signals are more likely to be arbitrary fisherian traits, amplifiers, or exploitations of receiver psychology. male nuptial plumage in the highly polygynous red-collared w ... | 2001 | 11525467 |