Macroevolutionary patterning of woodpecker drums reveals how sexual selection elaborates signals under constraint

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
Meredith C MilesMatthew J Fuxjager

Abstract

Sexual selection drives elaboration in animal displays used for competition and courtship, but this process is opposed by morphological constraints on signal design. How do interactions between selection and constraint shape display evolution? One possibility is that sexual selection continues exaggeration under constraint by operating differentially on each signal component in complex, modular displays. This is seldom studied on a phylogenetic scale, but we address the issue herein by studying macroevolutionary patterning of woodpecker drum displays. These territorial displays are produced when an individual rapidly hits its bill on a hard surface, and drums vary across species in the number of beats included (length) and the rate of drumbeat production (speed). We report that species body size limits drum speed, but not drum length. As a result of this biomechanical constraint, there is less standing variation in speed than length. We also uncover a positive relationship between sexual size dimorphism and the unconstrained trait (length), but with no effect on speed. This suggests that when morphology limits the exaggeration of one component, sexual selection instead exaggerates the unconstrained trait. Modular displays there...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 12, 2018·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Meredith C Miles, Matthew J Fuxjager
Apr 21, 2020·Endocrinology·Daniel J Tobiansky, Matthew J Fuxjager
Apr 10, 2019·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Nicholai M HensleyTrevor J Rivers
Jun 14, 2018·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Meredith C MilesMatthew J Fuxjager
Apr 10, 2019·Nature Communications·Eliot T MillerRussell A Ligon
Apr 9, 2020·PLoS Computational Biology·Lara S Burchardt, Mirjam Knörnschild
Oct 7, 2020·Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI·Amélie N DreissAlexandre Roulin
Apr 23, 2021·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Daniel J TobianskyMatthew J Fuxjager
May 20, 2021·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Sarah M SmithLisa A Mangiamele
Oct 4, 2020·Nature Communications·Maxime GarciaNicolas Mathevon

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
PCA

Software Mentioned

R
R package phytools
quantreg
pPCA
Adobe Audition
phytools
R package ‘ caper ’

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