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Behavioral Ecology Vol. 11 No. 5: 465-471
© 2000 International Society for Behavioral Ecology

Combs and sexual selection in black grouse (Tetrao tetrix)

Pekka T. Rintamäkia, Jacob Höglunda, Eevi Karvonenb, Rauno V. Alataloc, Niklas Björklunda, Arne Lundberga, Osmo Rättid and Jyrki Voutia

a Department of Population Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D SE-75236 Uppsala, Sweden b Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D SE-75236 Uppsala, Sweden c University of Jyväskylä, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 35, FIN-40351, Jyväskylä, Finland d Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, PO Box 122, FIN-96101 Rovaniemi, Finland

Address correspondence to P. T.Rintamäki. E-mail: pekka.rintamaki{at}ebc.uu.se .

Received 2 June 1999; revised 15 October 1999; accepted 17 December 1999.


    ABSTRACT
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
We studied supra-orbital combs in lekking black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) in relation to sexual selection at five leks in Finland 1991-1998 and four leks in Sweden 1992-1995. Comb size was estimated in two ways: by observing its natural size in the field at different behaviors ("observed comb size"), and by measuring the comb size from captured birds ("measured comb size"). The size of combs is highly variable, and individuals can change it within seconds. Males express their larger combs during display, as compared to other behaviors. Observed mean comb sizes were larger on leks with a higher number of males and a higher number of copulations. Measured and observed comb sizes and copulatory success did not significantly correlate when all males where analyzed, but a positive and significant relationship between observed comb size and copulatory success was found within males that achieved copulations. Measured comb length correlated positively with the amount of testosterone. While females were present on the lek, displaying and successful males showed the largest observed comb size. When we compared observed comb size during fighting between successful and unsuccessful males and correlated comb size of pairs of fighting males with their fighting activity, no significant differences in comb size were found. The result that comb size correlated significantly with an increase in testosterone level and that larger comb size, within successful males, predicted higher copulatory success suggests that combs may be a cue for females to assess male quality. The lack of a significant relationship between observed comb size and fighting behavior suggests that comb size either has minor importance in male-male signaling on the lek or that males may express similar-sized combs during fighting to avoid serious fights and thus risk of comb injuries.

Key words: black grouse, combs, copulatory success, sexual selection, Tetrao tetrix.


    INTRODUCTION
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Integumentary structures in the plumage or on parts of the body have evoked the interest in their function in sexual signaling since Darwin. Such ornaments may have evolved through intra- and/or intersexual selection (i.e., they are signals between males or help females to assess males; Zuk, 1991Go). Supra-orbital combs and wattles are fairly common in gallinaceous birds, but they also occur in other taxonomically unrelated bird families (Holder and Montgomerie, 1993aGo). Brightly colored skin parts are particularly common in the Tetraonids (Johnsgard, 1983Go), and their function in a sexual selection context has mainly been studied in nonlekking grouse species, both in the context of male-male signaling (Allee et al., 1939Go; Graves et al., 1985Go; Ligon et al., 1990Go; Moss et al., 1979Go; Myhre, 1980Go) and female choice (Brodsky, 1988Go; Hannon and Eason, 1995Go; Holder and Montgomerie, 1993aGo; Zuk et al., 1990bGo). However, few studies of the importance of fleshy structures have been done in lekking species (Gratson et al., 1991Go; see also Johnson and Boyce, 1991Go; Spurrier et al., 1991Go). This is somewhat surprising because many lekking grouse show conspicuous structures of this kind during display. Furthermore, the possibility of combs serving as signals is especially plausible in lekking species because males on the lek form tightly clumped aggregations where combs may be observed and compared at a close distance by conspecifics. Thus, both choosy females and competing males should have good opportunities to observe and compare many male combs simultaneously.

Comb and wattle ornaments are usually more conspicuous in males than in females (Owens and Short, 1995Go), which may indicate their function as ornaments. Expression of combs and wattles is directly connected to androgen production (i.e., testosterone; Ligon et al., 1990Go; Moss et al., 1979Go; Owens and Short, 1995Go; Zuk et al., 1995Go), whereas feather ornament size seldom depends on current levels of testosterone secretion (Stokkan et al., 1988Go; Witschi, 1961Go). It is also possible that androgens not only increase the expression of sexual ornaments, but also suppress the immune function (Folstad and Karter, 1992Go). Thus, combs may be particularly useful as honest signals for prospecting females, if these traits provide females with accurate information on current male condition. For example, in red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), the size of combs and wattles may reflect individual variation in parasitemia, disease resistance, nutritional status, and general health (Allee et al., 1939Go; Johnson et al., 1993Go; Zuk et al., 1990aGo). An alternative, or additional explanation for the occurrence of combs and wattles is that they may be important in male-male aggressive signaling (Zuk, 1991Go). Studies in red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus), red jungle fowl, and rock ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) have indeed suggested that variation in the size of fleshy structures are linked to variations in levels of aggression (Allee et al., 1939Go; Graves et al., 1985Go; Holder and Montgomerie, 1993aGo; Moss et al., 1979Go).

In the present study we examined whether comb size was related to testosterone levels, to a suite of behavioral and territorial traits, and to copulation success. We also investigated whether comb size differed among rivaling males.


    METHODS
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Data collection
During 1992-1998 we gathered data on observed comb size from four black grouse leks in central Sweden and from one in central Finland. In Sweden one lek was studied in 1992, 1993, and 1995 (lek no. 1), another in 1993 and 1995 (lek no. 2), and two in 1997 (leks no. 4 and 5); the data from Finland derives from one lek in 1995, 1997, and 1998 (lek no. 3). For details of the study areas and general methods, see Rintamäki et al. (1995aGo,bGo, 1999Go) and Höglund et al. (1997Go). All leks used in observed comb size analyses were situated on open bogs, and lek size varied from 3 to 13 resident males (mean ± SD, 7 ± 3 males). In Finland, the majority of the males (77%) were color banded, enabling us to recognize the birds individually; in Sweden only a few males were ringed. Resident males (see below) on leks are very faithful to specific territories and show individual plumage variation, allowing identification of individuals. To avoid replication of data on individuals, we included only the first year of observation for males present at a lek in more than 1 year. Leks were observed with binoculars (8-10x) and telescopes (20-60x) from hides positioned close to leks (10-40 m to males).

Male characteristics
For each male, we used the number of observed copulations as an estimate of his total copulatory success. In black grouse, females usually copulate only once, if a copulation is not disrupted, and DNA fingerprinting has confirmed that the male seen copulating sires all chicks in the clutch (Alatalo et al., 1996aGo). We examined male behaviors, territory characteristics, and the number of males at the lek in the context of both measured and observed comb size (these measures are defined below). Behavior was divided into three main categories: display (rookooing; the principal vocal display, flutter jump, and hissing), fighting, and other activities (standing still, walking, preening, eating). We also noted individual differences in rates of lek attendance. Activities were calculated as proportions of how much time each male spent in each activity in relation to other activities. Rate of attendance was calculated as presence on the lek in relation to the male(s) with the highest attendance; the male with the highest attendance was given a score of 100%. During scan sampling, we plotted each male's location to the closest 1 m on the maps using a 10 x 10-m grid system on each lek. Territory location was then defined in terms of the distance from the territory center to the lek center (median of all male positions), and territory size was calculated as the diameter (meters) of an ellipse within which 90% of the observation points were situated (average for horizontal and vertical diameters). This method excludes occasional positions outside a male's territory. We included only resident males that were regularly attending the lek (25% attendance or more in relation to the most attendant male) because males with lower values were often nonterritorial juveniles or males that had unstable territories. These males were difficult to identify during the 1- to 2-min scan sampling of the resident males. Eight males were occasionally seen and omitted (11% of the males included in the study), with a mean ± SD attendance rate of 11% ± 7%.

Combs
The red combs of grouse are distinct during the mating season (Gjesdal, 1977Go), and males are able to change comb size rapidly (in a few seconds; Rintmäki et al., personal observations from captured males) by controlling blood circulation in the comb tissue (Holder and Montgomerie, 1993aGo). However, although males can control comb size, they cannot hide their combs completely. Because the size of the comb of captured males does not provide accurate information about how males express combs on the lek, we developed a rank system (1 to 5, observational comb size; see Figure 1 for explanations) by which we estimated each male's comb size when scan-sampling the males. In addition to observed comb size estimates, we measured combs of 17 adult males captured during the mating season at five leks in 1991 in Finland. Different studies of grouse have used different methods to estimate comb size (see, e.g., Brodsky, 1988Go; Holder and Montgomerie, 1993aGo; Zuk et al., 1992Go). As in the red jungle fowl studies (e.g., Chappell et al., 1997Go) we believed comb length to be the most reliable measure because the length appears to change less rapidly as compared to vertical comb height. We measured the maximum nonflattened horizontal comb length (to the nearest 0.1 mm) from one side of the head by using digital calipers.



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Figure 1 Comb drawings from the front of a bird (rookooing position) showing the rank at which comb size was estimated. Observation procedure of combs on a five-point rank: 1, not swollen, the combs appear only as a thin red line above the eye; 2, minor swelling, there is a considerable gap between the combs, 3, swollen but the space on the top of the head can be seen clearly; 4, heavily swollen but the feathers on top of the head can just be seen, 5, wholly erected, both combs are in contact, and feathers on the top of the head between the combs are not visible. Scale, 1:2.

 

Observational comb size estimates were taken when females were both present and absent from the lek (leks 3-5 only). On leks 1-2, the low number of female visits prevented us from using observations from these leks in the analyses. Black grouse males respond to the presence of females by increasing their activity (Höglund et al., 1997Go), and we therefore checked whether comb size was affected by female attendance.

Reliability of observational comb estimates
In spite of detailed instructions to observers, the observed comb size is likely to be more prone to errors among observers than are the direct measurements. To see how reliable our observed comb estimates were, we compared between-observer variation at lek 3. At a given moment two observers independently ranked a specific male comb size. The observation procedure was repeated 25 times on a total of 5 mornings including 10 different males and 7 behaviors. Of 25 comb estimates, 23 were identical, and both the observers obtained a mean rank of 4.0 (SDs for observers were 0.58 and 0.65) with identical minimum and maximum observed comb size ranks of 3.0 and 5.0. The result was also significantly repeatable (Lessels and Boag, 1987Go; R =.89, F = 17.7, p <.001). In the two cases when observers' estimates differed, the estimate difference was one rank. Therefore we consider that estimated observational comb size is accurate enough to detect differences between males and behaviors (note also sample sizes and SEs given in Table 1). To correct for lek site and study year and to minimize possible differences among observers, we used Kendall's nonparametric partial rank order correlation analysis.


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Table 1 Mean observed comb size of all males during female absence and presence
 

Comb size during different behaviors and territorial features, the relationship with copulatory success, and the difference between fighting pairs of males
To study how observed comb size was related to different behaviors and territorial features, we first performed correlations of observed and measured comb sizes with different male characteristics (Table 2). Thereafter we correlated measured and observed comb sizes during different behaviors with the total copulatory success of each male (Table 3). Finally, to study observed combs and the male-male signaling hypothesis, we performed two tests. We first looked at differences in observed comb size between different fighting pairs of males that had different copulatory success using paired t tests. If successful males show larger observed combs during fighting, this might imply that combs are used by males to signal dominance relationships (Graves et al., 1985Go; Holder and Montgomerie, 1993aGo; Moss et al., 1979Go). Second, if there is no significant difference between observed comb sizes of fighting males with different copulatory success, combs may not be important in signaling dominance between males, or alternatively, signaling similar-sized combs may prevent fights that could cause comb injuries. To see if the comb sizes of pairs of fighting males depended on how often they fought with each other, we correlated comb size differences of these male pairs during fighting with the their fighting activity (the number of fights by each male pair divided by the total number of fights of all male pairs).


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Table 2 Correlations between male observed comb size and behaviors (fighting, rookooing) and lek attributes (distance to the lek center, territory size, and attendance)
 

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Table 3 Males' observed comb sizes and measured comb sizes in relation to copulatory success
 

Measured comb and testosterone
The testosterone measurement procedure has been reported elsewhere (Alatalo et al., 1996bGo). Briefly, we captured 17 males during the mating season between 16 April and 7 May. Blood was collected from the basilic wing vein, and plasma was separated with a centrifuge (10 min at 10,000 rpm). Plasma levels of testosterone were measured (in duplicate) by a single radioimmunoassay after extraction and partial purification on diatomaceous earth-glycol microcolumns. To study the relationship between measured comb size and testosterone levels, we correlated comb horizontal length with testosterone levels. We used one-tailed p values because the expectation based on earlier studies (see above) was that larger comb size is related to higher testosterone titers.

Statistical analyses
We used both parametric and nonparametric tests to analyze our data. All tests are two-tailed unless otherwise stated. Resampling (randomization) tests were done by simulating original values 5000 times. When more than one variable was included in the analyses, we corrected the p values for multiple tests (Ury, 1976Go). Means include SD or SE values.


    RESULTS
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Comb expression
Males showed the largest combs when rookooing (mean ± SD = 3.7 ± 0.6, n = 73 males) and fighting (3.5 ± 0.5, n = 65), with a significant difference between these behaviors (Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test, t = 4.05, n = 61, p <.001). When males were inactive (engaged in "other activities"), their comb sizes were clearly smaller (2.8 ± 0.8, n = 69) than when fighting (t = 6.25, n = 59, p <.001) and rookooing (t = 7.02, n = 69, p <.001). Comb size estimates showed the same direction during female presence, although observed comb sizes were higher for all behaviors when females were present (Table 1).

The mean observed comb size was larger on larger leks than on smaller leks (females not present; Spearman rank order correlation: rs =.68, n = 10 leks, p <.05). The relationship was even more clear when we correlated observed mean comb size during display with lek size (rs =.71, n = 10, p <.01, Figure 2) and fighting (rs =.77, n = 10, p <.01), but not in the case of other activities (rs =.18, n = 10, ns). Positive and significant correlations between observed comb size and lek size may suggest that males with larger combs prefer larger leks. That observed comb size during other activities was much more weakly correlated with lek size than other behaviors suggests that this is not the case. However, to test this directly, we compared male observed comb sizes from which we had information from 2 years at different lek sizes. We then found that eight out of nine males had, on average, 0.5 smaller (mean ± SD = -0.45 ± 0.39) observed comb ranking when displaying on smaller leks than on larger leks (sign test, p <.02).



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Figure 2 Mean observed comb size of black grouse during display (rookooing) in relation to lek size. The data were collected when no females were present on the lek. Different leks are indicated with different symbols: triangles, lek 1; diamonds, lek 2; circles, lek 3; square, lek 4; horizontal bar, lek 5.

 

Combs, male characteristics, and testosterone
Table 2 summarizes correlations between male mean observed and measured comb size and different behaviors and lek attributes. After correcting for multiple tests, none of the characteristics correlated significantly with male observed comb size, irrespective of female presence. Further, measured comb size was not significantly correlated with male territorial features and behavioral characteristics. Measured comb length was significantly correlated with log-transformed testosterone levels, both in all males (r =.45, n = 17, p =.04), and within successful males (r =.58, n = 9, p =.05).

Comb size and female presence
We examined the effect of female presence on comb size on one lek (lek 3, years 1995, 1997, and 1998) by following the comb sizes of the same males (n = 22 different males including 5 nonterritorial individuals) when females were not present on the lek and when one or more females were present. The interval between subsequent observations was <= 10 min, allowing us to detect male responses in comb size in relation to female presence. The observed mean comb size (mean ± SD) during all behaviors (display, fighting, other) was significantly affected by the presence of females (comb size, females not present: 3.84 ± 0.68; females present: 4.02 ± 0.70; Wilcoxon signed-rank test: t = 4.21, n = 163, p <.001, where mean = comb size according to a rank 1-5). The result was the same despite male behavior (display, females not present: 4.08 ± 0.71 and present: 4.30 ± 0.68, t = 3.05, n = 79, p =.002, fighting, females not present: 3.63 ± 0.57 and present: 3.78 ± 0.62, t = 2.6, n = 73, p =.009). Because female presence influences male comb size, we analyzed our data both when females were present and when they were not.

Combs and copulatory success
Mean observed comb size of all males on leks correlated significantly with the number of copulations on the lek (Spearman rank order correlation: rs =.88, n = 10 leks, p <.01, Figure 3). The relationship was positive, but nonsignificant, when we correlated mean measured comb size and the number of copulations (rs =.32, n = 4 leks, ns), probably because we did not have information on measured comb sizes of all males and because of low statistical power due to few leks. When all males where included in the analysis, mean observed comb size, comb size during rookooing, fighting, and other activities were not significantly correlated with male copulatory success, either when females were present or absent (Table 3). During female presence at a lek with only successful males (>= 1 copulation) included in the analyses, however, males with the largest mean combs and largest combs during rookooing enjoyed the highest copulatory success (Table 3, Figure 4), although the relationship was not clearly linear. There seems to be a threshold within successful males; those with observed comb size >=4 during display seem to enjoy higher copulatory success (Figure 4). Measured comb size was not significantly correlated with copulatory success within successful males, although the association was in the same direction as that obtained from observed comb size analysis (Table 3).



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Figure 3 Mean observed comb size in relation to the number of copulations on leks. Different leks are indicated with different symbols: triangles, lek 1; diamonds, lek 2; circles, lek 3; square, lek 4; horizontal bar, lek 5.

 


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Figure 4 Mean male comb size among successful males (more than one copulation) during display (rookooing) in relation to male copulatory success. Data were collected when females were not present on the lek.

 

Comb size and male-male signaling
The mean difference in comb rank between two fighting males was on average 0.12 when we included only successful males in the analyses (in the paired test the observed comb size during fighting of more successful males was compared to that of less successful ones, t = 0.91, df = 21, p =.37, n = 3.3 ± 3.3 comb observations per fighting male pair). In the previous analysis more successful males had, on average, slightly larger combs. When we added into the previous analysis male pairs that had higher copulatory success versus no success, the mean difference in comb rank during fighting was on average -0.07 (t = -0.66, df = 63, p =.51, n = 4.7 ± 6.0 comb observations per fighting male pair). Finally, unsuccessful (copulation = 0) males showed the least difference in comb size during fighting (mean difference = -0.05, t = -0.29, df = 24, p =.77, n = 3.4 ± 5.2 comb observations per fighting male pair). When we correlated the observed comb size difference of each male pair with their fighting activity, we did not find a significant relationship (all males included: rs =.07, n = 89, ns, and only successful males: rs =.05, n = 22, ns).


    DISCUSSION
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Combs and female choice
It has been suggested that individuals have to trade resources allocated to maintain immunological defense against an increased expression of sexual ornaments (Folstad and Karter, 1992Go; Sheldon and Verhulst, 1996Go). The hypothesis predicts that hormones cause the expression of sexual ornaments while suppressing immune function, and that the costs of an ornament would be lower for individuals in better physiological condition (Nur and Hasson, 1984Go; Sheldon and Verhulst, 1996Go). In willow ptarmigan and red jungle fowl, comb size depends on individual differences in testosterone levels (Stokkan, 1979Go; Zuk et al., 1995Go), and red jungle fowl males (e.g., Ligon and Zwartjes, 1995aGo,bGo; Ligon et al., 1998Go; Zuk et al., 1990bGo) as well as ptarmigan males (Brodsky, 1988Go; Hannon and Dobush, 1997Go; Hannon and Eason, 1995Go) with larger combs tend to enjoy higher copulation success than males with smaller combs. High testosterone levels clearly are associated with black grouse copulatory success (Alatalo et al., 1996bGo), and we here add the finding that measured comb length correlates positively with male testosterone levels. In addition, larger observed comb size predicts higher copulatory success among successful black grouse males. Hence, results obtained from both nonlekking and lekking species generally fit with the expectations of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis and suggest that females may use comb size to evaluate male current condition.

In black grouse, using the data of all males, however, copulatory success was not associated with comb size, either when measured at capture or when observed in undisturbed birds participating at the lek. A similar lack of significant association between comb size and copulatory success has also been found in another lekking grouse species (e.g., the sharp-tailed grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus; Gratson, 1993Go; Gratson et al., 1991Go). The distribution of copulations between males is typically skewed on leks, with only a few of the males achieving many copulations (Alatalo et al., 1992Go; Höglund and Alatalo, 1995Go; Kokko and Lindström, 1997Go; Widemo and Owens, 1995Go). In the leks included in this study, 64% (SD = 18.4) of the males had no success at all, while the most successful male on a single lek achieved, on average, 63% (SD = 22.5) of the copulations. In the black grouse, as well as in lekking species in general, successful males settle in central territories (Fiske et al., 1998Go). Thus it is possible that particular males, depending on other characteristics such as territory history (Kokko et al., 1998Go, 1999Go) and age (Kokko, 1997Go), may be rejected as mates whatever comb size they are able to show. As an example, a new adult male displaying in the periphery at lek 3 showed a nearly maximum mean observed comb size of 4.95 but failed to mate with any female, whereas the two top males near lek center both achieved 19 copulations and had mean observed comb ranks of 3.53 and 3.49. Given that females are unlikely to base their choice solely on comb size, we used only the successful males in the analysis (more than one copulation) and found that males with larger observed comb sizes were more successful in achieving copulations. The result was in the same direction but not significant among measured males. Moreover, observed comb size during female presence showed a stronger relationship with male copulatory success than did observed comb sizes when the females were not evaluating males.

The relationship between comb size and copulatory success suggests that male comb size may be an honest signal of male quality for black grouse females. How, then, can we explain the positive relationships between observed comb size and lek size as well as the relationship between comb size and the number of copulations? High quality males are more likely to join larger leks, which black grouse females also seem to prefer (Alatalo et al., 1992Go). However, our result that the same males seem to show smaller combs when participating in a smaller lek does not support this idea. Also, male comb size was affected by female presence. We therefore suggest that both the number of males and the presence of females induce male testosterone secretion, which, in turn, affects comb size (but see also Alatalo et al., 1996bGo; Wingfield et al., 1990Go). Interestingly, the number of copulations was much lower on Swedish leks. This may be partly due to the lower population density in the Swedish study area (Höglund and Stöhr, 1996Go; Lindström, 1994Go).

Combs and male-male signaling
Another reason apart from female choice for the evolution of combs is that they may be important signals in interactions between males (Hansen and Rohwer, 1986Go; Holder and Montgomerie, 1993aGo,bGo; Zuk, 1991Go). This explanation could be particularly pertinent on leks, where males are tightly clustered and territories are adjacent to each other. Hence, males may use combs to signal their intentions to other males. Observed comb size clearly differed depending on behavior, being smaller when males were inactive, medium sized when they were fighting, and largest during display. This suggests that males indeed control their comb size according to their behavior.

Similar to our findings, no significant effects of larger comb size on increased fighting behavior were found in the sharptailed grouse (Gratson, 1993Go), which is also a lekking species. To test directly whether black grouse males use their combs during fighting, to show dominance, or, on the other hand, whether they hide their combs (at such situations combs may be of similar sizes), we compared comb sizes during fighting between pairs of two opponents, one of which was more successful than the other in achieving copulations and also in situations between pairs of males that had no success. The results suggested that observed comb size did not differ significantly between fighting males, either when comparing males with different success rates or when comparing males that had no success. In addition, male pairs that fought more in relation to other male pairs did not seem to differ in comb size.

During fights, males seem to aim to damage the comb of the opponent (Owens and Short, 1995Go), and it has been suggested that because combs are frequently attacked during male-male interactions, the condition of these ornaments may honestly advertise male fighting ability (Holder and Montgomerie, 1993aGo). Because females show a preference for combs and males try to hit other males' combs, we suggest that showing less than maximally erected combs during fights may be a way to avoid injuries and thus keep the combs in good condition for females to evaluate.

Conclusions: sexual selection
Exaggerated secondary sexual characters, such as combs and wattles, may provide sampling females reliable cues to use as honest signals of male quality. We did find support for this idea; black grouse females preferred males with larger observed combs (and a similar trend for measured combs), although the result was significant when the analysis was based on successful males only. Our results that black grouse males showed similar size combs during fights regardless of their copulatory success and fighting intensity may suggest that males "hide" their combs during fights in order to protect them (Holder and Montgomerie, 1993aGo). In conclusion, we have found evidence that females may use comb size to evaluate males, but also that males diminish their comb sizes in male-male interactions, probably to keep them in good condition. Hence we suggest that the most likely explanation for the existence of combs is female preference for them.


    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
 
The data were collected with the help of Matti Halonen, Matti Hovi, Esa Huhta, Jukka Jokimäki, and Pirkko Siikamäki. We also thank the Finnish Ringing Centre for its cooperation. We received helpful comments on earlier versions of the manuscript from Peder Fiske, Staffan Ulfstrand, Marlene Zuk, and two anonymous referees. R.V.A and O.R. were supported by the Finnish Academy, P.T.R. by the Emil Aaltonen foundation and Nordisk forskerutdanningsakademi (NorFA), E.K. by NorFA, and J.H. and A.L. by the Swedish Natural Sciences Research Council.


    REFERENCES
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Alatalo RV, Burke T, Dann J, Hanotte O, Höglund J, Lundberg A, Moss R, Rintamäki PT, 1996a. Paternity, copulation disturbance and female choice in lekking black grouse. Anim Behav 52: 861-873.

Alatalo RV, Höglund J, Lundberg A, Rintamäki PT, Silverin B, 1996b. Testosterone and male mating success on the black grouse leks. Proc R Soc Lond B 263: 1697-1702.

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Brodsky LM, 1988. Ornament size influences mating success in male rock ptarmigan. Anim Behav 36: 662-667.

Chappell MA, Zuk M, Johnsen TS, Kwan TH, 1997. Mate choice and aerobic capacity in red jungle fowl. Behaviour 134: 511-529.

Fiske P, Rintamäki PT, Karvonen E, 1998. Mating success in lekking males: a meta-analysis. Behav Ecol 9: 328-338.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

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