Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (10)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Topping, M. G.
Right arrow Articles by Millar, J. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Topping, M. G.
Right arrow Articles by Millar, J. S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Behavioral Ecology Vol. 10 No. 2: 161-168
© 1999 International Society for Behavioral Ecology

Mating success of male bushy-tailed woodrats

when bigger is not always better

Michael G. Topping and John S. Millar

Ecology and Evolution Group, Department of Zoology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

Address correspondence to M. G. Topping, Department of Zoology, Miami

To determine the factors that regulate mating opportunities of male bushy-tailed woodrats (Neotoma cinerea), we used stepwise multiple regression on measurable morphological and behavioral traits. DNA fingerprinting was used to determine the paternity of juveniles, allowing mating success (the number of females mated with), and reproductive success (the number of offspring fathered) to be quantified. Both measures of male success were significantly related to the growth rate of males while reproductively active. The most successful males were those that had higher growth rates, indicating that there is relatively little cost (weight loss) associated with successful mating in male woodrats. Our findings demonstrate that although this species is highly sexually dimorphic, large body size does not influence mating success. In addition, it appears that male mating success cannot be predicted from morphological measures and may instead be determined by behavioral or olfactory cues.

Key words: bushy-tailed woodrats, growth rate, mating success, Neotoma cinerea, promiscuity, reproductive success.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
V. J. Debuse, J. T. Addison, and J. D. Reynolds
Effects of breeding site density on competition and sexual selection in the European lobster
Behav. Ecol., May 1, 2003; 14(3): 396 - 402.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.