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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Do Female Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis, Prefer Ornaments That Males Lack?, Scott L. Kight, Olga Degtyareva, Heather Fackelman, Ariel Casner
Do Female Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis, Prefer Ornaments That Males Lack?, Scott L. Kight, Olga Degtyareva, Heather Fackelman, Ariel Casner
Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works
Some species in the family Poeciliidae are known for extravagant male ornaments and courtship behavior (e.g. guppies), but the majority of poeciliids are characterized by coercive male copulation attempts that seem to circumvent female choice. In some lineages with male ornaments, female sensory bias may have preceded the evolution of corresponding male signals. We examined female preferences for colorful ornaments in Western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, in which males lack ornamentation and reproduce primarily through coercive mating attempts. We found that females exhibited a positional affinity for males that were artificially ornamented with blue coloration over males that had been …
Effects Of Researcher-Induced Disturbance On American Kestrels Breeding In Nest Boxes In Northwestern New Jersey, John Smallwood
Effects Of Researcher-Induced Disturbance On American Kestrels Breeding In Nest Boxes In Northwestern New Jersey, John Smallwood
Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works
Nest boxes for American Kestrels Falco sparverius may alleviate local nest site limitation, but there is concern that periodically opening nest boxes or handling adults may negatively affect nesting success. I monitored 536 kestrel breeding attempts ≥1 egg laid in about 100 nest boxes in northwestern New Jersey, 1995-2012. To study return rates, I opportunistically captured adults in nest boxes and marked them with U.S.G.S. leg bands and patagial tags. To examine possible effects of this disturbance, I compared nesting success ≥1 nestling surviving to banding age of marked and unmarked adults. Nesting success was 67% for 270 unmarked pairs, …