Heritable resistance to malaria and the evolution of lek behaviour in sage grouse Centrocercus urophasianus
Deibert, P.A.W. & Boyce, M.S. 1997: Heritable resistance to malaria and the evolution of lek behaviour in sage grouse Centrocercus urophasianus. - Wildl. Biol. 3: 284.
Coevolution of parasites and host has been hypothesized to explain patterns of sexual selection, including the evolution of lek behaviour. Evidence supporting the role of malaria in the evolution of sage grouse Centrocercus urophasianus lek behaviour is reviewed. Prevalence of malaria in sage grouse populations on the Laramie Plain in southcentral Wyoming shows substantial temporal and spatial variation. Females less frequently copulated with males possessing malaria infections, apparently due to less frequent attendance at leks by infected males. Males with malaria that secured copulations bred later in the breeding season and mated with females of lower fitness than malaria-free males. Change in prevalence of malaria is significantly inversely correlated with the intensity of sexual selection against males with malaria, demonstrating heritability in resistance to malaria.
Key words: Centrocercus urophasianus, lek behaviour, malaria, mating success, sage grouse, sexual selection, Wyoming
Patricia A.W. Deibert, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 5400 Bishop Boulevard, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82006, USA
Mark S. Boyce, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, Wisconsin 54481, USA