Exaggerated estrous swellings and male mate choice in primates: testing the reliable indicator hypothesis in the Amboseli baboons.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION LITERATURE CITED The evolution of male mate choice in sex-role reversed species can easily be understood according to the general principles of sexual selection. That is, when females are mate-limited they are expected to compete for access to males and those males, in turn, are expected to be choosy. This phenomenon is well described in some sex-role reversed species of pipefish (Berglund et al. 1989; Vincent et al. 1992) and shorebirds (Szekely & Reynolds 1995). In contrast, when the sex roles are conventional, choosy males will be at a competitive disadvantage and, therefore, male mate choice should be selected against. Of course, exceptions to this prediction have been demonstrated, most notably in those cases where fe ...