Sexual signals are some of the most complex and variable communicative signals found in nature, making them ideal tools for studies of behavioral evolution. In this dissertation I examine the sources of individual level variation in sexual signaling and female mate choice in a gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) study system. Like many other anurans, gray treefrog males form large choruses during the breeding season where males produce acoustic calls to attract females. These calls are extremely energetically costly to produce and females select mates based on specific properties of male calls. The high costs of calling in this species makes gray treefrogs an ideal system for studies of individual variation in sexual signals and mate choice. Using a series of experiments I identified several covariates of individual variation in male calling behavior and female mate choice. The variation observed in these studies may have consequences for the evolution of male signals, the maintenance of genetic diversity in male secondary sexual characteristics, and the evolution of female preferences. Accounting for the potential sources of individual variation is therefore necessary for building a more complete understanding of sexual selection.
Read
