UnderwaterTimes Should Females Trust Showy Males? 'Honesty In Males Mostly Depends On How Many Opportunities There Are To Breed': "A team of researchers led by Dr Jan Lindström at the University of Glasgow have found that the honesty of the signal can vary dramatically over time, depending on both the condition of the male and the likelihood of him obtaining future matings. The research suggests it may pay females to wait until ‘dishonest’ males have exhausted themselves in producing a flashy signal that they cannot sustain.
Evolutionary biologist, Dr Lindström said: “Honesty in males mostly depends on how many opportunities there are to breed. If males can breed now but the future promises little in terms of further matings, all males should immediately reveal their ‘true colours’ – so that the signals they produce are a reliable indication of their quality. But if males can potentially breed several times over the course of a breeding season, it pays those in best condition to keep some of their strength in reserve.
“In contrast, those males in poorer condition cannot afford to delay seeking a mate, so must signal as hard as they can – with the result that at the start of the breeding season a female cannot reliably judge a male’s quality from his signal. However, as time goes on, the poorer condition males must drop out of the competition, leaving only the better ones and making it easier for a female to pick a high quality mate.”"
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