"A taste for the beautiful": latent aesthetic mate preferences for white crests in two species of Australian grassfinches.

"A taste for the beautiful": latent aesthetic mate preferences for white crests in two species of Australian grassfinches. Research Abstract Details 

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"A taste for the beautiful": latent aesthetic mate preferences for white crests in two species of Australian grassfinches. Abstract Text:

Darwin first hypothesized that bright colors and elaborate ornamentation of male animals evolved in response to the "aesthetic" mate preferences of females. By this reasoning, potentially costly male secondary sexual traits may evolve not in response to selection for demonstration of vigor but, rather, in response to latent, nonfunctional preferences by females. Recent comparative evidence for this phenomenon is equivocal. Here we present experimental evidence that two avian species from a lineage devoid of crested species have mate preferences for opposite sex conspecifics wearing artificial white crests. Other colors of crests that have been studied are not preferred. Preferences for white crests did not diminish over the longest experimental interval (12 wk). These results are additional powerful evidence for highly structured aesthetic mate preferences in estrildine finches. Sex differences in the expression of preferences, and the widespread occurrence of facial ornamentation in birds, suggest that the preference "structure" is influenced by the central nervous system. We hypothesize that aesthetic preferences are a potent force in the early evolution of sexually selected traits, and that "indicator" traits evolve secondarily from traits initially favored by aesthetic preferences.

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"A taste for the beautiful": latent aesthetic mate preferences for white crests in two species of Australian grassfinches. Journal Published:

PUBLICATION TYPE: Journal Article

Journal: The American naturalist

VOLUME: 152

Page Numbers: 792-802

Journal Abbreviation: Am. Nat.

ISSN: 0003-0147

DAY: 24

MONTH: Dec

YEAR: 1998

"A taste for the beautiful": latent aesthetic mate preferences for white crests in two species of Australian grassfinches. Information

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LANGUAGE: eng

NlmUniqueID: 2984688

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Grant and Affiliation Information for "A taste for the beautiful": latent aesthetic mate preferences for white crests in two species of Australian grassfinches.

AFFILIATION: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-2525.

Country: United States

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