Mate choice or harassment avoidance? A question of female control at the lek

Abstract

Recent studies on the reproductive behavior of fallow deer, Dama dama, propose that harassment from nonterritorial males has a major influence on female movements and mate selection, leading ultimately to the evolution of lek mating in this species. In order to support this statement, one must demonstrate that female movements between lek and isolated territories, and among lek males, lead to a reduction in levels of harassment. We argue that current evidence in favor of this view in inclusive. A quantification of the total harassment cost experienced by female in lek and isolated territories has never been made. In addition, female movements within the lek may actually lead to higher levels of disruption and harassment: the rate which female join male territories increase with harem size (the number of female present in the territory), even though harems are disrupted increasingly with size due to a high frequency of intrusions by nonterritorial male. Females also join male territories at a higher rate white the male ar engaged in copulatory sequence, but copulatory sequence are again associated with high levels of disruption and harem instability. In the above studies it is argued that female are nonelective in their mating preference. This assessment is based on the finding that male that adopt different reproductive strategies do not differ in their mating rate. Here mating rate is measured as the number of copulations received per female-hour. There are a number of reason, however, why females exhibiting mating preference night remain longer with preferred males, and so the above preference measure cannot be used to exclude the possibility that females are selective. More research is required to identity the major factors influencing patterns of mate selection and the evolution of lek in this species. We suggest a number of field test that may help to identity these factors.