Song repertoires and reproductive success in the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus

Abstract

The relationship between song repertoire size and reproductive success was investigated in a population of great reed warblers breeding in southern Germany. No correlations were found between repertoire size and various measures of male quality such as weight, wing length and age. Repertoire size was not correlated with territory size, but showed strong correlations with some measures of territory quality such as the amount of high quality reeds and reed-water interface. Repertoire size and territory quality were both correlated with various measures of reproductive success. Partial correlation analysis revealed that territory quality had a more significant effect upon the number of females obtained, but that repertoire size had a more significant effect upon the number of young produced. © 1986 Springer-Verlag.