Thesis (M.S.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Biological Sciences, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references ( leaves 46-48).

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2011. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-102). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on October 18, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

abstract: Differences between males and females can evolve through a variety of mechanisms, including sexual and ecological selection. Because coloration is evolutionarily labile, sexually dichromatic species are good models for understanding the evolution of sex differences. While many jumping spiders exhibit diverse and brilliant coloration, they have been notably absent from such studies. In the genus Habronattus, females are drab and cryptic while males are brilliantly colored, displaying some of these colors to females during elaborate courtship dances. Here I test multiple hypotheses for the control and function of male color. In the field, I found that Habronattus males indiscriminately court any female they encounter (including other species), so I first examined the role that colors play in species recognition. I manipulated male colors in H. pyrrithrix and found that while they are not required for species recognition, the presence of red facial coloration improves courtship success, but only if males are courting in the sun. Because light environment affects transmission of color signals, the multi-colored displays of males may facilitate communication in variable and unpredictable environments. Because these colors can be costly to produce and maintain, they also have the potential to signal reliable information about male quality to potential female mates. I found that both red facial and green leg coloration is condition dependent in H. pyrrithrix and thus has the potential to signal quality. Yet, surprisingly, this variation in male color does not appear to be important to females. Males of many Habronattus species also exhibit conspicuous markings on the dorsal surface of their abdomens that are not present in females and are oriented away from females during courtship. In the field, I found that these markings are paired with increased leg-waving behavior in a way that resembles the pattern and behavior of wasps; this may provide protection by exploiting the aversions of predators. My data also suggest that different activity levels between the sexes have placed different selection pressures on their dorsal color patterns. Overall, these findings challenge some of the traditional ways that we think about color signaling and provide novel insights into the evolution of animal coloration. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Biology 2012

abstract: Animals have evolved a diversity of signaling traits, and in some species, they co-occur and are used simultaneously to communicate. Although much work has been done to understand why animals possess multiple signals, studies do not typically address the role of inter-signal interactions, which may vary intra- and inter-specifically and help drive the evolutionary diversity in signals. For my dissertation, I tested how angle-dependent structural coloration, courtship displays, and the display environment interact and co-evolved in hummingbird species from the “bee” tribe (Mellisugini). Most “bee” hummingbird species possess an angle-dependent structurally colored throat patch and stereotyped courtship (shuttle) display. For 6 U.S. “bee” hummingbird species, I filmed male shuttle displays and mapped out the orientation- and-position-specific movements during the displays. With such display paths, I was able to then recreate each shuttle display in the field by moving plucked feathers from each male in space and time, as if they were naturally displaying, in order to measure each male’s color appearance during their display (i.e. the interactions between male hummingbird plumage, shuttle displays, and environment) from full-spectrum photographs. I tested how these interactions varied intra- and inter-specifically, and which of these originating traits might explain that variation. I first found that the solar-positional environment played a significant role in explaining variation in male color appearance within two species (Selasphorus platycercus and Calypte costae), and that different combinations of color-behavior-environment interactions made some males (in both species) appear bright, colorful, and flashy (i.e. their color appearance changes throughout a display), while other males maintained a consistent (non-flashing) color display. Among species, I found that plumage flashiness positively co-varied with male display behaviors, while another measure of male color appearance (average brightness/colorfulness) co-varied with the feather reflectance characteristics themselves. Additionally, species that had more exaggerated plumage features had less exaggerated shuttle displays. Altogether, my dissertation work illustrates the complexity of multiple signal evolution and how color-behavior-environment interactions are vital to understanding the evolution of colorful and behavioral display traits in animals. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Biology 2018

Abstract Divergence of behavioral traits (e.g. courtship rituals, habitat choice) has had a major impact on species formation and isolation. Species-specific courtship rituals preventing species hybridization may arise as a by-product of natural selection during spatial isolation or through direct action of natural selection to prevent species hybridization after a secondary contact. Coordination leading to the assumption of coevolution of signals and preferences is a prerequisite for effective courtship signaling between a male and a female of the same species. We found a reasonable amount of variation in the mate traits within the Drosophila montana and D. virilis species, but our findings did not reveal evidence of the coevolution between the male courtship signals and female preference for these signals. Variation also did not cause isolation within species. The form of female preference for carrier frequency of male song was found to be stabilizing even in changing environments, when female preference for the carrier frequency and pulse length of the male song was measured at ambient temperature. D. montana females always preferred males with high frequency songs, which probably advertises the male condition. The frequency of male song decreased due to male aging, although males with larger body size were able to maintain frequencies better. Ageing also had a deterioration effect on male reproductive success. The importance of male courtship song was not only highlighted in mate choice, but also in species-recognition. We were able to persuade D. montana females to copulate with alien D. lummei species by playing them simulated song resembling the song of conspecific males. Simulated courtship songs were demonstrated to be a practical tool in studies of preference between sexually isolated Drosophila species. / Tiivistelmä Kosintapiirteiden (esim. kosintarituaalit, habitaatin valinta) vaihtelevuudella on ollut suuri vaikutus lajien muodostumisessa ja eriytymisessä. Lajien välisiä risteytymisiä estäviä lajispesifisiä kosintarituaaleja voi syntyä luonnonvalinnan sivutuotteena spatiaalisen eristäytymisen aikana tai luonnonvalinnan suoralla vaikutuksella estämään lajiristeymät lajien uudelleen kohdatessa. Tehokkaan koiraan ja naaraan välisen kosintaviestinnän edellytyksenä on koordinointi, minkä vuoksi on oletettavaa, että signaalien ja vasteiden välillä on yhteisevoluutiota. Löysimme kohtuullisen määrän vaihtelevuutta kosintapiirteissä Drosophila montana – ja D. virilis – lajeilla, mutta emme löytäneet todisteita koiraan kosintasignaalien ja naaraan näihin signaaleihin kohdistamien vasteiden välisestä yhteisevoluutiosta. Vaihtelu ei myöskään aiheuttanut isolaatiota lajien välille. Naaraan koiraan kosintalaulun kantofrekvenssiin osoittaman vasteen funktion muodon havaittiin olevan tasapainottava jopa vaihtelevissa ympäristöissä, kun naaraan kantotaajuuteen osoittamaa vastetta mitattiin eri lämpötiloissa. D. montana naaraat suosivat koiraita, joilla oli korkeataajuinen kosintalaulu. Laulun korkea taajuus kertoo luultavasti naaraalle koiraan fyysisestä kunnosta. Koiraan laulun frekvenssin havaittiin laskevan koiraan ikääntyessä, mutta isommat koiraat pystyivät paremmin säilyttämään korkean taajuuden laulussaan. Ikääntyminen heikensi myös koiraan lisääntymismenestystä. Koiraan kosintalaulun tärkeys ei korostunut pelkästään parinvalinnassa, vaan myös lajintunnistuksessa. Pystyimme suostuttelemaan D. montana –naaraat parittelemaan vieraan D. lummei –lajin kanssa käyttämällä simuloituja kosintalauluja, jotka osoittautuivat käytännöllisiksi välineiksi tutkittaessa naaraan vasteita seksuaalisesti eriytyneillä Drosophila-lajeilla.

The eroticism and sexuality of individuals has been regulated by a diverse social standards that over the years were becoming more flexible, allowing subjects to experience emotions and pleasures previously denied or prohibited. Therefore, the erotic languages and sexual approximation between men and women have passed through significant changes in Viçosa - AL, accompanied by transformations in fun spaces existing in the city. This dissertation intends to understand the directions that the process of transformation the relations of flirting took from the end of the decade of 1930. In other words, the main objective of this work was to analyze the fun spaces and types of courtship established in Viçosa over the years. The methodology used consisted in varieties printed newspaper examination of that circulated in Viçosa in the 1930s and 1940s, and of chronicles written by viçosenses, as well as interviews with individuals from different generations and the observation of forró shows, bars and churrasquinhos. To understand the erotic past of Vicosense, the concept of "good society", thought by Norbert Elias and Cas Wouters, that allows to analyze how the upper class of Viçosa regulated the sexuality of its members, controlling, this way, where and who the young people should flirt, being one of one of the mechanisms used to preventing a stranger undesired aggregation to his group, which caused a social and psychological distancing among individuals of different generations, genders and social classes. However, by the 1970s the Vicosenses began to experience an expansion and redefinition of fun, which allowed a transformation in the sexuality and courtship, because a series of sexual excitations and gratifications began to be experienced, bringing the different social groups. Currently the forró shows are one of the spaces where is possible to observe the existence of a new repertoire of erotic and sexual codes through lyrics songs - intensely sexualized -, of dances and exchanges of caresses, presenting a more informal type of behavior compared to the previous periods, in which the intimate contact in public spaces was based on dynamics of more rigid self-control. / FAPEAL - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Alagoas / O erotismo e sexualidade dos indivíduos tem sido regulamentada por diversos padrões sociais que ao longo dos anos foram se tornando mais flexíveis, possibilitando aos sujeitos experimentar emoções e prazeres anteriormente negados ou proibidos. Portanto, as linguagens de aproximação erótica e sexual entre homens e mulheres passaram por significativas mudanças em Viçosa – AL, acompanhadas por transformações nos espaços de divertimento existentes na cidade. Esta dissertação pretende compreender as direções que o processo de transformação das relações de paquera tomou a partir do final da década de 1930. Em outras palavras, o principal objetivo deste trabalho é analisar os espaços de divertimento e tipos de cortejamento estabelecidos em Viçosa ao longo dos anos. A metodologia utilizada consistiu em consultas aos jornais que circulavam em Viçosa nas décadas de 1930 e 1940, e de crônicas escritas por viçosenses, além de entrevistas com indivíduos de diferentes gerações e a observação de shows de forró, bares e churrasquinhos. Para compreender o passado erótico viçosense, o conceito de “boa sociedade”, pensado por Norbert Elias e Cas Wouters, permite analisar como a elite de Viçosa regulamentava a sexualidade de seus membros, pois controlava como, onde e quem os jovens deveriam paquerar, sendo este um dos mecanismos utilizados para impedir a entrada de membros estranhos ao seu grupo, o que provocava um distanciamento social e psíquico entre indivíduos de diferentes gerações, gêneros e classes sociais. Entretanto, por volta da década de 1970 os viçosenses passaram a vivenciar uma ampliação e redefinição do divertimento, o que possibilitou uma transformação da sexualidade e do cortejamento, pois uma série de excitações e gratificações sexuais passaram a ser vivenciadas, aproximando os diferentes grupos sociais. Atualmente os shows de forró constituem um dos espaços onde é possível observar a existência de um novo repertório de linguagens eróticas e sexuais através das letras de músicas – intensamente sexualizadas -, das danças e trocas de carícias, apresentando um tipo de comportamento mais informal comparado com os períodos anteriores, nos quais o contato íntimo em espaços públicos era baseado em dinâmicas de autocontroles mais rígidas.

Sound production is a widespread phenomenon in fishes; however, the importance of acoustic signals and their potential to influence reproduction has not been determined. This dissertation examines fish acoustic courtship signals to investigate whether sound has a role in reproductive success. The pre-spawning sounds of several fishes were recorded and analyzed. The male advertisement call of two species of Belizean toadfish, Sanopus astrifer and Batrachoides gilberti, were found to significantly differ. These data, coupled with data in the literature suggest an influence of habitat characteristics on the calling behavior of toadfishes. Additionally, acoustic playback experiments were employed to investigate the role of male courtship sounds in the Malawi cichlid species, Tramitichromis intermedius. Playback results indicated that male sounds may initiate egg-laying behavior in females, but may not be behaviorally relevant to conspecific males. A discussion of confounding factors in aquarium playback experiments is presented. Technical aspects of fish sound recording, playback, and analysis were also examined to provide information for future fish bioacoustics studies. It was determined that digital cameras are a useful method of recording fish sounds to describe metric characteristics; however, temporal parameters are more accurately captured by hydrophones, which are optimal for use in scientific description of fish sounds. Underwater speakers commonly used in fish playback experiments were tested for fidelity when producing a low-frequency pulsed fish sound. The Electro-Voice UW30 speaker was found to perform the best playback at low sound pressure levels (<120 dB re 1 μPa) and at short distances (< 15 cm). The Clark Synthesis AQ339 speaker performed the best playback at higher sound pressure levels (>120 dB re 1 μPa) and at greater distances than the UW30. Many fish sounds have been described in the literature; however, there is no standardization of sample size used in species descriptions. A method is presented that can be used to estimate the level of inclusiveness of sound variability in sound descriptions, and to approximate sufficient sample sizes of recordings. The courtship calls of Dascyllus albisella and Batrachoides gilberti were examined to illustrate this method and to provide a benchmark for future sound descriptions.

In previous years, researches have found significant increase of the female attractiveness around the time of ovulation. Among changes, that have been identified, were for example changes in olfactory, vocal, facial and body attractivenes. However, it has not been examined so far, whether this perception is also reflected in non-verbal expressions of women and men interacting with women. We also examined if attractiveness of men influences women nonverbal behavior depending on menstrual cycle phase. The study used a speed-dating paradigm (each person meets several people of the opposite sex for 3 minutes) and interactions were videotaped. We analyzed 391 videotapes of 92 men interacting with women who were in the follicular (187 interactions) or luteal (204 interactions) cycle phase and 391 videotapes of 34 women (18 in the follicual and 16 in luteal cycle phase). We recorded specific behavioural acts and states and these behavioural components loaded into two factors: (i) expressions of interest and (ii) expressions of disinterest. We found no significant differences in overall score of interest or disinterest in relation to the women's menstrual cycle. However, men communicating with women in the fertile phase spoke significantly longer than those communicating with women in the luteal phase of the cycle...