Density dependence and habitat quality modulate the intensity of display territory defence in an exploded lekking species

• Published in: Behavioral ecology and sociobiology 2014-09, Vol.68 (9), p.1493-1504
• Main Authors: Morales, Manuel B, Casas, Fabián, García de la Morena, Eladio, Ponjoan, Anna, Calabuig, Gustau, Martínez-Padilla, Jesús, García, Jesús T, Mañosa, Santi, Viñuela, Javier, Bota, Gerard
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal behavior; Animal Ecology; Animal populations; Behavioral Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Birds; Breeding; Density dependence; Environmental quality; Fallowing; Female animals; females; Habitat selection; Habitats; Life Sciences; Male animals; Males; Mating behavior; Mating systems; Modeling; Natural vegetation; Original Paper; Parametric models; plows; Population density; territoriality; Tetrax tetrax; Vegetation cover; Zoology
• ISSN: 0340-5443; 1432-0762
• DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1758-z

We evaluated the effect of conspecific abundance and habitat quality of leks on the territorial behaviour of males in an exploded lekking species, the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax). The hypothesis that males more intensely defend territories with higher conspecific abundance and better habitat quality was evaluated experimentally analysing the agonistic response of experimental males to male decoys placed on their displaying areas. Decoy experiments showed that the intensity of display territory defence by little bustard males is density dependent. The time experimental males took to return to their display sites after decoy placement decreased with abundance of both males and females. The strength of their final response was positively associated to local male and female abundance in the vicinity of their display sites. Habitat quality also influenced males’ display territory defence since the intensity of male response increased with the degree of natural vegetation cover. Habitat quality was particularly relevant in explaining variation of experimental males’ snort call rate, which decreased with the degree in plough cover and increased with the number of fields in the lekking area. Snort call rate decreased with the level of male aggregation and was lowest in males exhibiting the strongest aggressive response to decoys. These results add new evidence for the density dependence of species’ breeding territorial behaviour, supporting density-dependent models of lek formation and reinforcing the role of resources defence in exploded lek mating systems.