The sage grouse is one of the more popular game birds in the western United States and a major spectacle viewed by thousands of the public each spring. Its management is one of the important duties of state fish and game departments. Dr. Gibson and his colleagues have conducted basic research that has provided a number of tools useful in this management. These useful findings have emerged from research using the sage grouse as a model system to examine theoretical questions about the mechanisms that determine biased mating success. Males of lek-mating species exhibit conspicuous behaviors that attract females and thereby secure reproductive opportunities for the males. Female sage grouse choose a mate from a group (or lek) of communally displaying males. This study will investigate experimentally the role played by the vocal courtship display of male sage grouse. The effects of vocal signals on female choice will be studied in the field by temporarily muting certain males and comparing their subsequent mating success with that of males that have not been muted. The study will test hypotheses derived from previous observational studies of this species. The results will be directly relevant to the wider issue of the role played by female mating preferences in the evolution of courtship behavior.
