A Quantitative Study of Sexual Behavior of Mallards and Black Ducks
In recent years an increased interest in the use of behavioral characteristics in evolutionary studies has developed, and this is particularly true in the case of waterfowl. The classical studies of Heinroth (1911), who was one of the first to apply knowledge of waterfowl behavior to systematics, ha...
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1960
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ftunivnebraskali:oai:digitalcommons.unl.edu:biosciornithology-1009 2023-11-12T04:15:55+01:00 A Quantitative Study of Sexual Behavior of Mallards and Black Ducks Johnsgard, Paul A. 1960-04-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/biosciornithology/10 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/biosciornithology/article/1009/viewcontent/WB_1960_T.pdf unknown DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/biosciornithology/10 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/biosciornithology/article/1009/viewcontent/WB_1960_T.pdf Papers in Ornithology Ornithology text 1960 ftunivnebraskali 2023-10-30T10:10:49Z In recent years an increased interest in the use of behavioral characteristics in evolutionary studies has developed, and this is particularly true in the case of waterfowl. The classical studies of Heinroth (1911), who was one of the first to apply knowledge of waterfowl behavior to systematics, have been elaborated on by Lorenz (1941; 1951-1953) in his important contribution toward the understanding of relationships in the Anatinae. These, and other, studies have stressed the qualitative behavioral differences occurring among different species as providing possible isolating mechanisms through their presumed function of conveying species-specific recognition signals. To the present, no extensive quantitative studies of the behavior of very closely related forms of waterfowl have been undertaken, although Dr. D. F. McKinney's still uncompleted studies on the races of the Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) will provide an important contribution in this field. By studying the reproductive behavior of such closely related forms the evolution of isolating mechanisms can be fruitfully studied in their early stages and thus provide an insight into the general process of speciation. As part of a more general study (Johnsgard, 1959) concerning the evolutionary relationships between the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), the Black Duck (Anas rubripes), and other closely related forms, behavorial characteristics were utilized as taxonomic characters. The results of this general study, which will be published later, indicate that the Black Duck is much more closely related to the Mallard than is generally supposed and that the two forms should probably be considered to be only subspecifically distinct. The purpose of the present paper is to summarize the quantitative aspects of the behavioral studies and to discuss their probable significance in terms of (1) the evolution of behavioral isolating mechanisms; (2) the relative importance of display and plumage in species-recognition signals of these birds; and (3) the concepts ... Text Common Eider Somateria mollissima University of Nebraska-Lincoln: DigitalCommons@UNL |
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University of Nebraska-Lincoln: DigitalCommons@UNL |
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ftunivnebraskali |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Ornithology |
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Ornithology Johnsgard, Paul A. A Quantitative Study of Sexual Behavior of Mallards and Black Ducks |
topic_facet |
Ornithology |
description |
In recent years an increased interest in the use of behavioral characteristics in evolutionary studies has developed, and this is particularly true in the case of waterfowl. The classical studies of Heinroth (1911), who was one of the first to apply knowledge of waterfowl behavior to systematics, have been elaborated on by Lorenz (1941; 1951-1953) in his important contribution toward the understanding of relationships in the Anatinae. These, and other, studies have stressed the qualitative behavioral differences occurring among different species as providing possible isolating mechanisms through their presumed function of conveying species-specific recognition signals. To the present, no extensive quantitative studies of the behavior of very closely related forms of waterfowl have been undertaken, although Dr. D. F. McKinney's still uncompleted studies on the races of the Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) will provide an important contribution in this field. By studying the reproductive behavior of such closely related forms the evolution of isolating mechanisms can be fruitfully studied in their early stages and thus provide an insight into the general process of speciation. As part of a more general study (Johnsgard, 1959) concerning the evolutionary relationships between the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), the Black Duck (Anas rubripes), and other closely related forms, behavorial characteristics were utilized as taxonomic characters. The results of this general study, which will be published later, indicate that the Black Duck is much more closely related to the Mallard than is generally supposed and that the two forms should probably be considered to be only subspecifically distinct. The purpose of the present paper is to summarize the quantitative aspects of the behavioral studies and to discuss their probable significance in terms of (1) the evolution of behavioral isolating mechanisms; (2) the relative importance of display and plumage in species-recognition signals of these birds; and (3) the concepts ... |
format |
Text |
author |
Johnsgard, Paul A. |
author_facet |
Johnsgard, Paul A. |
author_sort |
Johnsgard, Paul A. |
title |
A Quantitative Study of Sexual Behavior of Mallards and Black Ducks |
title_short |
A Quantitative Study of Sexual Behavior of Mallards and Black Ducks |
title_full |
A Quantitative Study of Sexual Behavior of Mallards and Black Ducks |
title_fullStr |
A Quantitative Study of Sexual Behavior of Mallards and Black Ducks |
title_full_unstemmed |
A Quantitative Study of Sexual Behavior of Mallards and Black Ducks |
title_sort |
quantitative study of sexual behavior of mallards and black ducks |
publisher |
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln |
publishDate |
1960 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/biosciornithology/10 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/biosciornithology/article/1009/viewcontent/WB_1960_T.pdf |
genre |
Common Eider Somateria mollissima |
genre_facet |
Common Eider Somateria mollissima |
op_source |
Papers in Ornithology |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/biosciornithology/10 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/biosciornithology/article/1009/viewcontent/WB_1960_T.pdf |
_version_ |
1782333156371726336 |