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BMC Biology：羚羊用特殊方式展示自己
来源:科学时报

羚羊据美国《科学》杂志在线新闻报道，有很多方法能让对手和伴侣留下深刻印象，雄狮会长出浓密而巨大的鬃毛，孔雀会展示它们美丽的羽毛，雄鹿则会晃动头上粗大的鹿角。而非洲大羚羊的招数可谓更加巧妙——它们会像人类捏响指关节一样让膝盖发出“啪啪”的响声。研究人员在11月出版的《BMC生物学》杂志上报告了这一发现。这种声音在几百米之外都能听到，它取决于羚羊的大小和力气。羚羊个头越大，“啪啪”声也就越响——恐怕没有哪个家伙愿意和这样的对手过不去。（创赛新闻中心 canspecsci.com）

    创赛推荐原始出处：
BMCBiology，doi:10.1186/1741-7007-6-47，Jakob Bro-J?rgensen，TorbenDabelsteen
Knee-clicks and visual traits indicate fighting ability in elandantelopes: multiple messages and back-up signals
Jakob Bro-J?rgensen and Torben Dabelsteen
Background
Given costs of signalling, why do males often advertise theirfighting ability to rivals using several signals rather than justone? Multiple signalling theories have developed largely in studiesof sexual signals, and less is known about their applicability tointrasexual communication. We here investigate the evolutionarybasis for the intricate agonistic signalling system in elandantelopes, paying particular attention to the evolutionaryphenomenon of loud knee-clicking.
Results
A principal components analysis separated seven male traits intothree groups. The dominant frequency of the knee-clicking soundhonestly indicated body size, a main determinant of fightingability. In contrast, the dewlap size increased with estimated agerather than body size, suggesting that, by magnifying thesilhouette of older bulls disproportionately, the dewlap acts as anindicator of age-related traits such as fighting experience.Facemask darkness, frontal hairbrush size and body greyness alignedwith a third underlying variable, presumed to be androgen-relatedaggression. A longitudinal study provided independent support ofthese findings.
Conclusion
The results show that the multiple agonistic signals in elandreflect three separate components of fighting ability: (1) bodysize, (2) age, and (3) presumably androgen-related aggression,which is reflected in three backup-signals. The study highlightshow complex agonistic signalling systems can evolve through thesimultaneous action of several selective forces, each of whichfavours multiple signals. Specifically, loud knee-clicking isdiscovered as an honest signal of body size, providing anexceptional example of the potential for non-vocal acousticcommunication in mammals.
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