Data from: Climate, demography, and lek stability in an Amazonian bird

Lekking is a rare, but iconic mating system where polygynous males
aggregate and perform group displays to attract females. Existing theory
postulates that demographic and environmental stability are required for
lekking to be an evolutionarily viable reproductive strategy. However, we
lack empirical tests for the hypotheses that lek stability is facilitated
by age-specific variation in demographic rates, and by predictable,
abundant resources. To address this knowledge gap, we use multistate
models to examine how two demographic elements of lek stability—male
survival and recruitment—vary with age, social status and phase of the El
Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in a Neotropical frugivorous bird, the
wire-tailed manakin (Pipra filicauda). Our results show that demographic
and environmental conditions were related to lek stability in the
Ecuadorean Amazon. Apparent annual survival probability of territorial
males was higher than that of non-territorial floaters, and recruitment
probability increased as males progressed in an age-graded queue.
Moreover, annual survival of territorial males and body condition of both
floaters and territory holders were higher following years with El Niño
conditions, associated with reduced rainfall and probably higher fruit
production in the northern Neotropics, and lower after years with wet, La
Niña conditions that predominated our study. Recruitment probabilities
varied annually, independent of ENSO phase, and increased over our study
period, but the annual mean number of territorial males per lek declined.
Our results provide empirical support for hypothesized demographic and
environmental drivers of lek dynamics. This study also suggests that
climate-mediated changes in resource availability can affect demography
and subsequent lek stability in a relatively buffered, lowland rainforest.