Data for paper on Microhabitat cues used in bower location are not directly related to mating success in Great Bowerbirds

This is data for the just-submitted paper "Microhabitat cues used in bower location are not directly related to mating success in Great Bowerbirds". Abstract: Bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchidae) males build structures which are solely used to attract females for mating. Females watch males while standing inside the male's bower and bower properties affect mating success. The environment around the bower affects the appearance of the male but also visibility for male-searching females and predators. We tested the hypothesis that bower location is non-random with respect to local environmental properties and affects mating success. We found that bower location is highly non-random relative to controls with respect to viewsheds (area visible from the bower), distances to nearest streams and dense canopy (food sources), and canopy geometry. However, we were not able to detect a relationship between bower environment and mating. This suggests that bower locations are chosen not just on the basis of potential mating success but also on the basis of competing factors, such as predation, which would favour more hidden locations and greater distances from dense canopy where watching predators could hide. Bowers are not just for mating, but like coloration, should represent the balance between sexual selection and predation.