classification using courtship behaviour

• courtship behaviour is carried out be organisms to attract a mate of the right species
• simple courtship behaviours:

  • releasing a chemical - e.g. male bumble bees produce chemicals called pheromones to attract females to their territory
  • using sound - e.g. male red deer make a roaring noise to attract a mate
  • visual displays - e.g. the great tit will attract a mate by puffing out its chest to show off its black stripe
• complex courtship behaviours:

  • dancing - e.g. the blue-footed booby performs a complex dance which involves lifting up their feet to show off the blue colour
  • building - e.g. bowerbirds construct bowers (shelters) made of leaves, twigs, flowers, shells, stones and whatever else the male can find
• can be performed by the male or female or sometimes involve both sexes
• Courtship behaviour is species specific - only members of the same species will do and respond to that courtship behaviour

  allows members of the same species to recognise each other, preventing interbreeding and making reproduction more successful (mating with the wrong species will not produce fertile offspring)
• fireflies give off pulses of light - pattern of flashes is specific to each species

  crickets make a sound similar to morse code - code is different for different species

  male peacocks show off colouful tails - tail pattern only found in peacocks

  male butterflies use chemicals to attract females - only those of the correct species respond
• bc of this specificity, courtship behaviour can be used to classify organisms. The more closely related species are, the more similar their courtship behaviour