Mating and bonding decisions in a challenging environment

Finding a partner for reproduction is an essential and challenging task. In many species, one or both sexes engage in complex and elaborate courtship rituals to find the right partner. Mate choice is crucial for species that reproduce once a year, have few offspring, and face high risks of reproductive failure. For example, seabirds such as albatrosses and penguins produce a single chick that must be cared for long to reach independence. The earlier reproduction starts, the higher the chances of success. While albatrosses find a partner for life and meet again the following years at the breeding sites, king penguins form pairs that typically last one or two years. Therefore, the search for a mate must be repeated frequently. Here, we ask whether the courtship of king penguins, which is mutually performed by both males and females, has the primary function of checking the general and reproductive conditions of potential mates to start reproducing as soon as possible. Instead of looking for the best possible mates, king penguins might search for a good partner who is ready to start reproduction and will be a reliable parent. We will study all aspects of the elaborate courtship of king penguins, which include vocalizations, movements, brilliant plumage, and odors, and investigate if these signals carry information about condition and reproductive status and are associated with pair stability and reproductive success. Our aim is to understand if the elaborate courtship of king penguins has evolved to allow a fast and comprehensive evaluation of the condition of a potential mate and their ability to cooperate for successful reproduction.