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lek
lek An area of ground divided into territories that are vigorously defended by males for purposes of sexual display and mating during the breeding season. Such a system occurs in various bird species, for example the black grouse and peafowl, and also in some mammals. The most dominant males occupy the smallest territories at the centre of the lek, where they are most likely to attract and copulate with visiting females. The peripheral, and larger, territories are occupied by subordinate males, who have less mating success. Over successive breeding seasons, the younger subordinate males gradually displace older individuals from the most desirable territories and become dominant themselves. The lek territories contain no resources of value to the breeding female, such as food or nesting materials, although males of some species may construct bowers or similar structures used in their display.
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Cite this article
"lek." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lek." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-lek.html "lek." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-lek.html |
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lek
lek A territory that is held and defended against rivals by males of certain species during the breeding season. The male displays within its lek in order to attract females into the lek for mating. Females move among the leks, mating with males to whose displays they respond. Consequently, for a local population of a species, leks are usually grouped together within a breeding area and dominant males tend to occupy the more central leks, where their displays can be seen by the largest number of females.
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Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "lek." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "lek." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-lek.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "lek." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-lek.html |
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lek
lek Territory that is held and defended against rivals by males of certain species during the breeding season. The male displays within its lek in order to attract females into the lek for mating. Females move among the leks, mating with males to whose displays they respond. Consequently, for a local population of a species, leks are usually grouped together within a breeding area and dominant males tend to occupy the more central leks where their displays can be seen by the largest number of females.
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Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "lek." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "lek." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-lek.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "lek." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-lek.html |
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lek
lek1 / lek/ • n. the basic monetary unit of Albania, equal to 100 qintars. lek2 • n. a patch of ground used for communal display in the breeding season by the males of certain birds and mammals, esp. black grouse. Each male defends a small territory in order to attract females for mating. • v. [intr.] [usu. as adj.] (lekking) take part in such a display: antelopes mate in lekking grounds. |
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"lek." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lek." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-lek.html "lek." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-lek.html |
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Lek
Lek , northern arm of the Rhine River, 40 mi (64 km) long, branching from the Neder Rijn (Lower Rhine), central Netherlands, and flowing W into the Nieuwe Maas (New Meuse) River. It is navigable for its entire length. Rotterdam , the chief city on the river, is connected with the North Sea by the Nieuwe Waterweg (canal). |
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"Lek." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lek." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lek.html "Lek." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lek.html |
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Lek
Leka gathering or congregating, as in sport; as many as fifty birds gathered together. Example: lek of black grouse, 1884. |
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"Lek." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lek." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505300916.html "Lek." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505300916.html |
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lek
lek •beck, bedeck, check, cheque, Chiang Kai-shek, crosscheck, Czech, deck, dreck, exec, fleck, heck, hitech, keck, lek, neck, peck, Québec, rec, reck, sec, sneck, spec, speck, spot-check, tec, tech, Toulouse-Lautrec, trek, wreck
•Hayek • Baalbek • pinchbeck
•Steinbeck • Warbeck
•Brubeck, Lübeck
•Uzbek • Beiderbecke • hacek
•soundcheck • Dubcek • foredeck
•sundeck • afterdeck • quarterdeck
•Dalek, Palekh
•fartlek • Chichimec • Olmec • redneck
•breakneck • V-neck • bottleneck
•swan-neck • roughneck • rubberneck
•halterneck • leatherneck • turtleneck
•henpeck • kopek • shipwreck • Hasek
•Aztec • Mixtec • Toltec • infotech
•discothèque • Zapotec
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Cite this article
"lek." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lek." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-lek.html "lek." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-lek.html |
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