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Chung MHJ, Head ML, Fox RJ, Jennions MD. Effects of past mating behavior versus past ejaculation on male mate choice and male attractiveness. Behav Ecol 2024; 35:arae002. [PMID: 38273897 PMCID: PMC10807976 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arae002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Past reproductive effort allows males to assess their ability to acquire mates, but it also consumes resources that can reduce their future competitive ability. Few studies have examined how a male's reproductive history affects his subsequent mate choice, and, to date, no study has determined the relative contribution of past mating behavior and past ejaculate production because these two forms of investment are naturally highly correlated. Here, we disentangled the relative effects of past mating behavior and past ejaculate production in mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) by experimentally preventing some males from ejaculating when trying to mate. We assessed the effect of mating behavior on mate choice by comparing males that had previously been with or without access to females and male rivals for 8 and 16 weeks and assessed the effect of ejaculation on mate choice by comparing males that either could or could not ejaculate when they had access to females for 16 weeks. Reproductive treatment did not affect male attractiveness, but it did affect male mate choice. Somewhat surprisingly, in five of the six treatment-by-age at testing combinations, males preferred a female in the vicinity of a male rival over a solitary female. This preference was marginally stronger for males that had previously engaged in mating behavior but were unaffected by past ejaculate production. We discuss the potential benefits to males of associating with another male when seeking mates. This is the first study to quantify the relative influence of pre- and post-copulatory reproductive investment on male mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Han Joseph Chung
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2600, Australia
| | - Megan L Head
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2600, Australia
| | - Rebecca J Fox
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2600, Australia
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2600, Australia
- Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Centre, 10 Marais Street, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
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2
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Paci P, Mancini C, Nuseibeh B. The Case for Animal Privacy in the Design of Technologically Supported Environments. Front Vet Sci 2022; 8:784794. [PMID: 35071384 PMCID: PMC8777069 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.784794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Privacy is an essential consideration when designing interactive systems for humans. However, at a time when interactive technologies are increasingly targeted at non-human animals and deployed within multispecies contexts, the question arises as to whether we should extend privacy considerations to other animals. To address this question, we revisited early scholarly work on privacy, which examines privacy dynamics in non-human animals (henceforth “animals”). Then, we analysed animal behaviour literature describing privacy-related behaviours in different species. We found that animals use a variety of separation and information management mechanisms, whose function is to secure their own and their assets' safety, as well as negotiate social interactions. In light of our findings, we question tacit assumptions and ordinary practises that involve human technology and that affect animal privacy. Finally, we draw implications for the design of interactive systems informed by animals' privacy requirements and, more broadly, for the development of privacy-aware multispecies interaction design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Paci
- School of Computing and Communications, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Clara Mancini
- School of Computing and Communications, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Bashar Nuseibeh
- School of Computing and Communications, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.,Lero, Irish Software Research Centre, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
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3
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Dougherty LR. Meta-analysis shows the evidence for context-dependent mating behaviour is inconsistent or weak across animals. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:862-875. [PMID: 33471386 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Animals often need to invest significantly in mating behaviour in order to successfully mate. However, the expression of mating behaviour can be costly, especially in unfavourable environments, so animals are expected to adjust their behaviour in a context-dependent way to mitigate these costs. I systematically searched the literature for studies measuring animal mating behaviour (sexual signalling, response to sexual signals or the strength of mate choice) in more than one environment, and used a phylogenetically controlled meta-analysis to identify environmental factors influencing these behaviours. Across 222 studies, the strength of mate choice was significantly context-dependent, and most strongly influenced by population density, population sex ratio and predation risk. However, the average effect sizes were typically small. The amount of sexual signalling and the strength of response to sexual signals were not significantly related to the environment. Overall, this suggests that the evidence for context-dependent mating behaviour across animals is surprisingly weak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam R Dougherty
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7RB, UK
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4
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Abstract
AbstractMate choice is generally regarded as an independent event, but a growing body of evidence indicates that it can be influenced by social information provided by conspecifics. This is known as non-independent mate choice. Individuals use information gathered by observing interactions between conspecifics to copy or not copy the mate choice of these conspecifics. In this review, we examine the factors that affect non-independent mate choice and mate choice copying and how it is influenced by social and environmental information that is available to the subject or focal individual. Specifically, we discuss how non-independent mate choice and whether individuals copy the choices of conspecifics can be influenced by factors such as habitat and differences in ecology, mating system and parental care. We focus on the social information provided to the focal animal, the model and the audience. Nearly all studies of non-independent mate choice and mate copying have focused on individuals in species that use visual cues as the source of social information. Nevertheless, we highlight studies that indicate that individuals in some species may use chemical cues and signals as sources of social information that may affect non-independent mate choice and mate copying.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan C Scauzillo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ellington Hall, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Michael H Ferkin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ellington Hall, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
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5
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Órfão I, Barbosa M, Ojanguren AF, Vicente L, Varela SAM, Magurran AE. Me against who? Male guppies adjust mating behaviour according to their rival’s presence and attractiveness. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Inês Órfão
- CFCUL – Centro de Filosofia das Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
| | - Miguel Barbosa
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
- CESAM – Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar Universidade de Aveiro Aveiro Portugal
| | - Alfredo F. Ojanguren
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
| | - Luís Vicente
- CFCUL – Centro de Filosofia das Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
| | - Susana A. M. Varela
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
- IGC – Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência Oeiras Portugal
| | - Anne E. Magurran
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
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Brown HN, Gale BH, Johnson JB, Belk MC. Testes mass in the livebearing fish Brachyrhaphis rhabdophora (Poeciliidae) varies hypoallometrically with body size but not between predation environments. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:11656-11662. [PMID: 30598764 PMCID: PMC6303761 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we considered potential causes of variation in testis size in the livebearing fish Brachyrhaphis rhabdophora. We evaluated variation in testes mass among individual males and among populations that occupy different selective environments. First, we predicted that small males should allocate more to testes mass than large males (i.e., hypoallometric pattern) based on a sperm competition argument. Second, based on life history theory and associated differences in mortality rates between populations that coexist with many fish predators and those with few predators, we predicted that males in high-predation environments should allocate more to testes mass than males in habitats with few predators. Our results showed that small males allocated proportionally more to testes mass than larger males (slope of testes mass to body mass was hypoallometric). However, there was no effect of predator environment on testes mass independent of body size differences. In this system, size-specific patterns of reproductive allocation in males (hypoallometry) differ from that seen in females (hyperallometry). Allocation to testes mass may respond to differences in mortality rate through selection on body size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley N. Brown
- Evolutionary Ecology Laboratories, Department of BiologyBrigham Young UniversityProvoUtah
| | - Brittany Herrod Gale
- Evolutionary Ecology Laboratories, Department of BiologyBrigham Young UniversityProvoUtah
| | - Jerald B. Johnson
- Evolutionary Ecology Laboratories, Department of BiologyBrigham Young UniversityProvoUtah
- Monte L. Bean Life Science MuseumProvoUtah
| | - Mark C. Belk
- Evolutionary Ecology Laboratories, Department of BiologyBrigham Young UniversityProvoUtah
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7
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Witte K, Baumgärtner K, Röhrig C, Nöbel S. Test of the Deception Hypothesis in Atlantic Mollies Poecilia mexicana-Does the Audience Copy a Pretended Mate Choice of Others? BIOLOGY 2018; 7:E40. [PMID: 30011804 PMCID: PMC6164261 DOI: 10.3390/biology7030040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Animals often use public information for mate-choice decisions by observing conspecifics as they choose their mates and then copying this witnessed decision. When the copier, however, is detected by the choosing individual, the latter often alters its behavior and spends more time with the previously non-preferred mate. This behavioral change is called the audience effect. The deception hypothesis states that the choosing individual changes its behavior to distract the audience from the preferred mate. The deception hypothesis, however, only applies if the audience indeed copies the pretended mate choice of the observed individual. So far, this necessary prerequisite has never been tested. We investigated in Atlantic molly males and females whether, first, focal fish show an audience effect, i.e., alter their mate choices in the presence of an audience fish, and second, whether audience fish copy the mate choice of the focal fish they had just witnessed. We found evidence that male and female Atlantic mollies copy the pretended mate choice of same-sex focal fish. Therefore, a necessary requirement of the deception hypothesis is fulfilled. Our results show that public information use in the context of mate choice can be costly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaudia Witte
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, Department of Chemistry-Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Siegen, Adolf-Reichwein-Str. 2, 57076 Siegen, Germany.
| | - Katharina Baumgärtner
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, Department of Chemistry-Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Siegen, Adolf-Reichwein-Str. 2, 57076 Siegen, Germany.
| | - Corinna Röhrig
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, Department of Chemistry-Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Siegen, Adolf-Reichwein-Str. 2, 57076 Siegen, Germany.
| | - Sabine Nöbel
- CNRS, Université Toulouse, IRD, UMR 5174, EDB (Évolution & Diversité Biologique), 118 Route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse CEDEX 9, France.
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8
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Heubel K. Female mating competition alters female mating preferences in common gobies. Curr Zool 2018; 64:351-361. [PMID: 30402078 PMCID: PMC6007595 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mating decisions can be affected by intrasexual competition and sensitive to operational sex-ratio (OSR) changes in the population. Conceptually, it is assumed that both male and female mate-competition may interfere with female reproductive decisions. Experimentally, however, the focus has been on the effect of male competition on mate choice. In many species with paternal care as in the common goby Pomatoschistus microps, the OSR is often female-biased and female mate-competition for access to available nesting males occurs. Using the same protocol for 3 experiments testing the effect of a perceived risk of female mate-competition, I studied female preferences for nest-holding males differing in its nest size (large/small), body size (large/small), and nest status (with/without eggs already in nest) and measured mating decisions, spawning latencies, and clutch size. Regardless of the social context, females preferred males with larger nests. A preference for large males was only expressed in presence of additional females. For nest status, there was a tendency for females to prefer mating with males with an empty nest. Here, female-female competition increased the propensity to mate. The results of this study show that females are sensitive to a female competitive social environment and suggest that in choice situations, females respond to the social context mainly by mating decisions per se rather than by adjusting the clutch size or spawning latency. Females base their mating decisions not only on a male's nest size but also on male size as an additional cue of mate quality in the presence of additional females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Heubel
- Institute for Zoology, Ecological Research Station Rees, Grietherbusch 3a, D-46459 Rees, Germany
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palménin tie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
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9
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10
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Auld HL, Ramnarine IW, Godin JGJ. Male mate choice in the Trinidadian guppy is influenced by the phenotype of audience sexual rivals. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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11
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Ah-King M, Gowaty PA. A conceptual review of mate choice: stochastic demography, within-sex phenotypic plasticity, and individual flexibility. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:4607-42. [PMID: 27547301 PMCID: PMC4979695 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2015] [Revised: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Mate choice hypotheses usually focus on trait variation of chosen individuals. Recently, mate choice studies have increasingly attended to the environmental circumstances affecting variation in choosers' behavior and choosers' traits. We reviewed the literature on phenotypic plasticity in mate choice with the goal of exploring whether phenotypic plasticity can be interpreted as individual flexibility in the context of the switch point theorem, SPT (Gowaty and Hubbell 2009). We found >3000 studies; 198 were empirical studies of within‐sex phenotypic plasticity, and sixteen showed no evidence of mate choice plasticity. Most studies reported changes from choosy to indiscriminate behavior of subjects. Investigators attributed changes to one or more causes including operational sex ratio, adult sex ratio, potential reproductive rate, predation risk, disease risk, chooser's mating experience, chooser's age, chooser's condition, or chooser's resources. The studies together indicate that “choosiness” of potential mates is environmentally and socially labile, that is, induced – not fixed – in “the choosy sex” with results consistent with choosers' intrinsic characteristics or their ecological circumstances mattering more to mate choice than the traits of potential mates. We show that plasticity‐associated variables factor into the simpler SPT variables. We propose that it is time to complete the move from questions about within‐sex plasticity in the choosy sex to between‐ and within‐individual flexibility in reproductive decision‐making of both sexes simultaneously. Currently, unanswered empirical questions are about the force of alternative constraints and opportunities as inducers of individual flexibility in reproductive decision‐making, and the ecological, social, and developmental sources of similarities and differences between individuals. To make progress, we need studies (1) of simultaneous and symmetric attention to individual mate preferences and subsequent behavior in both sexes, (2) controlled for within‐individual variation in choice behavior as demography changes, and which (3) report effects on fitness from movement of individual's switch points.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malin Ah-King
- Centre for Gender Research Uppsala University Box 527 SE-751 20 Uppsala Sweden; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 621 Charles E. Young Dr. S.Los Angeles California 90095; Department of Ethnology History of Religions and Gender Studies Stockholm University Universitetsvägen 10 ESE-106 91 Stockholm Sweden
| | - Patricia Adair Gowaty
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 621 Charles E. Young Dr. S.Los Angeles California 90095; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Box 0948, DPOAA 34002-9998 Washington, D.C; Institute of the Environment and Sustainability University of California Los Angeles California 90095
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12
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Castellano S, Friard O, Pilastro A. The audience effect and the role of deception in the expression of male mating preferences. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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13
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Kniel N, Bender S, Witte K. Sex-Specific Audience Effect in the Context of Mate Choice in Zebra Finches. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0147130. [PMID: 26839957 PMCID: PMC4739725 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2015] [Accepted: 12/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals observing conspecifics during mate choice can gain additional information about potential mates. However, the presence of an observer, if detected by the observed individuals, can influence the nature of the behavior of the observed individuals, called audience effect. In zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata castanotis), domesticated males show an audience effect during mate choice. However, whether male and female descendants of the wild form show an audience effect during mate choice is unknown. Therefore, we conducted an experiment where male and female focal birds could choose between two distinctive phenotypes of the opposite sex, an artificially adorned stimulus bird with a red feather on the forehead and an unadorned stimulus bird, two times consecutively, once without an audience and once with an audience bird (same sex as test bird). Males showed an audience effect when an audience male was present and spent more time with adorned and less time with unadorned females compared to when there was no audience present. The change in time spent with the respective stimulus females was positively correlated with the time that the audience male spent in front of its cage close to the focal male. Females showed no change in mate choice when an audience female was present, but their motivation to associate with both stimulus males decreased. In a control for mate-choice consistency there was no audience in either test. Here, both focal females and focal males chose consistently without a change in choosing motivation. Our results showed that there is an audience effect on mate choice in zebra finches and that the response to a same-sex audience was sex-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Kniel
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, Institute of Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
| | - Stefanie Bender
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, Institute of Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
| | - Klaudia Witte
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, Institute of Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
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14
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Sexual voyeurs and copiers: social copying and the audience effect on male mate choice in the guppy. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-1992-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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15
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Do male Trinidadian guppies adjust their alternative mating tactics in the presence of a rival male audience? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-1933-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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16
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When being the centre of the attention is detrimental: copiers may favour the use of evasive tactics. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1831-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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17
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Bierbach D, Makowicz AM, Schlupp I, Geupel H, Streit B, Plath M. Casanovas are liars: behavioral syndromes, sperm competition risk, and the evolution of deceptive male mating behavior in live-bearing fishes. F1000Res 2013; 2:75. [PMID: 24627773 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.2-75.v2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Male reproductive biology can by characterized through competition over mates as well as mate choice. Multiple mating and male mate choice copying, especially in internally fertilizing species, set the stage for increased sperm competition, i.e., sperm of two or more males can compete for fertilization of the female's ova. In the internally fertilizing fish Poecilia mexicana, males respond to the presence of rivals with reduced expression of mating preferences (audience effect), thereby lowering the risk of by-standing rivals copying their mate choice. Also, males interact initially more with a non-preferred female when observed by a rival, which has been interpreted in previous studies as a strategy to mislead rivals, again reducing sperm competition risk (SCR). Nevertheless, species might differ consistently in their expression of aggressive and reproductive behaviors, possibly due to varying levels of SCR. In the current study, we present a unique data set comprising ten poeciliid species (in two cases including multiple populations) and ask whether species can be characterized through consistent differences in the expression of aggression, sexual activity and changes in mate choice under increased SCR. We found consistent species-specific differences in aggressive behavior, sexual activity as well as in the level of misleading behavior, while decreased preference expression under increased SCR was a general feature of all but one species examined. Furthermore, mean sexual activity correlated positively with the occurrence of potentially misleading behavior. An alternative explanation for audience effects would be that males attempt to avoid aggressive encounters, which would predict stronger audience effects in more aggressive species. We demonstrate a positive correlation between mean aggressiveness and sexual activity (suggesting a hormonal link as a mechanistic explanation), but did not detect a correlation between aggressiveness and audience effects. Suites of correlated behavioral tendencies are termed behavioral syndromes, and our present study provides correlational evidence for the evolutionary significance of SCR in shaping a behavioral syndrome at the species level across poeciliid taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Bierbach
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, D-60438, Germany ; Current address: Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
| | - Amber M Makowicz
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Ingo Schlupp
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Holger Geupel
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, D-60438, Germany
| | - Bruno Streit
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, D-60438, Germany
| | - Martin Plath
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, D-60438, Germany
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18
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Nöbel S, Witte K. Public information influences sperm transfer to females in sailfin molly males. PLoS One 2013; 8:e53865. [PMID: 23342021 PMCID: PMC3547040 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2012] [Accepted: 12/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In animals, including humans, the social environment can serve as a public information network in which individuals can gather public information about the quality of potential mates by observing conspecifics during sexual interactions. The observing individual itself is also a part of this information network. When recognized by the observed conspecifics as an audience, his/her presence could influence the sexual interaction between those individuals, because the observer might be considered as a potential mate or competitor. One of the most challenging questions in sexual selection to date is how the use of public information in the context of mate choice is linked to the fitness of individuals. Here, we could show that public information influences mate-choice behaviour in sailfin molly males, Poecilia latipinna, and influences the amount of sperm males transfer to a female partner. In the presence of an audience male, males spent less time with the previously preferred, larger of two females and significantly more time with the previously non-preferred, smaller female. When males could physically interact with a female and were faced with an audience male, three audience females or no audience, males transferred significantly more sperm to a female partner in the presence of an audience male than with female audience or no audience and spent less time courting his female partner. This is the first study showing that public information use turns into fitness investment, which is the crucial factor to understand the role of public information in the dynamic processes in sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Nöbel
- Section of Biology, Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany.
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19
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Bierbach D, Makowicz AM, Schlupp I, Geupel H, Streit B, Plath M. Casanovas are liars: behavioral syndromes, sperm competition risk, and the evolution of deceptive male mating behavior in live-bearing fishes. F1000Res 2013; 2:75. [PMID: 24627773 PMCID: PMC3917653 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.2-75.v3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Male reproductive biology can by characterized through competition over mates as well as mate choice. Multiple mating and male mate choice copying, especially in internally fertilizing species, set the stage for increased sperm competition, i.e., sperm of two or more males can compete for fertilization of the female’s ova. In the internally fertilizing fish
Poecilia mexicana, males respond to the presence of rivals with reduced expression of mating preferences (audience effect), thereby lowering the risk of by-standing rivals copying their mate choice. Also, males interact initially more with a non-preferred female when observed by a rival, which has been interpreted in previous studies as a strategy to mislead rivals, again reducing sperm competition risk (SCR). Nevertheless, species might differ consistently in their expression of aggressive and reproductive behaviors, possibly due to varying levels of SCR. In the current study, we present a unique data set comprising ten poeciliid species (in two cases including multiple populations) and ask whether species can be characterized through consistent differences in the expression of aggression, sexual activity and changes in mate choice under increased SCR. We found consistent species-specific differences in aggressive behavior, sexual activity as well as in the level of misleading behavior, while decreased preference expression under increased SCR was a general feature of all but one species examined. Furthermore, mean sexual activity correlated positively with the occurrence of potentially misleading behavior. An alternative explanation for audience effects would be that males attempt to avoid aggressive encounters, which would predict stronger audience effects in more aggressive species. We demonstrate a positive correlation between mean aggressiveness and sexual activity (suggesting a hormonal link as a mechanistic explanation), but did not detect a correlation between aggressiveness and audience effects. Suites of correlated behavioral tendencies are termed behavioral syndromes, and our present study provides correlational evidence for the evolutionary significance of SCR in shaping a behavioral syndrome at the species level across poeciliid taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Bierbach
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, D-60438, Germany ; Current address: Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
| | - Amber M Makowicz
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Ingo Schlupp
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Holger Geupel
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, D-60438, Germany
| | - Bruno Streit
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, D-60438, Germany
| | - Martin Plath
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, D-60438, Germany
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Liu JX, Tatarenkov A, O'Rear TA, Moyle PB, Avise JC. Molecular evidence for multiple paternity in a population of the Viviparous Tule Perch Hysterocarpus traski. J Hered 2012; 104:217-22. [PMID: 23267018 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/ess105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Population density might be an important variable in determining the degree of multiple paternity. In a previous study, a high level of multiple paternity was detected in the shiner perch Cymatogaster aggregata, a species with high population density and a high mate encounter rate. The tule perch Hysterocarpus traski is phylogenetically closely related to C. aggregata, but it has relatively lower population density, which may result in distinct patterns of multiple paternity in these 2 species. To test the hypothesis that mate encounter rate may affect the rate of successful mating, we used polymorphic microsatellite markers to identify multiple paternity in the progeny arrays of 12 pregnant females from a natural population of tule perch. Multiple paternity was detected in 11 (92%) of the 12 broods. The number of sires per brood ranged from 1 to 4 (mean 2.5) but with no correlation between sire number and brood size. Although the brood size of tule perch is considerably larger than that of shiner perch (40.7 vs. 12.9, respectively), the average number of sires per brood in tule perch is much lower than that in shiner perch (2.5 vs. 4.6, respectively). These results are consistent with the hypothesis that mate encounter rate is an important factor affecting multiple mating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Xian Liu
- the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
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Dubois F, Belzile A. Audience effect alters male mating preferences in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). PLoS One 2012; 7:e43697. [PMID: 22916298 PMCID: PMC3423349 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2012] [Accepted: 07/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The social environment of animals strongly influences the mating preferences of both the choosing and the observing individuals. Notably, there is recent evidence that polygamous males decrease their selectivity when being observed by competitors in order to direct their rivals' attention away from their true interest and, consequently, reduce sperm competition risk. Yet, other mechanisms, whose importance remains unexplored, could induce similar effects. In monogamous species with mutual choice, particularly, if males adjust their selectivity according to the risk of being rejected by their preferred mate, they should as well become less selective when potential rivals are present. Here, we investigated whether the presence of bystanders modifies male mating preferences when the risk of sperm competition is low, by carrying out mate-choice experiments with male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) whose preferences for two females were measured twice: with and without an audience. We found that the presence of potential rivals had no effect on the males' choosiness. However, with an audience, they spent more time with the female that was considered as the less attractive one in the control condition. These findings support the hypothesis that monogamous males alter their mate choice decisions in the presence of a male audience to reduce the risk of remaining unpaired. Thus, our results indicate that several explanations can account for the changes in male preferences due to the presence of competitors and highlight the importance of assessing the relative role of each mechanism potentially involved, to be able to make conclusions about the effect of an audience on signal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédérique Dubois
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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22
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Do female zebrafish withhold reproductive resources for future mating opportunities? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-012-1337-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Shifferman EM. It's all in your head: the role of quantity estimation in sperm competition. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:833-40. [PMID: 22171084 PMCID: PMC3259941 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.2256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2011] [Accepted: 11/25/2011] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of animal cognition has provided valuable data throughout the years, yet its reliance on laboratory work leaves some open questions. The main question is whether animals employ cognition in daily decision-making. The following discussion uses sperm competition (SC) as a test case for demonstrating the effect of cognition on routine choices, in this case, sexual selection. Cognition is manifested here by males' ability to represent the number of rivals competing with them. I claim that response to SC is driven by quantity estimation and the ability to assess competition magnitude cognitively. Hence, cognition can determine males' response to SC, and consequentially it can be selected within this context. This supports the argument that cognition constitutes an integral part of an individual's toolbox in solving real-life problems, and shows that physical and behavioural phenomena can expose cognition to selection and facilitate its evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eran M Shifferman
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Adolf Lorenz Gasse 2, 3422 Altenberg, Austria.
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24
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Rival presence leads to reversible changes in male mate choice of a desert dwelling ungulate. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arr223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Plath M, Bierbach D. Sex and the public: Social eavesdropping, sperm competition risk and male mate choice. Commun Integr Biol 2011; 4:276-80. [PMID: 21980557 DOI: 10.4161/cib.4.3.14916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2011] [Accepted: 01/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mate choice can be sensitive to social cues from neighboring individuals, e.g., animals can copy mate choice decisions. Males that are at risk of being copied by others may respond to this with reduced preference expression ("audience effects"). We review the various pathways by which sperm competition risk affects (1) male mate copying behavior and (2) audience effects. For example, a recent study suggests that males gather complex social information on rivals' sexual competitiveness (sexual activity and attractiveness to females) and respond with reduced expression of mating preferences only "when it matters," i.e., when a sexually competitive rival is present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Plath
- Department of Ecology & Evolution; J.W. Goethe University Frankfurt; Frankfurt, Germany
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Jeswiet SB, Lee-Jenkins SS, Godin JGJ. Concurrent effects of sperm competition and female quality on male mate choice in the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Behav Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arr175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Bierbach D, Schulte M, Herrmann N, Tobler M, Stadler S, Jung CT, Kunkel B, Riesch R, Klaus S, Ziege M, Indy JR, Arias-Rodriguez L, Plath M. Predator-induced changes of female mating preferences: innate and experiential effects. BMC Evol Biol 2011; 11:190. [PMID: 21726456 PMCID: PMC3141438 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-11-190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2011] [Accepted: 07/04/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In many species males face a higher predation risk than females because males display elaborate traits that evolved under sexual selection, which may attract not only females but also predators. Females are, therefore, predicted to avoid such conspicuous males under predation risk. The present study was designed to investigate predator-induced changes of female mating preferences in Atlantic mollies (Poecilia mexicana). Males of this species show a pronounced polymorphism in body size and coloration, and females prefer large, colorful males in the absence of predators. Results In dichotomous choice tests predator-naïve (lab-reared) females altered their initial preference for larger males in the presence of the cichlid Cichlasoma salvini, a natural predator of P. mexicana, and preferred small males instead. This effect was considerably weaker when females were confronted visually with the non-piscivorous cichlid Vieja bifasciata or the introduced non-piscivorous Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). In contrast, predator experienced (wild-caught) females did not respond to the same extent to the presence of a predator, most likely due to a learned ability to evaluate their predators' motivation to prey. Conclusions Our study highlights that (a) predatory fish can have a profound influence on the expression of mating preferences of their prey (thus potentially affecting the strength of sexual selection), and females may alter their mate choice behavior strategically to reduce their own exposure to predators. (b) Prey species can evolve visual predator recognition mechanisms and alter their mate choice only when a natural predator is present. (c) Finally, experiential effects can play an important role, and prey species may learn to evaluate the motivational state of their predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Bierbach
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, JW Goethe University Frankfurt, Siesmayerstrasse 70-72, D-60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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28
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Mautz BS, Jennions MD. The effect of competitor presence and relative competitive ability on male mate choice. Behav Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arr048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
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Bierbach D, Kronmarck C, Hennige-Schulz C, Stadler S, Plath M. Sperm competition risk affects male mate choice copying. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-011-1177-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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30
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Jeswiet SB, Lee-Jenkins SS, Ramnarine IW, Godin JGJ. Sperm competition risk and mate choice in male Trinidadian guppies, Poecilia reticulata. Anim Behav 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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31
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Mautz B, Detto T, Wong BB, Kokko H, Jennions MD, Backwell PR. Male fiddler crabs defend multiple burrows to attract additional females. Behav Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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32
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Bierbach D, Girndt A, Hamfler S, Klein M, Mücksch F, Penshorn M, Schwinn M, Zimmer C, Schlupp I, Streit B, Plath M. Male fish use prior knowledge about rivals to adjust their mate choice. Biol Lett 2011; 7:349-51. [PMID: 21208944 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mate choice as one element of sexual selection can be sensitive to public information from neighbouring individuals. Here, we demonstrate that males of the livebearing fish Poecilia mexicana gather complex social information when given a chance to familiarize themselves with rivals prior to mate choice. Focal males ceased to show mating preferences when being observed by a rival (which prevents rivals from copying mating decisions), but this effect was only seen when focal males have perceived rivals as sexually active. In addition, focal males that were observed by a familiar, sexually active rival showed a stronger behavioural response when rivals were larger and thus, more attractive to females. Our study illustrates an unparalleled adjustment in the expression of mating preferences based on social cues, and suggests that male fish are able to remember and strategically exploit information about rivals when performing mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Bierbach
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Frankfurt, Siesmayerstrasse 70a, 60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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Makowicz A, Plath M, Schlupp I. Using video playback to study the effect of an audience on male mating behavior in the Sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna). Behav Processes 2010; 85:36-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2010.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2009] [Revised: 05/13/2010] [Accepted: 06/03/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Reputation management in the age of the world-wide web. Trends Cogn Sci 2010; 14:482-8. [PMID: 20685154 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2010.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2010] [Revised: 07/09/2010] [Accepted: 07/13/2010] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The reciprocal interactions with others that play such a significant part in our lives depend upon trust; individuals need to be confident that their partners are cooperative, and that they will return favours. Reputation permits the choice of better partners and provides incentives to be more cooperative. These uses of reputation are not unique to humans. However, in complex human societies, with large numbers of potential partners, keeping track of each other's reputation is a vital part of everyday life, and, in an inevitable arms race, ever more powerful strategies of reputation management are being developed. In this article, we bring together insights from different disciplines to throw new light onto the importance and scope of reputation management.
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Plath M, Richter S, Schlupp I, Tiedemann R. Misleading mollies: surface- but not cave-dwelling Poecilia mexicana males deceive competitors about mating preferences. Acta Ethol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-010-0074-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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