Pubblicazione scientifica

Context-dependent female mate choice maintains variation in male sexual activity

FILONE TECNOLOGICO	TEMA
produzione e raccolta

RIASSUNTO

The existence of individual variation in males' motivation to mate remains a conundrum as directional selection should favour high mating frequencies. Balancing selection resulting from (context-dependent) female mate choice could contribute to the maintenance of this behavioural polymorphism. In dichotomous choice tests, mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) females preferred virtual males showing intermediate mating frequencies, reflecting females' tendencies to avoid harassment by highly sexually active males. When tested in the presence of a female shoal—which protects females from male harassment—focal females showed significantly stronger preferences for high sexual activity. A trade-off between (indirect) benefits and (direct) costs of mating with sexually active males probably explains context-dependent female mate choice, as costs depend on the social environment in which females choose their mates. No preference was observed when we tested virgin females, suggesting that the behavioural pattern described here is part of the learned behavioural repertoire of G. holbrooki females.

DATA

Data di pubblicazione: 12/07/2017

AUTORI

SOMMER-TREMBO CAROLIN
PLATH MARTIN
GISMANN JAKOB
HELFRICH CLAUDIA
BIERBACH DAVID

ENTE DI AFFERENZA

COLLEGE OF ANIMAL SCIENCE & TECH NORTHWEST A & F UNIV YANGLING 712100 PR CHINA
DEPT ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION JW GOETHE UNIV FRANKFURT MAX VON LAUE STRA E 13 60438 FRANKFURT AM MAIN GERMANY
DEPT BIOLOGY & ECOLOGY OF FISHES LEIBNIZ INST FRESHWATER ECOLOGY & INLAND FISHERIES MUGGELSEEDAMM 310 12587 BERLIN GERMANY

RIVISTA

Royal Society Open Science, 4(7), 170303

IMPACT FACTOR

2,680

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