Male body length influences mate-choice copying in the sailfin molly <i>Poecilia latipinna</i>

Witte, Klaudia; Ryan, Michael J.

doi:10.1093/beheco/9.5.534

Cited by 90 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Prior research has demonstrated that female sailfin mollies prefer large males as mates and will mate copy when males are similarly sized, but not when male size differs substantially (Witte & Ryan 1998). From the findings presented above, it appears that test females do not just evaluate a model female's presence with a potential male mate.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Numerous experiments have found female mollies are consistent with their mate choice in the absence of an opportunity to copy (e.g. Schlupp et al 1994;Witte & Ryan 1998;Witte & Noltemeier 2002), with some data demonstrating a trend for females' initial preferences to be strengthened rather than ameliorated by a second viewing (e.g. Schlupp et al 1994).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most evidence for copying comes from polygynous fishes such as the guppy, Poecilia reticulata (Dugatkin 1992(Dugatkin , 1996, medaka, Oryzias latipes (Grant & Green 1996) and sailfin molly, Poecilia latipinna (Schlupp et al 1994;Witte & Ryan 1998. Copying is typically understood to benefit females by decreasing time and energy required to find suitable mates and lessening predation and injury risks while doing so (Slagsvold et al 1988;Gibson & Hö glund 1992;Stö hr 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the case of copying, we propose that females do not just evaluate the presence of a model female with a potential mate (Witte & Ryan 1998), but rather use the model's quality as a mate assessment heuristic. Given that males compete for the most desirable mates and females exercise mate choice, the quality of a male's mate probably provides an honest signal of his own quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of model female quality in the mate choice copying behaviour of sailfin mollies

Hill

Ryan

2005

Biol. Lett.

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).Female mate choice copying is a socially mediated mate choice behaviour, in which a male's attractiveness to females increases if he was previously chosen by another female as a mate. Although copying has been demonstrated in numerous species, little is known about the specific benefits it confers to copying females. Here we demonstrate that the mate choice behaviour of female sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna) is influenced by the phenotypic quality of model females with whom males are observed consorting. Test females choosing between two males of similar body length were found to significantly increase time spent with previously non-preferred males after having observed them with a relatively high-quality female. Conversely, females were found to significantly decrease time spent with previously preferred males after having observed them with a relatively low-quality female. Female mate choice copying might be maintained by selection based on the heuristic value it provides females choosing between males whose quality differences are not easily distinguishable.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of model female quality in the mate choice copying behaviour of sailfin mollies

Hill

Ryan

2005

Biol. Lett.

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“…Male sailfin mollies do not fertilize the ova of female Amazon mollies, can discriminate between conspecific and heterospecific females, yet mate heterospecifically in nature. Schlupp et al's findings provide evidence of a reproductive advantage accruing to males mating heterospecifically (Witte and Ryan, 1998); by mating heterospecifically, a male sailfin molly may increase his attractiveness to females of his own species. Grant and Green (1996) have reported that female Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes, remain near a target male seen courting a receptive female in preference to a target male seen near a non-receptive female (e.g.…”

Section: Sailfin Molliesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of social effects on mate choice in vertebrates

Galef

White

2000

Behavioural Processes

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Study of determinants of mate selection by animals has a long history in evolutionary biology and behavioural ecology. However, only during the past decade have investigators begun to conduct experiments exploring the various ways in which observation of the behaviour of others might influence mate selection. Here, we review both field and laboratory studies of behavioural processes that underlie non-independence in mate choice, discussing both direct and indirect social influences on mate selection. We focus on laboratory studies in which guppies and Japanese quail, species that have received greatest attention from investigators, have served as subjects. Although much is now known about how public information can affect mate selection in controlled environments, there are still significant gaps in our knowledge of whether and how such information contributes to mate selections by members of free-living populations.

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Learning and Mate Choice

Witte¹

2006

Fish Cognition and Behavior

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Male body length influences mate-choice copying in the sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna

Cited by 90 publications

References 24 publications

The role of model female quality in the mate choice copying behaviour of sailfin mollies

The role of model female quality in the mate choice copying behaviour of sailfin mollies

Evidence of social effects on mate choice in vertebrates

Learning and Mate Choice

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