Mate assessment behavior is correlated to learning ability in female threespine sticklebacks

Abstract

In many species, males signal quality with elaborate traits, but females often show inter-individual variation in preference for these traits. Choosing a mate requires multiple cognitive steps; therefore, cognitive style (how an individual processes information) likely influences the perception of sexual signals and ability to choose a high-quality mate. An important component of cognitive style is flexibility; cognitively flexible individuals are more perceptive to shifts in cues. We hypothesized that cognitively flexible individuals would acquire more information about potential mates, better discern between two quality-signaling traits, and thus be more discriminatory. Here, we show that mate assessment is correlated to other cognitive traits. Although we did not detect an effect of cognitive style on mate preference or discrimination, we found that female threespine sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus that spent more time assessing potential mates (more responsive) in a dichotomous mate choice task reached both the initial and reversal learning criterion in a spatial learning task with fewer errors. However, these highly responsive females made more consecutive mistakes immediately at the beginning of the reversal phase, suggesting that they did not quickly adapt to the environmental change but instead rapidly formed strict routines during the learning task that were eventually reversible after repeated errors. Furthermore, we found evidence for condition-dependent mate preference, with larger females preferring the high-quality male. These are among the first results that illustrate how cognitive traits might influence mate choice, which has implications for the strength and direction of sexual selection.

Environmental habituation and sexual composition affect juveniles' shoaling activity in a cichlid fish (Pelvicachromis taeniatus)

“…The shoal ID was included as a random factor to correct for repeatedly tested shoals. Backward stepwise model reduction was performed to remove non‐significant explanatory variables from the models in the order of their statistical relevance ( e.g ., Rystrom et al ., 2019; Vitt et al ., 2020). The significance was calculated for each variable by comparing models with and without the variable of interest using ANOVA tests.…”

You’re Just My Type: Mate Choice and Behavioral Types

“…However, in some species, females that are less exploratory may be able to make better decisions even though they may not be able to gather information on as many males. While it appears that different BTs excel at different cognitive tasks, in general, less-exploratory individuals appear to 'take better notes'; they gather information from fewer sources but gain more information from a given source [58]. Slower exploring female black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) are more sensitive to differences in a vocal discrimination task, an important part of mate choice [59].…”

Smart mating: the cognitive ability of females influences their preference for male cognitive ability

“…However, only recent studies have started to explore the links between cognitive performances, secondary sexual traits and mating success (e.g. Boogert et al 2008 ; Isden et al 2013 ; Keagy et al 2019 ; Rystrom et al 2019 ).…”