Novel mate preference through mate-choice copying in zebra finches: sexes differ

Kniel, Nina; Dürler, Clarissa; Hecht, Ines; Heinbach, Veronika; Zimmermann, Lilia; Witte, Klaudia

doi:10.1093/beheco/aru241

Cited by 24 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…In spatio-temporally varying environments, this joint decision may involve the use of social information, that is, information derived from the presence, performance, or actions of other individuals, to reduce the uncertainty about habitat quality (Danchin et al, 2004;Dall et al, 2005). Because breeding constraints (on e.g., extra-pair or mating opportunities, intra-sexual competition) often differ between sexes (Trivers, 1972;Arnqvist and Rowe, 2005), males and females may use different social information sources or use the same information differently when decisions are made independently (e.g., for dispersal decisions Doligez et al, 1999; for mate-choice Kniel et al, 2015). Nevertheless, male and female information use may interact to produce a joint breeding site decision.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yet, understanding the genetic architecture of social information use for breeding site selection requires assessing its heritability in wild populations. Importantly, social information use is often context-dependent and may depend on age (e.g., Dugatkin and Godin, 1993), sex (e.g., Kniel et al, 2015), personality (e.g., Marchetti and Drent, 2000;Kurvers et al, 2010), or individual's personal experience (e.g., Danchin et al, 1998;Kendal et al, 2004;van Bergen et al, 2004; and see Valone, 2007). The benefits of social information use may indeed change over a lifetime, as individuals gather more experience and thus personal information (reviewed in Kendal et al, 2005;Valone, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Heterospecific Nest Site Copying Behavior in a Wild Bird: Assessing the Influence of Genetics and Past Experience on a Joint Breeding Phenotype

et al. 2018

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Breeding site selection is often a joint decision of pair members in species with biparental care and the experience of both pair members may influence the use of information for site selection. Nevertheless, quantitative genetics of joint information use for site selection remains unexplored so far. We used an experimental approach to quantify the relative importance of genetics (heritability) and past experience (age, familiarity with the environment, previous breeding success, previous information use) in heterospecific social information use for nest site selection in wild collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis). Flycatchers collect social information from resident tits for nest site selection. We created an apparent preference of tits for a novel nest site feature and recorded choices of flycatchers (copying or rejecting the tit preference). Copying behavior was stronger for naive individuals but also differed between years, which could be explained by contrasting seasonality in the demonstrator species. Past experience as reflected by age affected subsequent use of social information: pairs with a yearling male were more likely to copy the heterospecific preference than pairs with older immigrant males. There was no general pattern in successive individual choices over the years. Accordingly, individual repeatability in copying tit preference was very low. At the pair level, we estimated sex-specific direct and indirect genetic effects on the joint nest site decision and found no sex-specific heritability and no cross-sex genetic correlation. Our results confirm the importance of past experience for social information use and suggest that social information use is highly plastic and most likely not genetically inherited in collared flycatchers. Whether individuals use social information should be related to environmentally-induced changes in the quality of information and thus be context-dependent. Selection may therefore act on the ability to optimally use social information in varying environments and on the processes underlying such adjustment, such as learning, rather than the use of information itself.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heterospecific Nest Site Copying Behavior in a Wild Bird: Assessing the Influence of Genetics and Past Experience on a Joint Breeding Phenotype

et al. 2018

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“…Several studies have found evidence of this mate‐choice strategy in different species (overviews in Vakirtzis, ; Witte et al., ). Individuals may not only copy the choice for individual potential mates, but they may generalise and prefer other potential mates of the same phenotype as the observed one chosen as a mate as well (Godin, Herdmann, & Dugatkin, ; Kniel, Schmitz, & Witte, ; Kniel, Dürler, et al., ; Witte & Noltemeier, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We asked whether female zebra finches would copy the mate choice of a conspecific model female, which was artificially adorned with a red feather on the forehead, thus expressing a different phenotype as the test females. Female zebra finches are known to copy the mate choice of their wild‐type conspecific females (Swaddle, Cathey, Correll, & Hodkinson, ; Drullion & Dubois, ; Kniel, Dürler, et al., ; Kniel, Schmitz, et al., ; but see Doucet, Yezerinac, & Montgomerie, ). As Benskin et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of the model in mate‐choice copying in female zebra finches

2017

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Previous studies have shown that zebra finch females copy the mate choice of other females by choosing a mate of the same phenotype as the one chosen by another female (model). Little is known about the influence of the model female on the mate choice of the observing female. Therefore, we investigated the role of the model female in mate‐choice copying by manipulating her phenotype. Test females could choose between an unadorned male and an artificially adorned male, that is, wearing a red feather on the forehead. During a 2h observation period, test females could observe a single male in one cage and a male–female pair in another cage. In treatment one, the single male was unadorned and both the male and the female of the pair (model female) were adorned. In treatment two, the single male was adorned, the male of the pair unadorned and the model female adorned. Afterwards, test females could again choose between two new males, one adorned and one unadorned. In treatment one, test females first showed no preference for one of the two males, but avoided adorned males after the observation period. In treatment two, test females lost an initial preference for unadorned males after the observation period. In both treatments, test females did not copy the mate choice of the adorned model female. Adorned model females seemed to have a negative influence on the attractiveness of their mates' phenotype. Test females might have recognised model females as females of a different phenotype within their species which are adapted to different environmental conditions, or even have recognised model females as a female of another species. Our study demonstrates the important role of the model female in the complex public information network in zebra finches.

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“…Accordingly, mate choice copying is less frequent in the sex in which mate competition is 78 stronger (see Kniel et al, 2015;Widemo, 2006 for a reversed sex role species and for a 79 species with traditional sex roles, respectively). Intrasexual competition deriving from mate 80 choice copying can occur before and after mating.…”

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confidence: 99%

The audience effect and the role of deception in the expression of male mating preferences

2016

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Males of several species have been shown to alter their mate preference in the presence of an 15 eavesdropping rival. This evasive tactic has been interpreted as an attempt by the courting 16 male to drive the attention of the rival away from the preferred female. The fitness return of 17 this deceptive strategy will depend on the costs of cheating for the actor (the displayer) and 18 the benefits for the rival (the bystander) of copying the choice of the displayer. We developed 19 a two-person nonzero sum game between two males that compete for mating with one of two 20 receptive females. Males could assess female quality with a varying level of uncertainty, 21 which was modelled using a Bayesian statistical decision theory approach. We explored the 22 actor and bystander payoffs under different levels of uncertainty in mate assessment and 23 difference in quality between females. We found that when being eavesdropped on is costly 24 (i.e. when females differ largely in quality), males are expected to cheat to reduce the amount 25 2 of public information that is available to the unintended audience. However, under these 26 circumstances, the value of the public information is low and the bystander is not expected to 27 copy the choice of the actor. Our model suggests that deceptive male choice may evolve only 28 under relatively restricted conditions and suggest that other explanations, such as, for 29 example, a reduction in the risk of precopulatory male-male competition may be more likely. 30Future theoretical and empirical work will be necessary to test alternative interpretations of 31 the audience effects in male mate choice. 32Keywords: audience effects; computational mate choice; deception; game-theoretic model; 33 male mate choice; mate choice copying; Poecilia; public information; sperm competition. Animals can improve their assessment of the quality of conspecifics or environmental 36 resources by using public information. This is a form of 'inadvertent social information' 37 (Dall, Giraldeau, Olsson, McNamara, & Stephens, 2005) that can be acquired by noting the 38 performance of other individuals or their behavioural decisions (Valone, 1989;Valone, 2007). 39Evidence for the acquisition of public information from the behavioural decisions of others 40 comes mostly from studies of female mate copying behaviour (Dugatkin, 1992; Dugatkin & 41 Godin, 1992;Nordell & Valone, 1998;Pruett-Jones, 1992). Mate choice copying occurs when 42 an individual's initial mating preference between two potential partners is reversed after 43 having witnessed another individual displaying a preference for the initially nonpreferred 44 partner (Dugatkin & Godin, 1992;Santos, Matos, & Varela, 2014). Mate choice copying was 45 first found in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata (e.g. Dugatkin, 1992). Since then it has been 46 reported in several vertebrate (Galef, Lim, & Gilbert, 2008;Galef & White, 1998; Gibson, 47 Bradbury, & Vehrencamp, 1991;Hoglund, Alatalo, Gibson, & Lundberg, 1995) and 48 invertebrate species (Lo...

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Novel mate preference through mate-choice copying in zebra finches: sexes differ

Cited by 24 publications

References 67 publications

Heterospecific Nest Site Copying Behavior in a Wild Bird: Assessing the Influence of Genetics and Past Experience on a Joint Breeding Phenotype

Heterospecific Nest Site Copying Behavior in a Wild Bird: Assessing the Influence of Genetics and Past Experience on a Joint Breeding Phenotype

The role of the model in mate‐choice copying in female zebra finches

The audience effect and the role of deception in the expression of male mating preferences

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