Sequential female assessment drives complex sexual selection on bower shape in a cichlid fish

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Sexual selection often involves female mate choice based on male traits during courtship.
• Sequential assessment of male traits by females can influence mate choice decisions.
• Understanding the dynamics of sequential assessment is crucial for explaining sexual selection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate sexual selection in the bower-building cichlid fish, Nyassachromis cf. microcephalus.
• To apply standard selection analysis to sequential female assessment data.
• To gain new insights into how female mate choice operates during sequential courtship.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a bower-building cichlid fish model system for studying sexual selection.
• Applied standard selection analysis to data collected during sequential female assessment.
• Partitioned variances of male reproductive fitness estimates based on bower dimensions.

Main Results:

• Cumulative selection differentials confirmed female preference for males with large, volcano-shaped sand bowers.
• Sequential assessment revealed selection acting on different bower dimensions at distinct courtship stages.
• Females preferred tall bowers for following and large-diameter platforms for premating circling.

Conclusions:

• Sequential assessment analysis provides deeper insights into sexual selection than cumulative measures alone.
• Female cichlid mate choice is influenced by specific bower dimensions at different points in courtship.
• The presented approach enhances standard selection analysis for systems with sequential female assessment.