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The evolution of experience-mediated plasticity in mate preferences
K D Fowler-Finn1, R L Rodríguez
1Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA. kaseyff@uwm.edu
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|July 24, 2012
Summary
Female treehoppers adjust mate choice selectivity based on their social environment. Experience with varied mating signals fine-tunes preference, influencing sexual selection dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Behavioral Ecology
- Animal Communication
Background:
- Sexual selection is driven by mate preferences, which can be influenced by individual experience.
- Experience-mediated plasticity allows individuals to adjust their preferences based on environmental cues, impacting sexual selection.
- Understanding how environmental variation shapes mate preferences is crucial for evolutionary studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate experience-mediated plasticity in female mate preferences in Enchenopa treehoppers.
- To determine how variation in the composition of available mates affects mate preference selectivity.
- To test hypotheses regarding the selective pressures favoring plasticity in mate preferences.
Main Methods:
- A vibrational playback experiment was conducted on female Enchenopa treehoppers.
- Females were exposed to different auditory signal treatments: silence, non-preferred signals, preferred signals, and a mixture of signals.
- Mate preference selectivity and peak preference were measured to assess plasticity.
Main Results:
- Female treehoppers exhibited plasticity in mate preference selectivity, not peak preference.
- Greatest selectivity was observed in the mixed signal treatment, followed by the preferred signal treatment.
- Females adjusted preference selectivity based on the variability and presence of preferred mates.
Conclusions:
- Female mate preference selectivity is adaptively adjusted based on the social environment and mate availability.
- Experience-mediated plasticity in mate preferences can influence the strength of sexual selection on male signals.
- This plasticity can lead to evolutionary dynamics that maintain variation or facilitate trait fixation.
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