Independent Mating Preferences for Male Body Size and Coloration in Female Trinidadian Guppies
Independent Mating Preferences for Male Body Size and Coloration in Female Trinidadian Guppies
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DOI：
10.1111/eth.12506
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发表时间：
2016-07-01
期刊：
影响因子：
1.7
通讯作者：
Godin, Jean-Guy J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Auld, Heather L.;Pusiak, Ryan J. P.;Godin, Jean-Guy J.
尽管许多物种中的雌性通常更喜欢具有更大、更明亮和更精致的性特征的雄性，但雌性之间的交配偏好在种群内和种群间存在相当大的差异，需要解释。这种变异存在于特立尼达孔雀鱼（Poecilia reticulata）中，它是研究性选择和配偶选择的重要模式生物。虽然雌性孔雀鱼往往更喜欢装饰更多的雄性作为配偶，特别是那些橙色颜色较多的雄性，但种群内和种群之间的雄性特征和雌性交配偏好仍然存在差异。在某些物种中，雄性体型是通过雌性择偶而进行性选择的另一个特征，但尚未像孔雀鱼的身体颜色那样得到广泛的研究，尽管已知成年雄性中这一特征在种群内和种群间存在差异，并且对于该物种的生存至关重要。在这项研究中，我们使用二分选择测试来量化雌性孔雀鱼的交配偏好，这些雌性孔雀鱼源自特立尼达的低捕食种群，对两个雄性特征，即体长和身体覆盖橙色和黑色色素的面积，彼此独立。我们预计，考虑到捕食的放松以及可能相对较低的选择成本，该种群中雌性对雄性体长和颜色都有强烈的交配偏好。正如预期的那样，雌性确实对体型较大的雄性表现出强烈的偏好，但令人惊讶的是，对橙色和黑色的偏好较弱（但仍然很重要）。有趣的是，体型较大的雌性比体型较小的雌性表现出对体型较大的雄性更强烈的偏好，这可能会导致自然界中的体型选配交配。
Although females in numerous species generally prefer males with larger, brighter and more elaborate sexual traits, there is nonetheless considerable intra-and interpopulation variation in mating preferences amongst females that requires explanation. Such variation exists in the Trinidadian guppy, Poecilia reticulata, an important model organism for the study of sexual selection and mate choice. While female guppies tend to prefer more ornamented males as mates, particularly those with greater amounts of orange coloration, there remains variation both in male traits and female mating preferences within and between populations. Male body size is another trait that is sexually selected through female mate choice in some species, but has not been examined as extensively as body coloration in the guppy despite known intra-and interpopulation variation in this trait among adult males and its importance for survivorship in this species. In this study, we used a dichotomous-choice test to quantify the mating preferences of female guppies, originating from a low-predation population in Trinidad, for two male traits, body length and area of the body covered with orange and black pigmentation, independently of each other. We expected strong female mating preferences for both male body length and coloration in this population, given relaxation from predation and presumably relatively low cost of choice. Females indeed exhibited a strong preference for larger males as expected, but surprisingly a weaker (but nonetheless significant) preference for orange and black coloration. Interestingly, larger females demonstrated stronger preferences for larger males than did smaller females, which could potentially lead to size-assortative mating in nature.