RPG: An Investigation of Mate Choice Discrimination

RPG：择偶歧视调查

• 批准号: 9707349
• 负责人: Shawn Nordell
• 金额: $ 1.8万
• 依托单位: The University Corporation, Northridge
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1997
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1997-08-15 至 2000-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9707349&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RPG; Investigation; Mate; Choice; Discrimination

9707349 Nordell One of the most important decisions that an animal must make during it's lifetime is determining which individual(s) to choose as a mate. This decision is often made by the female since she usually incurs the higher cost in reproduction and is therefore very choosy in her selection of a mate. The mate will provide genetic material for the offspring and perhaps other resources as well (such as food, care, defense, etc.) therefore it is important to choose the best possible individual. How do individuals decide who to mate with? The mate choice decision involves a decision about which individuals to reject and which individuals to select as mates. This research will address the question of how individuals assess the quality of potential mates. Prior theoretical work assumes that females can perfectly assess the quality of potential mates and that they should mate with the first male whose quality is greater than the expected quality of future potential males (One-Step decision rule). However, empirical studies often find that females sample n males and then select the one of the highest quality (Best-of-n decision rule). One explanation for the discrepancy between theoretical predictions and observed behavior is that females can not perfectly assess the quality of potential mates. This research will specifically address the ability of female guppies to discriminate between pairs of males that differ only slightly in their quality. This research will allow a better understanding of the discriminatory ability of individual female guppies and therefore their mate choice decision process. Understanding how animals make mate choice decisions is an important aspect of the management and conservation of species.

9707349诺德尔动物一生中必须做出的最重要的决定之一就是决定选择哪个个体(S)作为配偶。这一决定通常是由雌性作出的，因为它通常在繁殖方面花费较高的成本，因此在选择配偶时非常挑剔。配偶将为后代提供遗传物质，也许还会提供其他资源(如食物、护理、防御等)。因此，选择最好的个体是很重要的。个体如何决定与谁交配？择偶决策涉及拒绝哪些个体和选择哪些个体作为配偶的决定。这项研究将解决个人如何评估潜在伴侣的质量的问题。以前的理论工作假设雌性可以完美地评估潜在配偶的质量，并且她们应该与第一个质量高于未来潜在雄性预期质量的雄性交配(一步决策规则)。然而，实证研究经常发现，女性抽样n个男性，然后选择质量最高的一个(n中最好的决策规则)。理论预测和观察到的行为之间的差异的一个解释是，女性不能完美地评估潜在配偶的质量。这项研究将专门研究雌性孔雀鱼区分质量略有不同的一对雄性孔雀鱼的能力。这项研究将使人们更好地了解个体雌性孔雀鱼的歧视能力，从而更好地了解它们的配偶选择决策过程。了解动物如何做出交配选择决定是物种管理和保护的一个重要方面。