Mate choice in communication networks: the role of an audience

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Traditionally, mate choice is viewed as an exchange of information between just two individuals. More recently, studies have highlighted the role of social context for mating decisions, which acknowledges that individuals other than the intended receiver can use public information. My previous studies have shown that Poecilia mexicana males (Poeciliidae), when observed during mate choice by an audience male, show weaker expression of mating preferences. This may be an adaptation to avoid sperm competition, since other males likely share intrinsic mating preferences, or even copy the focal male’s mate choice. In this project I will (a) use a comparative approach to examine if audience effects are common in various poeciliids with different mating systems. (b) I will test for a correlation between male aggression and the strength of audience effects, testing the (“split-attention”) hypothesis that an aggressive rival would simply divert males from mate choice. (c) I will examine whether the social environment during ontogeny (male- vs. female-biased sex ratios) affects the strength of audience effects, which will be examined in an experimental approach and in the field. Overall, this project will allow important new insights into the strength of male (and female) mate choice in natural populations.