Habituation underpins preference for mates with novel phenotypes in the guppy
Habituation underpins preference for mates with novel phenotypes in the guppy
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DOI：
10.1098/rspb.2019.0435
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发表时间：
2019-05-01
影响因子：
4.7
通讯作者：
Hughes, K. A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Daniel, M. J.;Koffinas, L.;Hughes, K. A.
种群在重要的生态特征上蕴藏着巨大的遗传多样性。理解维持这种变异的过程是进化生物学中的一个长期挑战。最近的证据表明，对新奇的性信号的交配偏好可能是维持遗传多样性的强大力量。然而，这种偏好的直接基础及其普遍性仍不清楚。在这里，我们测试了一种假设，即对新奇的性信号的偏好是由习惯化支撑的，习惯化是一种几乎无处不在的学习形式，通过这种形式，个体对重复的刺激变得不那么敏感。我们使用特里尼迪亚孔雀鱼(Poecilia Reticata)，它的雄性颜色图案是多样的，但可以遗传。我们发现，反复接触具有给定颜色图案的雄性会降低雌性对具有该图案的雄性的兴趣，并在短暂隔离后恢复兴趣。这些结果符合习惯化的两个核心标准：反应性下降和自发恢复。为了将习惯性与感觉适应和疲劳区分开来，我们还展示了刺激的特异性和去习惯性。这些结果提供了第一个证据，表明习惯化导致了对新奇的性信号的偏好，解决了这种交配偏好的机械基础。考虑到习惯化在分类群和感觉环境中的普遍存在，我们的发现表明，对新奇事物的偏好在配偶选择和保持遗传变异方面可能扮演着被低估的角色。
Populations harbour enormous genetic diversity in ecologically important traits. Understanding the processes that maintain this variation is a long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. Recent evidence indicates that a mating preference for novel sexual signals can be a powerful force maintaining genetic diversity. However, the proximate underpinnings of this preference, and its generality, remain unclear. Here, we test the hypothesis that preference for novel sexual signals is underpinned by habituation, a nearly ubiquitous form of learning whereby individuals become less responsive to repetitive stimuli. We use the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata), in which male colour patterns are diverse yet heritable. We show that repeated exposure to males with a given colour pattern reduces female interest in males with that pattern, and that interest recovers following brief isolation. These results fulfil two core criteria of habituation: responsiveness decline and spontaneous recovery. To distinguish habituation from sensory adaptation and fatigue, we also demonstrate stimulus specificity and dishabituation. These results provide the first evidence that habituation causes a preference for novel sexual signals, addressing the mechanistic underpinnings of this mating preference. Given the pervasiveness of habituation among taxa and sensory contexts, our findings suggest that preference for novelty may play an underappreciated role in mate choice and the maintenance of genetic variation.