Effect of the social environment on the expression of mating preferences in livebearing fishes (Poeciliidae)

传统上，择偶被视为两个人之间的信息交换。最近，研究强调了社会背景在交配决定中的作用，这承认除了预期的接受者之外，其他个人可以使用公共信息。我之前的研究表明，在观众选择配偶的过程中，当观众观察到墨西哥斑潜蝇雄性(Poeciliidae)时，它对交配偏好的表达较弱。这可能是一种适应，以避免精子竞争，因为其他雄性可能分享内在的交配偏好，甚至复制焦点雄性的配偶选择。在这个项目中，我将(1)使用比较的方法来检查观众效应是否在不同交配系统的不同诗篇中是常见的。(2)我会研究同性观众是否也会影响女性伴侣的选择。(3)我将测试男性攻击性和观众效应强度之间的相关性，测试(“分散注意力”)假设，即攻击性竞争对手会简单地转移男性对配偶选择的注意力。(4)我将研究个体发育过程中的社会环境(男性与女性的性别比例)是否会影响观众效应的强度，这将通过实验方法和现场进行检验。总体而言，该项目将使人们能够对自然人口中男性和女性配偶选择的强度有重要的新见解。

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 (1) use a comparative approach to examine if audience effects are common in various poeciliids with different mating systems. (2) I will examine if a same-sex audience also affects female mate choice. (3) 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. (4) 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.