RPG: An Investigation of Mate Choice Discrimination

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作为配偶。这个决定通常是由雌性做出的，因为雌性在繁殖过程中通常会付出更高的代价，因此在选择配偶时非常挑剔。配偶会为后代提供遗传物质，也可能提供其他资源（如食物、照顾、防御等），因此选择最好的配偶是很重要的。个体如何决定与谁交配？择偶决策包括拒绝哪些个体和选择哪些个体作为配偶。这项研究将解决个人如何评估潜在伴侣质量的问题。先前的理论工作假设雌性可以完美地评估潜在伴侣的质量，并且它们应该与第一个质量高于未来潜在男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个最佳决策规则）。理论预测和观察到的行为之间存在差异的一种解释是，女性无法完美地评估潜在伴侣的质量。这项研究将专门研究雌性孔雀鱼区分一对在质量上略有不同的雄性孔雀鱼的能力。这项研究将使人们更好地了解雌性孔雀鱼个体的区分能力，从而了解它们的择偶决策过程。了解动物如何做出配偶选择决定是物种管理和保护的一个重要方面。

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.