Influences of male and female phenotypes on male mate-choice copying in the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata)
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Mate-choice copying in males is a form of social learning whereby an observer male modifies his inherent mating preference after observing a demonstrator male sexually interact with a female he did not initially prefer, and copies the mate preference of the demonstrator male. Little is known about such copying behaviour in males and how the phenotypes of males and(or) females interact to influence the likelihood of mate-choice copying and the strength of the copying response. Using the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata), I investigated whether the relative sexual attractiveness of males influences the likelihood of mate-choice copying in males, and found that the highest rates of copying occurred when the demonstrator male was less sexually attractive than the observer male. Second, I tested whether the relative difference in the body size of paired females influenced the likelihood of male mate-choice copying, and did not find unequivocal evidence for such an effect.
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Copyright © 2017 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. Theses may only be shared by linking to Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be used without proper attribution to the author. No part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.
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pusiak-influencesofmaleandfemalephenotypesonmale.pdf | 2023-05-05 | Public | Download |