Negative Public Information in Mate Choice Copying Helps the Spread of a Novel Trait

Numerous field and laboratory experiments have shown that many species have the capacity for social learning, including mate choice decisions that can be influenced by witnessing the mating decisions of others. Here we develop a numerical model of mate choice copying that follows the population gene...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American naturalist 2014-11, Vol.184 (5), p.658-672
Main Authors: Santos, Mauro, Matos, Margarida, Varela, Susana A. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alleles
Animal behavior
Animal reproduction
Animals
Choice Behavior
Drosophila
Drosophila - genetics
Drosophila - physiology
Evolution
Experiments
Female
Female animals
Gene frequency
Genetics
Learning
Male
Male animals
Mating behavior
Mating Preference, Animal
Models, Biological
Observed choices
Phenotype
Phenotypes
Public information
Sexual Behavior, Animal
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Summary:Numerous field and laboratory experiments have shown that many species have the capacity for social learning, including mate choice decisions that can be influenced by witnessing the mating decisions of others. Here we develop a numerical model of mate choice copying that follows the population genetics tradition, consisting in tracking allele frequencies in a population over time under various scenarios. In contrast to previous evolutionary models, we consider both positive social information and negative social information because many mating systems are driven by males in pursuit of a mate and female refusal of copulation may provide negative social information. The inclusion of negative social information to mate choice copying helps the spread of a novel trait, even if female innate mate choice preference is biased toward the common male type. We argue that the presence or absence of copying might simply mirror the associated cost-benefit relationship of the mating system of a given species and suggest how to test this prediction.
ISSN:0003-0147
1537-5323
DOI:10.1086/678082