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Novel mate preference through mate-choice copying in zebra finches: sexes differ

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  • Nina Kniel
  • Clarissa Dürler
  • Ines Hecht
  • Veronika Heinbach
  • Lilia Zimmermann
  • Klaudia Witte

Abstract

The development of preferences for males with sexual ornaments is still not well understood. Therefore, we investigated whether the use of public information in mate-choice copying can explain the development of mate preferences for a novel phenotype in male and female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata castanotis). In a binary choice situation, birds could choose between 2 conspecifics of the opposite sex of 2 different phenotypes: an unadorned phenotype and an adorned phenotype with a red feather on the forehead, simulating the novel phenotype. When no public information was provided, females and males spent a similar amount of time in front of individuals of both phenotypes. After observing a single, unadorned individual and a pair with 1 adorned partner for 2h, females and males could choose between other individuals of both phenotypes in 2 consecutive mate-choice tests. Females spent significantly more time in front of males of the adorned phenotype after the observation period than before the observation period. This shows that females copied and generalized the mate choice of other females for males of the new phenotype. In contrast to females, males did not copy the mate choice of other males. Results from controls provided no alternative explanation for the change in mate choice in females. Our study shows that sexes differ in using public information in mate-choice decisions and that mate-choice copying is a meaningful mechanism for the cultural inheritance of mate preferences in female zebra finches.

Suggested Citation

  • Nina Kniel & Clarissa Dürler & Ines Hecht & Veronika Heinbach & Lilia Zimmermann & Klaudia Witte, 2015. "Novel mate preference through mate-choice copying in zebra finches: sexes differ," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 26(2), pages 647-655.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:beheco:v:26:y:2015:i:2:p:647-655.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/aru241
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Klaudia Witte & Kirsten Ueding, 2003. "Sailfin molly females (Poecilia latipinna) copy the rejection of a male," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 14(3), pages 389-395, May.
    2. Frédérique Dubois & Dominique Drullion & Klaudia Witte, 2012. "Social information use may lead to maladaptive decisions: a game theoretic model," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 23(1), pages 225-231.
    3. Robert I. Bowers & Skyler S. Place & Peter M. Todd & Lars Penke & Jens B. Asendorpf, 2012. "Generalization in mate-choice copying in humans," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 23(1), pages 112-124.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hugo Loning & Simon C Griffith & Marc Naguib, 2022. "Zebra finch song is a very short-range signal in the wild: evidence from an integrated approach [Song and aggressive signaling in Bachman’s Sparrow]," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 33(1), pages 37-46.
    2. Sabine Nöbel & Etienne Danchin & Guillaume Isabel, 2018. "Mate-copying for a costly variant in Drosophila melanogaster females," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 29(5), pages 1150-1156.

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